Jmedenf said let the maggots clean the tail. I would not recommend that. I would also not recommend using salt. Borax works much better. I'm telling you, as long as you remove all the meat and bone, or as much as possible, the tail will dry in no time. There won't be any smell. I've done enough of these to know. If you let maggots take over, you are looking at a smelly mess. I would also not recommend letting them dry outdoors. There is no need placing the tail between two pieces of cardboard. That will take some of the shape out of the fan and make it too flat. When I start on my other fans, I will post pics of the steps.