Hi all - a quick 'un as I'm supposed to be working

Following some heavy hints over the past couple of weeks, Mrs P has just come home from the farmers' market with a rather magnificent c0ck pheasant for eating and tying with...

I've done a search on the forum, but after pinning out on a board and scraping, I can't quite tell what's the latest wisdom on preserving a skin of this size (starling skins I used to just air-dry, but they're a lot smaller).

So... Salt? Borax? Alum powder? And if so, available from where?

Many thanks for any advice!

Theo

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theopike.com
wandletrust.org
urbantrout.net

Hi Theo you should be able to get alum from most lndian spice shop and borax from boots, regards alan

Theo,

I would suggest you make a call to Steve Cooper at Cookshill - he can give you superb advice as he is preparing skins every day.

Kind regards

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Phil Holding
www.flytyingboutique.com
Airedale, North Yorkshire

Hi
If its just preserving the skin you don't need anything, its pretty similar to treating the starling skin. If you want to keep the wings then you will need to dry them out in a cool dry environment for a few weeks, to be honest they are more hassle than they are worth.

Skin the bird and remove as much of the fatty deposits as you can, place it skin side down on a news paper for 24-36 hours in a cool dry place, this itself should remove the remainder but if not, scrape and repete the process. then turn it over for another 24-36 hours, this esentially cures the skin but I would advise against placing them into an air tight bag untill you are sure all the moisture is removed or the skins will turn blue mouldy, leave them out in the air for as long as you can.

Don't forget to de-mite.

Thanks all - some excellent advice there! I'll see how I get on...

Theo

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theopike.com
wandletrust.org
urbantrout.net

Al, I'm intrigued why alum should be sold in Indian spice shops. Any idea what it's used for?

Cheers

Stewart

It has a few uses in food ,eg. pickling and bread making ( makes bread whiter )

Edit : just had a look and it seems it is not used in bread making anymore although it is used in some baking powders .

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Your fish ----> ><((((º> My fish ----> ><(((((((((º>
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Cheers Danny

Co-Founder of S.S.F.D 2010

Cheers Danny

Stewart

Hi Theo,

With Pheasants i've found that the wings can be left in the garage / shed to dry out, the tail feathers can be plucked, and rest can go in the bin! Lots of very warm downy stuff that i've never found a use for.

You could always give it Jed to work his magic, though if it's like my Teal skin you may never see it again!

Cheers,
Greg