Spurs,beards and borax

[treein dixie]

If you cut the spurs so that you have a chunk of leg bone say 1'' and you use a air compressor to blow out the gunk in the middle of the leg bone.  Leave the red skin on and completely cover the spurs in a dish of borax.  Then just stick the bearded end in borax.  How long does it take to cure out before removing??  Thanks in advance!

[TNCreekBottom]

A few weeks on the Spurs and 2 weeks on the beard just check on them once a week or so and you will see when they are dry.

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[Turkeyman]

When it comes to spurs and beards no reason to get borax involved at all. Particularly if you just tear the beard off the chest like a sheet of paper, as you should. Even if you don't and cut it away that little piece of skin it will be dried up the next day. All I do with the spurs is cut the leg bone on both sides of the spurs and clean out with a Qtip. Again, dries up the next day or so. Now...if you're talking doing a fan that's when you use the borax. Cut out that bone and trim away all flesh and fat...being careful not to cut the skin holding the feather in place...then borax well and pin to a piece of cardboard.

[Hook hanger]

I don't borax spurs or beards.

[Turkeyman]

Yes.

[THattaway]

I leave them a month or so in borax but a couple weeks is probably fine. Spurs look a lot nicer skinned out. Easy to do, cut carefully around base of spur and peel red skin off, remove ligament sections, add a pinch of borax to congeal things and scrape with a dull knife or such till bone is clean. Takes about 5-10 minutes per spur. You can also whiten bone section with salon peroxide and powder but be careful and keep it off the spur sheath and yourself, rinse good etc. Beard will last forever if you dry it in borax. Have had bugs work on some that were dried without it, strung up a few in an enclosed porch area once. Easier to use borax and not worry. Lots of questions like these are better answered searching on a taxidermy site. Good luck.

[Jim K]

As a taxidermist, the only way I'll do spurs is by removing the skin, simmer in water with a little dawn for about 10 minutes. Grab spur with paper towel and twist off. Then put back in water and really cook the bone good( not the spur cap). Wire brush everything off and bleach with peroxide from the beauty supply place. Clean any meat off the inside of the spur caps.

When bone is white, let dry and epoxy cap back on. No meat equals no bugs!! I dip the end of beard in borax just to dry the end quick. Not necessary just what I do.

[catman529]

If you cut the foot and blow the junk out of the bone you don't even need borax. Heck, I've got dried turkey feet laying in piles that never even saw borax. The idea is to eventually cut and clean them to make a spur necklace.


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[albrubacker]

 

As a taxidermist, the only way I'll do spurs is by removing the skin, simmer in water with a little dawn for about 10 minutes. Grab spur with paper towel and twist off. Then put back in water and really cook the bone good( not the spur cap). Wire brush everything off and bleach with peroxide from the beauty supply place. Clean any meat off the inside of the spur caps.

When bone is white, let dry and epoxy cap back on. No meat equals no bugs!! I dip the end of beard in borax just to dry the end quick. Not necessary just what I do.

[captpete]

The beard I dip the end in borax and let it sit while I work on the spurs. When the spurs are done, so is the beard. This is how I do the spurs: http://oldgobbler.com/Forum/index.php/topic,19047.0.html

[brittman]

Borax has always worked fine for me on beards and fans.