Excellent video Robbie, thanks for the info. I can't risk upsetting my boss so the freezer is out. I have washed Mallard, Woodcock and Pheasant pluckings in boiling water with a bit of detergent and rinsed the bejaysus out of it... seemed to have done the trick, but I guess you never know. Must get some better ziplock bags though. Cheers.
Turkey season, searched RUclips & no one has done how to Harvest Turkey Feathers for fly tying. Your videos on harvesting have been outstanding, would you be able to do one on Turkey and maybe Goose?
I would love to do some videos on turkeys and geese, problem I have is getting them. Where I live they are not easy come by, only way of getting them is to buy them from a farmer. I certainly will try in time
I bought a partridge skin last summer from what I thought was reliable producer & happily tied a batch of soft hackles. Then rebagged the skin in its ziplock & stored it in a sealed box. When I opened the box to get out a jungle cock cape, I saw the partridge bag full of small beetles next to the jungle cock. Yikes! Dumb! I should have frozen the bag first as you recommend! My wife wasn’t pleased to have the bag in the freezer, so now it’s on the bottom below the shelves with insecticide packet. After a good long stay, I’ll let it warm to activate the insecticide, then give it multiple washes before using it. Lesson learned. At least the bags kept the bugs out of my other feathers & kept them inside their own bag. Thank you for an important reminder. With the borax packed feathers & skins, do you wash them before using to remove the borax?
Hi Fly Tyer 1948, if using borax to preserve skins or bug proof feathers there is no need to wash the items, the borax will easily come out or the skin with a few good shakes. I usually run a hoover on the skin side on low to remove excess borax and I bag straight away
@@robbieb20 Thank you. I have a duck skin preserved in borax that was given to me by another tyer in trade for some work I did & have been wondering how to treat it. Now I know.
@@FlyTyer1948 no problem at all, with duck or any water fowl there is a thick layer of fat under the skin that needs to be removed prior to applying the borax
As an additional measure, I do the same after preserving my materials, when it comes to storage I will also add moth balls and insects repellent strips
My internet search says Borateem laundry additive is 98.7% borax. The rest is a microbiocide and an insecticide. Sounds right for preserving feathers and fur.
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I use a 50 / 50 mixture of borax and salt used in layers as you showed, frozen and stored in ziplocks,
I never mixed salt with the borax, it’s definitely something I am going to try, thanks Chris
Very helpful and informative video!! I want to collect feathers for jig tying this video helps!! Thanks Robbie for sharing!!
Thank you James for the positive comments, I am glad you like the video
Excellent video Robbie, thanks for the info. I can't risk upsetting my boss so the freezer is out. I have washed Mallard, Woodcock and Pheasant pluckings in boiling water with a bit of detergent and rinsed the bejaysus out of it... seemed to have done the trick, but I guess you never know. Must get some better ziplock bags though. Cheers.
Thanks Barry, definitely don’t want to upset the boss haha
Turkey season, searched RUclips & no one has done how to Harvest Turkey Feathers for fly tying. Your videos on harvesting have been outstanding, would you be able to do one on Turkey and maybe Goose?
I would love to do some videos on turkeys and geese, problem I have is getting them. Where I live they are not easy come by, only way of getting them is to buy them from a farmer. I certainly will try in time
I bought a partridge skin last summer from what I thought was reliable producer & happily tied a batch of soft hackles. Then rebagged the skin in its ziplock & stored it in a sealed box. When I opened the box to get out a jungle cock cape, I saw the partridge bag full of small beetles next to the jungle cock. Yikes! Dumb!
I should have frozen the bag first as you recommend! My wife wasn’t pleased to have the bag in the freezer, so now it’s on the bottom below the shelves with insecticide packet. After a good long stay, I’ll let it warm to activate the insecticide, then give it multiple washes before using it. Lesson learned. At least the bags kept the bugs out of my other feathers & kept them inside their own bag.
Thank you for an important reminder.
With the borax packed feathers & skins, do you wash them before using to remove the borax?
Hi Fly Tyer 1948, if using borax to preserve skins or bug proof feathers there is no need to wash the items, the borax will easily come out or the skin with a few good shakes. I usually run a hoover on the skin side on low to remove excess borax and I bag straight away
@@robbieb20 Thank you. I have a duck skin preserved in borax that was given to me by another tyer in trade for some work I did & have been wondering how to treat it. Now I know.
@@FlyTyer1948 no problem at all, with duck or any water fowl there is a thick layer of fat under the skin that needs to be removed prior to applying the borax
My fly tying materials are in plastic boxes. The boxes with organic materials (feathers, fur) get moth balls added. So far, no pests.
As an additional measure, I do the same after preserving my materials, when it comes to storage I will also add moth balls and insects repellent strips
Where do you get the borax
I buy my borax from taxidermist supplie shops on line from the uk. Snowdonia or taxidermy supplies uk
My internet search says Borateem laundry additive is 98.7% borax. The rest is a microbiocide and an insecticide. Sounds right for preserving feathers and fur.
@@wdtaut5650 correct, borax is widely used in laundry detergent and even soaps
I only see a lot of plastic bags.