curing(mounting) a turkey fan

[wrangler1]

I finally pulled out my son's turkey fan from last year to mount and there isn't any cure packet in the kit I bought. Some say I can use regular salt for the meat that's left on the quills. Thoughts?

[Shane]

I use salt and borax mixed together. Seems to work just fine, as I've had no problems with a couple that have been on the wall for a few years. I just dumped a pile of salt and borax on the tail base and left it to cure for a few weeks before shaking and picking it all out of the feathers before mounting on a board. I had the feathers pinned to a big piece of styrofoam during the cure process, using BIG hat pins to hold each feather in its place. I placed the pins next to the spine of the feather, not through it. Cut as much of the fat and meat off the feather base as you can before you salt it.

[wrangler1]

I use salt and borax mixed together. Seems to work just fine, as I've had no problems with a couple that have been on the wall for a few years.

Just equal amounts of both? And where do you get borax?
Thanks for the input.

[Shane]

I didn't measure anything out. I literally just dumped salt, then borax, then salt, then borax, etc... Probably could mix equal parts and dump it all on together and it would be better. You can get borax at Wal-Mart or any grocery store. It's on the laundry soap aisle. You can get the non-iodized salt too.

[tgil]

I've always done straight salt, and follow the steps above. Key is to getting as much flesh off ahead of time.

[wrangler1]

Thanks guys!

[Smart]

After you scrape the fat off of the quills and remove the "butt plate" soak the end of the quills in white gas/Coleman fuel....Buck_wild gave me this tip and it surely degreases them making the borax's job easier as well.