??making a turkey fan display

yoteaholic

Senior Member
Specifically how do you prepare the fan/beard to hang on the wall. This was a hunt I want to remember. Only my second turkey-1st with a bow last spring and this one with a shotgun this fall(winter). I've really enjoyed reading the tips/topics on this site and after three short seasons of turkey hunting i'm hooked. thanks in advance for any replies.
 

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sowega hunter

Senior Member
spread the fan on a piece of cardboard and pin down. Cut all the fat and meat off that you can. Cover the meaty area with borax and let it dry several days. Do the same with the beard where there is meat.
 

yoteaholic

Senior Member
its even better now that the pheasant "freaks" are back on their sofa's.
 

shawn mills

Senior Member
After trimming all the fat and meat off try this. Spread the fan out so that the two end feathers are horizontal, making the fan a complete half circle. Tack the fan to a board FACE DOWN. I use small nails and place them between the feathers rather than through the feathers. Mix up about a cup full of automotive bondo (available at any auto parts store) and pour over the area where the feathers are attached forming a small semi circle out of the bondo. Hardens within minutes and can be drilled through to mount on the wall. Next, cut an oval shaped piece of leather place itover the bondo wrapping it around the bottom of the fan and up onto the display side of the fan. When finished it should look like a leather "half circle" from the display side. It can be easily hot glued to the feathers. I've done about 20 this way and they all turned out great!
 

stiles1682

Senior Member
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I got my materials at the arts and crafts section in wal mart. just buy a little wood plaque that they sell for wood burning kits and stained them. then bought a little pack of wooden spindels that sewing thread comes on and glued them in place with some gorilla glue. they hold the beard plaque off enough for the feathers to sit behind plus the feather bone sets right on top of them. then take one more spindel and slide it between the center two feathers and it wedges the feathers in place. cost me about $8 per plaque. Plus I got the joy of doing them myself.
 

yoteaholic

Senior Member
Haaaaaaaa. thats funny..I don't care who you are.
 

typarker69

Senior Member
After trimming all the fat and meat off try this. Spread the fan out so that the two end feathers are horizontal, making the fan a complete half circle. Tack the fan to a board FACE DOWN. I use small nails and place them between the feathers rather than through the feathers. Mix up about a cup full of automotive bondo (available at any auto parts store) and pour over the area where the feathers are attached forming a small semi circle out of the bondo. Hardens within minutes and can be drilled through to mount on the wall. Next, cut an oval shaped piece of leather place itover the bondo wrapping it around the bottom of the fan and up onto the display side of the fan. When finished it should look like a leather "half circle" from the display side. It can be easily hot glued to the feathers. I've done about 20 this way and they all turned out great!


Post a few pictures. I would like to see that.
 

bnew17

Senior Member
Heres one i did after last years season. I cut all the fat off the quills of the feathers. I then spread the fan where the 2 end feathers are horizanal like Shawn Mills said. I used some push pins to hold the fan in place. I put some borax over both sides where you cut the fat off the base of the fan. I let it sit for a few days, knock off the excess borax and put some more on it. I let it sit for a week or so and check it. If the fan holds its shape its probably done but i usually let i sit for a few days after just to make sure. For my plaques i bought some wood for Home Depot, used a jig saw and cut them out. I didnt have a router or anythign so i just used a hand file to round the edges. Heres the finished product.
 

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shawn mills

Senior Member
Whats up with this thread? Why is it all STREEEEECHED out? Anyway, since it was requested I thought I would post some pics of the fans described above.
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shawn mills

Senior Member
Thanks... I ran out of hanging room on it a few seasons back. I got enough to do another one but the wife type person keeps vetoing that bill...:bounce:
 

aztecrider

Senior Member
After reading the previous posts it appears my approach is more tedious. I remove each feather from the tail section, remove the fat and skin, wipe the end of each feather with an alcohol soaked cotton ball and then dry each section/layer with borax. Once dry I then take a metal washer and cut it in half to make a half circle. I use a hot glue gun and glue each feather to the washer, one layer of feathers at a time. While the glue is drying I use push pins to hold the fan in place.
After the glue is dry you can use almost any wooden mount for displaying the fan.

I also dry the end of the beard and wrap it in light tan colored leather.

The most important step in creating a successful mount is removing the tail section correctly while in the field. :)
 
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brucemacgee19

Senior Member
After reading the previous posts it appears my approach is more tedious. I remove each feather from the tail section, remove the fat and skin, wipe the end of each feather with an alcohol soaked cotton ball and then dry each section/layer with borax. Once dry I then take a metal washer and cut it in half to make a half circle. I use a hot glue gun and glue each feather to the washer, one layer of feathers at a time. While the glue is drying I use push pins to hold the fan in place.
After the glue is dry you can use almost any wooden mount for displaying the fan.

I also dry the end of the beard and wrap it in light tan colored leather.

The most important step in creating a successful mount is removing the tail section correctly while in the field. :)

wow that's way too much work........... with the flesh and meat gone, just borax and pins then flip over after a few days and do it again, make sure you got the feathers in the right place after a week or they will stick like that. I think you really need to borax for about a month to get all the "wax" out of it......... so the taxidermy says to keep bugs out for good. I also put the spurs on a string to hang on each tail beside the beard.
 

aztecrider

Senior Member
Ususally does not take very long at all. I can have one done in a weekend. I have gotten fast over the years.
 

southwind

Senior Member
yell me about the feet...what do you do to the feet?
 
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