I saw this tip in an old “American Angler” magazine I was cleaning up. …seems relevant to the duck skinning threads going now …also a topic often brought up but I haven’t heard of this one.
The suggestion was to use a product called Calorax which is used by taxidermists to prepare their raw furs and skins. The fellow dusted his feathers with it and treated his furs and skins with a water solution…never had any sign of trouble in 40 years…he did a test with grouse tails side by side and the untreated one was destroyed by insects and the treated untouched.
By the way, RonMT, could I have seen a tip by you in the that magazine in 1994?
I heard years ago that taxidermist used Borax for the same purpose. I have always finished my clean up of questionable materials with a final rinse in a Borax soluation and then when completely dry dusted some more dry Borax on the the materials and in the container.This seems to have worked for me as I have never had a problem.
I was told that the Borax tends to clog the breathing apparatus of the larva and bugs --??
[This message has been edited by Jim Cramer (edited 29 October 2005).]