MichaelHunsucker

Hey guys just had a couple quick questions. I was gettin all my spurs prepared to put on a lanyard and was wondering if there was an easy way to get the scales/skin off of the spurs so its just the white bone and the spurs.

I did it just fine with one set that i just killed a few weeks ago, but some of the spurs i have had for years and havent done it so they are really hard and dry.

I was wanting to get them like the set on the left:


Also, have you guys ever seen something liek this? Its like the spur was gettin ready to shed or something...pretty wierd looking

BuckRogers

That bottom pic is how I made a necklace out of pheasant spurs. Its like the meat inside drys up and the shell of the spur just falls off.

SwampCollie

It seems that turkey spurs aren't entirely unlike human fingernails in the fact that they have fracture and layers. It may well be something genetic left over from long long ago that is reptile related, since scientists seem to think that birds evolved from reptiles.

As to removing the scales....exacto knife.

zubba

You could try rehydrating the spurs. Let them soak for a while.

It might be a good idea to ask some of the taxidermist at taxidermy.net forums. They know everything there is to know. They doa lot of rehydrating after things have dried.

TEmbry

i cleaned some of my buddies that were a couple years old, alot harder than fresh ones, but i say just make a slit down the back side with a exacto knife, all the way to the bone from top to bottom. then take some needle nose and peel off both sides. once you reach the spur part, just rip off the scales and skin, or carefully cut it away.

no easy way out i dont think, but even if you do it my way, it still would only take a couple minutes for each set, then soaking them in peroxide to whiten them up.

good luck

mauser06

i had a set like the bottom pic. i super glued the spur caps on...my biggest spurs and mice ended up stealing them from the dixie cup of borax!!!!!

i dont know how youd go about doing dried out ones. i do them fresh and warm. actually this years were a couple days old..but the toes didnt even get stiff..they are still kind of a pain in the butt...but thats the nicest way ive found to display them...

IL-Cornfed

I've also wanted to know if there was anything I could do with my older spurs to get them down to white bone? I may try the taxidermy forums and see what they suggest?

tanktrunk

They are really easy to clean up if you do it when fresh. I cut the skin off then sandblast the rest off while protecting the spur with tape.

quiksilver

Try a dremel, guys. Use a bit like this one.



You'll be able to tell once it's chewed off all the scaly part, and you're into the bone. Works like a charm.