Heresy! :)

[Mike Connor]

Finally, if you have something which smells bad, or you think might tend to, you can "Pickle" it, in a strong brine solution. Dissolve as much table salt as you can in a pot of boiling water, ( however much you need to cover the material you want to treat). Either put the material in the pot, or pour the near boiling solution over the material in a suitable container. Leave for at least a day, then remove, wash and rinse thoroughly and proceed as described for drying. Rotting, ( and the smell), is caused by bacteria in material which has not been properly dried. Strong brine will usually arrest the process. The material can then be dried as normal. The hot brine will also kill more or less anything. It will not damage fur or feathers.

TL
MC

[Jerry G]

Mike thanks very much for the very timely reply. My question was regarding a pair of Hungarian partridge wings I had received. I am mainly interested in the covert feathers and wanted to if possible keep them in tact with the wing. I may try that brine application but will wait until the wife is out of the house.

Regards, Jerry

[Mike Connor]

My pleasure. Hope it works out for you. Dealing with stinky stuff is never pleasant. The brine solution usually works well.

TL
MC