Saw this on another website, and tried it with my spurs from this year's bird, and they turned out great, so I figured I would share this method with all of you..Sorry I dont have step by step pics for you guys, but I will try to explain the best I can.
This is easiest done fresh, but if you cannot get to them right away, or want to wait until you have multiple sets to do, soak them in warm water for a few hours to re-hydrate them.
1. Cut the leg bones off just above and below the spur.
2. Using a razor blade or utility knife, cut the scaly skin off the legs and peel it off. Pull the tendons out, and use a pipe cleaner or air hose to clean out the inside of the bone as best you can.
3. Put your spurs in a pan of simmering water with a LITTLE bit of dish soap in. Simmer for 20-30 mins, and then you should be able to pop the spur cap off the bone. It will take longer if the spurs are not re-hydrated. The spur cap will come off much like an antelope's horns. Careful - the bones are HOT!
4. After you get the spur caps to pop off, scrape the bone clean of any gunk thats on it. Dust the caps with borax and let them dry.
5. Toss the bones in a jar of ammonia (you have to degrease them or else they will turn yellow eventually) for like a week.
6. When they are done, pull them out and use some sandpaper to sand any sharp edges down.
7. Place them in some 40 volume peroxide for 12-24 hrs. I get mine from a beauty supply store. Sometimes salons wont give it to you because usually only professionals are supposed to use it, but if you explain to them that you only want a little and what its for, they might be willing to help you out.
8. Pull the spurs out, rinse them off, and let them dry for a day or two.
Optional step: Refit the cap on the bone (they only fit one way, and each is a matched fit). If you want it to be darker, mark a small line on the bone part where the bottom of the spur cap is, then you can paint the bone a brown color, so its darker and wont show any white through the cap. If you do this, do not paint all the way down to the line. Stop a little short of the line because the paint will seep down a bit. After painted, move on to the next step.
9. Squirt a little super glue on the backside of the bone and refit the cap.
This method definitely takes a little time, but it will give you the cleanest, nicest looking, and longest lasting spurs you could have! Here is a picture of what mine looked like after this. (I skipped the optional painting step).
Preserving Your Turkey Spurs
- cornfedkiller
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- JRM6868
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- BackWoodsHunter
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Re: Preserving Your Turkey Spurs
Too cool I was trying to decide what I was going to do with mine!
"The history of the bow and arrow is the history of mankind." Fred Bear
- Black Squirrel
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Re: Preserving Your Turkey Spurs
Cool, thanks for posting!
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