Handling furs

[ALEX]

Wondering what i can do to have hides that I skin, flesh, and stretch turn out soft and pliable. So far, each one ive done has come out stiff even though i fleshed the hide well. Is there too much of the membrane left and thats whats causing it to dry stiff? Im scared of cutting through the hide if i were too flesh too much. Just looking for suggestions on what i can do to have more success and not continue to waste my time. Thank you.

[BWTB]

sounds like you are doing good to me hides are not supposed to be soft and pliable until they are tanned.

[logger57000]

must be tanned to have them soft, what your doing is how it is supposed to be, just make sure to not flesh too much or the hair will fall out. if you see the hair roots you,re too far

[Unreal_tk]

One thing a guy can do is rig a barrel with some grain or sediment in it. Have a motor rotate it it will soften it up. We do this sometimes to help pack our furs into better loads to take to sale.y

[Tom A]

[kolob2034]

I used to like to visit the Masseys in Mesa Arizona. Jim Massey was a fur buyer who made fur buying runs up into Utah and Nevada. He may have visited other states also. At their Mesa operation they had large cold storage facilities that they held their furs in. Before putting them into cold storage they would tumble the furs in very large plywood drums that were octogan in shape. They were as tall as a full sheet of plywood and about 4 feet in width. I don't know how many coyotes these drums could hold but it was more than a few. Into the drums they would also put corn cob or walnut hull grit and then some kind of fluid that was something used in the dry cleaning business. They also added two 2x4s that were well sanded as to not have any sharp corners. These 2x4s were about one foot in length. The grit and fluid cleaned the fur,making it bright and shiny. The 2x4s broke the hardness of the leather and it was hard to tell that they were not tanned furs. When you send your furs to the larger auction houses such as NAFA they usually drum all the coyote and fox prior to the auction. I have seen people try making these fur drums out of an old clothes dryer with the heating element removed. They didn't work very good as they did not have the hight necessary to allow the coyotes to free fall. The drums at Masseys turned quite slow. The proper rpm is important. I also think they may have had a few baffles on the inside similar to paddles on a wheel to assist in carrying the grit to the near top of the drum. Oh if I had had any idea those days would ever end I would have filmed and recorded the conversations held at those afternoons in the city park. All the old trappers would visit and bring their furs to sell. Many of these trappers had or had had hounds. They wouldn't tell you a thing about trapping as fur prices were high and no one was giving out any secrets. You could run a theory past them or something you had observed and they would just grin if you were beginning to catch on. I will never forget the look on their faces when I proudly walked up and presented 11 well handled coyotes and received a good price for them.

[ALEX]

I went ahead and bought a bottle of that hide tanning formula last week. Im looking forward to giving it a try. Thanks everyone for the responses.

[Longspring]

Unless you properly tan or at least pickle it, it won't last. No amount of salt will fix it . I would recommend this kit for the beginner : http://www.thetanneryinc.com/complete_h ... g_kit.html

After you master the mix ( You add flour and water ) to a hide that was put up right( fleshed , split and dried/stretched and you are good to go. I've done the greasiest badgers and mink to deer and elk hides with great results . It is a simple kit WITH OIL . Which is a must for a good leather .After you preserved your hide , you have to break it . I start by scraping , bending , then sanding . Oiling comes next followed by more breaking . I buy the same stuff at a bulk rate .