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Post by longtrail on Feb 16, 2008 11:04:07 GMT -5
Several years ago we were given a large stack of old MOther Earth New. (jeez remember those you oldtimers? I do) Anyway, while enjoying them one by one I came across an article on an unusual way the writer was skinning his smaller animals. He used an air compressor to insert air between the hide and the flesh. He claimed the hide just "poped" loose. ( Ya, we fall for anything) So of course, since we are always looking for the easiest way to do anything we thought we would give it a try with the beavers. We bought a needle from our local meat shop, the sort of needle used to put flavoring in meat, it isn't real sharp, and has numerous holes in it. We had one of those cheapie tire inflators so we rigged up the end to take the needle and proceeded to stick the needle under the beaver skin, but the only results were, as mentioned in th title of this, all we got were big, furry, four legged footballs. I guess some things aren't meant to be easy. Good for a laugh. I usually do the skinning and we both flesh. Try as we may, we havn't got clean skinning down yet. Any of you guys able to clean skin? We frequent our local fur buyer (spit-spit) who can clean skin a beaver in just a few minutes. We stand with jaw dropped at the skill this guy has. The old trapper I use to work for, nailed his pelts to boards, leaving room underneath the pelt for air circulation. We put some on metal hoops this year but they warped. We have quite a few pelts in the freezer awaiting our attention. I collected quite a few beaver tails last year. I tried using the old antifreeze/glycerine tan that we sometimes use on rattle snake skins, but the beaver tail, once skinned, is very thin and delicate, and the solution didn't change it any. I had one smaller beaver tail that I managed to skin out in one piece. Several years ago I made a nice lead ball pouch, by cutting the tail to the shape I wanted sewing it together with tabs for attaching a leather thong, attached the brass spout with top, packing it with sand then letting it dry. When it dried I emptied out the sand, put in some rocks, rolled them around to clean out the sand. It came out real nice. What do you guys make with beaver tails?
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Post by Cody ( The Patriot ) on Feb 16, 2008 12:50:35 GMT -5
As far as the aiur compersor thing goes I knew some boys back in Texas that did coyotes that way but they had a long brass stem that was on the end ,but I figure there aint never going to be no way to get one up on a beaver .I used to be able to clean skin but my fingers ( and everythin else has arthuritus now) so I leave as much meat on them as I can then flesh them in the frame or board .I got some of those hoops last year and thought like you they would just warp so hadnt used them .Last year at the state convention there was a beaver skining contest I didnt enter but a young feller there could skin one in about three min. consistantly ,I was amazed by his skill he used some ceap knife he bought in numbers that lookedf like cheap steak knives they were serated I think he told me he gave about a dollar ea. for them ,It was something to see. I have tried to tan beaver tail with alum but it came out stif .Have you tried bark tanning?I read that was the way to do it but aint got a chance to try.
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Post by Buckskin Billy on Feb 16, 2008 13:30:16 GMT -5
cody what is the state convention,you was talking about.would love to check that out sometime
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Post by longtrail on Feb 16, 2008 13:57:17 GMT -5
No I have never tried bark tanning, or Barf tanning like Cody uses, (just joshin kid) but will give it a try. About the only sort of bark we have here is cottonwood, juniper or pine.
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Post by Cody ( The Patriot ) on Feb 17, 2008 9:04:49 GMT -5
Its the Louisiana state convention Ill let you knowe when its comming its usually in the spring after trapping season its lots of fun .You can learn how to barf tan beaver tails there LOL
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Post by Buckskin Billy on Feb 17, 2008 13:30:22 GMT -5
cool beans can't wait
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Post by paskinner on Feb 20, 2008 18:12:41 GMT -5
Well, I can clean skin, however, I am very slow at it, so I've gone back to rough skinning them. I like to flesh them over my 4 inch pvc pipe beam and use a somewhat sharp drawshave to take off the gristle. I've skinned out a couple beaver tails, it sure is tough to get them in one peice. I've used them as backing on cut-outs on bags, see the possibles bag thread. There must be some way to tan them somewhat flexable, I've seen beaver tail wallets, which look pretty cool. I need to try bark tanning one.
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Post by Cody ( The Patriot ) on Feb 20, 2008 23:13:06 GMT -5
PA my old fingers dont let me clean skin nomore I rough skin too .You ever dryscrape one and tan it I dont know what Im doing wrong but I havent ever got one to soften up like it should thinking about dry scraping to see if I can thin it down that way.
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Post by paskinner on Feb 21, 2008 0:09:56 GMT -5
PA my old fingers dont let me clean skin nomore I rough skin too .You ever dryscrape one and tan it I dont know what Im doing wrong but I havent ever got one to soften up like it should thinking about dry scraping to see if I can thin it down that way. I have one that I dry-scraped on some and plan to soften sometime, but everytime I try, I put holes in the thinner parts. I haven't had much luck getting beaver hides really soft and the ones I've seen commercial tanned that are soft are thinned a lot. They just don't have much stretch in 'em except for the thin areas. I usually pickle furs, then braintan them. Had a lot of bug problems with the just braintanned ones.
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Post by joanne on Feb 21, 2008 5:40:19 GMT -5
There is a guy that demonstrates using the pressure washers to flesh skins at the conventions for the national taxidermy association. So I am not alone in my findings of the washers.. matter of fact this guy I'm writing about here told me what size machine I should buy in an email.. His name is Richard Noles and he is from Georgia... anyway I was given a beaver skin fairly recently.. it'd been frozen for several years.. these buggers can be a bitch to flesh as most of you all know!.. Unless you're good at clean fleshing them and I see that none of you are..lol!.. anyway.. here is a small example of just how cool pressure washers are. Unfleshed beaver skin. hair side fleshed and blow dried with the shop vac views I didn't have any alum on hand to just drop it into an alum taw and so I noticed that by not sticking it back in the freezer after fleshing that I'd accidently slipped some of the hair off the middle of it's back.. duh..it's still outside draped over something and I have alum now.. I should go and dig it out of the snow and get it into this alum tawing solution and just save what I can of this skin and just see how it is to soften after the alum.. I think I have softened one in the alum quite well quite some time ago, now. anyway just thought you all might like to see what a washer can do for the beaver skins.. no doubt, a very big help!
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Post by Cody ( The Patriot ) on Feb 21, 2008 10:21:41 GMT -5
Wonder if some kind of degreeser would help?
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Post by joanne on Feb 21, 2008 12:54:57 GMT -5
Don't even need any degreaser with the power washers. not hardly any grease remaining at all in any greasy skins.. which reminds me I'm going to go out and get that skin and see if I can't 'fix' the rest of the hair on that beaver skin right now.. might not be too late. Won't know till I try..
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