Fleshing & Stretching

[Carp Commander]

Apparently fleshing and boarding is not like riding a bike. After all it's only been twenty years! I found myself trying to take way to much off the muskrats. I had forgotten how thin the hide is with out the saddle. The male mink seemed exceptionally  greasy so I worked the saddle off of it.

I posted the following photos hoping for any suggestions and comments on improving the product.

Thanks

Doug

[Carp Commander]

Muskrat

[bob maier]

Doug, you need to make the bottom edges of your rats even. A fur buyer measures to the shortest  side for length. You can hold the sides in place with snap cloths pins. On mink I think they like the back legs on the same side as the tail,you can pleat them so it makes the fur thicker,also shorten the tail up and use more pins. I know it's hard without a picture but I hope it helps. Bob

[Carp Commander]

Thanks for the advise Bob. How does the fleshing look?

[70sdiver]

The fleshing on the rats look good. The mouth should be at the top of the wire make eye the eyes are centered and everything looks straight. Take a cloths pin over the mouth before you tighten it with your hooks. Then use clothes pins on each side and slide the fur on the sides snug. You have to leave the saddle on the mink. They will dock you pretty hard on that. Check out trapperman. Com

[Carp Commander]

I referred to the NAFA Pelt Handling Manual in reference to the mink saddle. It's a bit confussing!

THE MINK SADDLE
The saddle is the fleshy membrane that remains on the
back of the Mink when the pelt has been removed from
the carcass. Female Mink usually have very little fat
underneath the saddle, whereas male Mink have
substantial quantities. Due to excessive fat under the
saddle, western and northern sections of Wild Mink are
clean-scraped, whereas north-central and southern Mink
with less fat have saddles left on. However, it is important
if saddles are to remain on the pelt that all fat under the
saddle is removed. If the saddle is to be removed, remember
that Mink leather is delicate and care must be taken not to
over-scrape or damage the leather with false knifecuts
or nicks.

Should I just leave it on then?

I went out and made some adjustments. Hows this?

Thanks

[bob maier]

Much better!

[oldleclercrd]

How long do you leave the flesh out before you turn it to fur out? Cant you turn the hide out to begin with? I've seen it both ways and just wondered if it mattered. 

[trapperguy22]

Doug looks a lot better!!! Did u remember a sticker in the mink? I think as long as there isn't to much fat I would leave the saddle on. You leave rats, mink coon, and otter fur in for the fur trade.

[Carp Commander]

Sticker? same as belly board? Yeah its in there. Thanks again for the comments. I hope taking the saddle off that mink isn't going to hurt too much, It's a nice one!

oldeclericrd,

Most of what we catch around here, other than coyote and bobcat, get put up grease out.

[oldleclercrd]

 

[Humptulips]

On the mink saddle: Along the coast especially male mink can be very fat. You have to flesh them but if you are dealing with a really fat mink it will flesh easy which keeps from damaging them. I don't think you are likely to get any like that. I would say you could figure on leaving the saddle on all you catch.

I would close up the gap between the tail and the legs on your mink and shorten the tail by pleating. It looks pretty good as is though.
 

[SunnySlopes]

Looks good, Carp. I romove the saddle and all fat on the fat males. Lean males and the majority of females don't have the layer of fat under the saddle. I've never been docked for fleshing a mink clean.

[Carp Commander]

A couple more quick fur handling questions; What do you recommend for storing dried fur? I use to to ring them with wire and hang from the wall or rafters but that was in a heated fur shed. My garage is only heated part time by a a LP heater when I am out there working and while pelts are drying. Will the low temps in an unheated garage hurt anything?

Also used a piece of PVC pipe to flesh for the first time. An old trapper friend of mine from back home in Missouri started using it last year. It worked pretty good!

[onetrapper]

I like to trim about 1/8" off the bottom of the muskrat pelt all the way around.  This can be done after you put it on the stretcher. This really makes a nice looking edge on the pelt and eliminates that little edge of fat on the pelt. Its just takes a minute to trim it off.  Probably not something they do when the are skinning fifty rats a day though.