Hunting Washington Forum

Other Activities => Trapping => Topic started by: Smossy on January 28, 2014, 09:26:54 PM

Title: How long when stretching/drying furs?
Post by: Smossy on January 28, 2014, 09:26:54 PM: After everythings all fleshed and stretched, how long do you hang/leave it for before removing it from the stretcher? Cant really find any info on this in any of the fur handling guides.
How longs sufficient and how longs too long "if such a thing"
Title: Re: How long when stretching/drying furs?
Post by: Turner89 on January 28, 2014, 09:37:58 PM: Thanks for asking that question. I'm wondering the same thing.
Title: Re: How long when stretching/drying furs?
Post by: 3nails on January 28, 2014, 09:43:03 PM: If i'm not in a hurry, for rats and mink I'll air dry them for a week on the stretchers. If I'm needing the stretchers I'll warm the shed a little and run the fan to dry them in just a couple days. Bigger critters take longer.
Title: Re: How long when stretching/drying furs?
Post by: Humptulips on January 28, 2014, 09:57:10 PM: Don't think you can leave them too long.
I have a big fan in my fur shed and can dry a beaver in 3 days in a pinch but usually leave them on the board for at least 5.
Thinner skins like a civet will dry in 1 day.
Cats I dry overnight to turn and then a week fur out.

It's pretty variable depending on your drying conditions.
Title: Re: How long when stretching/drying furs?
Post by: Turner89 on January 28, 2014, 10:25:03 PM: So it's best to have a fan circulating the air? you leave muskrat, mink, and coon fur in after taking off the stretcher?
Title: Re: How long when stretching/drying furs?
Post by: trapperguy22 on January 28, 2014, 10:30:19 PM: it is best to have it around 55-60 degrees and aleast 1 fan running to dry fur.
Title: Re: How long when stretching/drying furs?
Post by: big wood on January 29, 2014, 06:36:38 AM: I use a really nice stainless fan running all the time in my fur shed. With the fan on your fur you could take em off within 4 -6 days. I leave them on until I need the stretcher
Title: Re: How long when stretching/drying furs?
Post by: Smossy on January 29, 2014, 08:09:58 AM: Ok perfect. Thanks everyone.
Last question for now, what exactly is the "saddle" part of the animal? It says in the fur handling book to leave the saddle on mink. :dunno:
Title: Re: How long when stretching/drying furs?
Post by: 3nails on January 29, 2014, 09:26:09 AM: It's the thin red flesh attached to the inside of the pelt. Skin your first one and you'll say "aha!"
Title: Re: How long when stretching/drying furs?
Post by: Smossy on January 29, 2014, 10:10:01 AM: Quote from: 3nails on January 29, 2014, 09:26:09 AM
It's the thin red flesh attached to the inside of the pelt. Skin your first one and you'll say "aha!"
Lol ok thanks man. :tup: Im just waiting on the last of my supplies. Got 3 diff types of fleshing tools, a muskrat board and 6 wire stretchers. Its a start.
Title: Re: How long when stretching/drying furs?
Post by: Trapper John on January 29, 2014, 08:57:07 PM: Rats and mink I let them go for two to three days. Cats and yotes I leave skin out for a day and flip them to fur out the next day. If you leave a fan running in the fur room and the temp is around 55 degrees all it takes is a couple of days for most stuff.
JC :hello: