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Post by k9goodtimes on Mar 7, 2015 17:50:08 GMT -5
I tan fur throughout the season but didn't have time for many projects during the season, seeing as I didn't lay steel this year till January 12th. It was a sprint to the finish this year with only 4 weeks to trap, so my usual critter crafts were on hold until this last week. I mentioned in another thread that I was going to make some mink mittens for my 4 year old son and decided to start with muskrat before I went full bore with the mink ones. He is at his mom's this weekend so I sat down today and made him a surprise for tomorrow when he comes home. This is what happened....
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Post by saquelie on Mar 7, 2015 18:23:36 GMT -5
Very nicely done.
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Post by k9goodtimes on Mar 7, 2015 18:44:19 GMT -5
One piece deer hide Palm and thumb, you c an kinda see it here.
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Post by Adirondack-Jim on Mar 7, 2015 18:58:11 GMT -5
Very nice. Is there any type of liner on the inside?
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Post by k9goodtimes on Mar 7, 2015 19:16:02 GMT -5
I made fleece liners that are removable for faster drying.
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Post by mb650 on Mar 7, 2015 19:34:48 GMT -5
Nice job !
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Post by bobsheedy on Mar 7, 2015 19:40:06 GMT -5
Nice.
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Post by markg on Mar 7, 2015 19:43:54 GMT -5
Awesome job. they look great.
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Post by lakeeffect on Mar 7, 2015 23:04:23 GMT -5
Nicely done. Hopefully they will last longer than my kids mittens. When i was younger i had the string attached to weave through your coat..... hated it but didnt lose many.
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Post by k9goodtimes on Mar 7, 2015 23:42:18 GMT -5
Nicely done. Hopefully they will last longer than my kids mittens. When i was younger i had the string attached to weave through your coat..... hated it but didnt lose many. I thought about that. Thanks for the suggestion. Ill incorporate that on the next set for sure. I have a cord on my water trapping gauntlets because I kept dropping them in the water. Some things we never grow out of.
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Post by k9goodtimes on Mar 8, 2015 8:50:56 GMT -5
And this is why I do it. Better picture of the one piece deer hide palm s
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Post by camohoyt340 on Mar 8, 2015 10:58:14 GMT -5
Those are very nice.
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Post by bmtrapper on Mar 8, 2015 18:14:52 GMT -5
Nice job , those look cozy. I want a pair for myself.
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Post by k9goodtimes on Mar 8, 2015 18:29:49 GMT -5
Thanks for the compliments guys.
I'd trade fur for making you a pair of mittens...
Ill tan the fur and make them. $90 Or equivalent in hides if its your fur. Takes me about 6 hours start to finish. 3 days to tan but thats not really work. I can turn it around in under a week. Im in the process of a pair of mink and a pair red fox mittens now.
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Post by E.Reynolds on Mar 13, 2015 7:15:44 GMT -5
How about doing Beaver with coyote cuffs up to the elbow without the leather thumb and palms, yet with the fleece inserts? Men's and Woman's pair.
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Post by k9goodtimes on Mar 13, 2015 9:17:26 GMT -5
I don't have beaver currently. Would it be your fur? Is the beaver already tanned? They are a pain unless young, so much thinning required. It will increase the turn around time by a few days if I tan the beaver due to the thinning and re-tanning process. I can do it though. Coyote I have plenty of. Mixing fur species is not a concern, it all sews the same. If its your fur, price is the same. If its me acquiring the beaver, it will add about $25 to cover the cost of me buying one.
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Post by E.Reynolds on Mar 15, 2015 8:06:22 GMT -5
I usually have plenty of beaver, but I just sold off the 30 I had. They would be raw. By thinning do you mean shearing? or thinning the thickness of the skin? I am relocating to Oswego county but after settled I will get back to you.
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Post by k9goodtimes on Mar 15, 2015 8:23:16 GMT -5
By thinning I mean skin side. Beaver skin is probably the thickest hide of fur bearers. To produce pliable leather that can be sewn without the use of a hammer and punch, thinning of the neck and back need to be done between pickle baths. Thinning also helps the breaking process so I dont have to take a baseball bat to it like it stole from me.
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Post by REDNECK on Mar 15, 2015 20:08:03 GMT -5
I hope to make it out to see ya to show me this project
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Post by silverfox on Mar 20, 2015 9:34:33 GMT -5
By thinning I mean skin side. Beaver skin is probably the thickest hide of fur bearers. To produce pliable leather that can be sewn without the use of a hammer and punch, thinning of the neck and back need to be done between pickle baths. Thinning also helps the breaking process so I dont have to take a baseball bat to it like it stole from me. if its worth the investment (about $180) i use a "mini flesher" to shave (thin) my hides during tanning, runs off a large compressor, can be loud, and a bit messy (i do it after 3 days of pickling, then pickle another 24 hours) but works great, ive done everything from beaver to bear, deer, caribou etc with it (mostly deer capes for mounting) and as long as ya get the "feel" for it its fast and very effective (just practice on some xtra deer hide) ive been using it for about 18 years and am only 3 years into my second blade, def makes breaking hides much easier, another technique i discovered accidentally for breaking fur bearers is to put on an adjustable stretcher during the drying process (after oiling) and stretch as much as you can and leave till its dry, then run over the corner of the table once and its done, all the fibers are already stretched or "broken" mittens looking good, ive got 12 muskrats (all have bite marks) i tanned so the boozehag (wife) can make slippers with them, might have to get her to make some mittens as well!!!
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Post by k9goodtimes on Mar 20, 2015 12:54:56 GMT -5
Ive seen the mini fleshers in action, they look a heck of a lot easier than a fillet knife thats for sure. Ill be acquiring one soon as I have been pricing them online the last month or so.
I'll try the stretcher technique for sure. I have another trick I use for breaking cased hides, an air bladder inserted inside and inflated repeatedly. Best idea ive had in years. Turns hours of breaking into 5 seconds of holding a blower wand trigger. I've never told anyone that, now the world knows.
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Post by silverfox on Mar 21, 2015 8:15:11 GMT -5
well i can say ive never tried the air bladder trick (ive tried bout everything else) and it makes perfect sense!!! your secret is safe with me!! LOL
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Post by k9goodtimes on Mar 21, 2015 10:02:12 GMT -5
Its super high tech too. Go to walmart toy department, find the giant cage of rubber balls, get several different sizes, drill the plastic valve out, use appropriate size ball to the hide your breaking, inflate with a blower wand with rubber cone tip till you see the fibers break. Be careful not to over inflate or hide will "pop". Ever seen a muskrat balloon? Its pretty funny looking.
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Post by silverfox on Mar 22, 2015 6:42:14 GMT -5
NOW i HAVE to try it!!!!! being that i case skin my beaver (till after fleshing) this may be the ticket for them tough sons of guns (mid winter beaver by far IMO the hardest to achieve a soft home tan on)
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Post by k9goodtimes on Mar 22, 2015 7:44:35 GMT -5
I inflate from the mouth side so I can hold the face to prevent the hide from possibly splitting at the corners of the mouth. It leaves the legs and tails to break by hand but those are usually the first to dry so I've broken them by hand before this stage anyway. For rats i use a small PVC pipe as a "collar" to prevent the splitting at the mouth. Especially if the heads were bit up, they rip easy.
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