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Shaving a Hide during tanning??
- Thread starter Crazywolf
- Start date
River Runner
New member
No you don't need to shave a Coyote hide, their thin enough. But to do so you'll need either a fleshing wheel, or a quarter of a million dollar splitter.
Shaving thins the skin out, makes it more pliable, able to absorb the tanning chemicals easier, and makes for a softer finished hide. We shave almost everything here with one of the fleshing wheels where needed.
If you can imagin...I have processed Buffalo hides that had skin 2" inches thick on the neck. Mighty tough to get chemicals all the way through something that thick.
Another example is, can you imagin getting a knife sheath with your new lock blade that is that thick? Not gonna happen. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif
Very large commercial tanneries will do what they call splitting a skin. On your typical deer hide they can basically fillet that hide into two pieces and you never see the second half. It goes into gloves, knife sheaths, or whatever they can profit from. Shaving is real close to splitting but your actually shaving portions off the hide to thin it instead of splitting it.
Some hides cannot be split, coyotes are one of em. But for say...taxidermy purposes, the faces are shaved in certian places to thin the skin allowing it to take the natural contour of their mount forms.
Shaving and/or splitting are normally done during the pickling process because the acidity (or Ph level) of the pickle bath swells or puffs up the skin making the job that much easier. The vast part of the final fleshing is done during this time also.
Most pickle solutions require that the hide soak for a minimum of three days. That will actually preserves the skin for up to six months, providing it remains in the solution. Once the hide has been in this solution for a minimum of three days it can be removed, and split, shaved, and/or givin the final fleshing, but it's a wise idea to put it back in the pickle bath for at least 24 hours to soak the newly expose portions of flesh.
Hope that helps /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif
Shaving thins the skin out, makes it more pliable, able to absorb the tanning chemicals easier, and makes for a softer finished hide. We shave almost everything here with one of the fleshing wheels where needed.
If you can imagin...I have processed Buffalo hides that had skin 2" inches thick on the neck. Mighty tough to get chemicals all the way through something that thick.
Another example is, can you imagin getting a knife sheath with your new lock blade that is that thick? Not gonna happen. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif
Very large commercial tanneries will do what they call splitting a skin. On your typical deer hide they can basically fillet that hide into two pieces and you never see the second half. It goes into gloves, knife sheaths, or whatever they can profit from. Shaving is real close to splitting but your actually shaving portions off the hide to thin it instead of splitting it.
Some hides cannot be split, coyotes are one of em. But for say...taxidermy purposes, the faces are shaved in certian places to thin the skin allowing it to take the natural contour of their mount forms.
Shaving and/or splitting are normally done during the pickling process because the acidity (or Ph level) of the pickle bath swells or puffs up the skin making the job that much easier. The vast part of the final fleshing is done during this time also.
Most pickle solutions require that the hide soak for a minimum of three days. That will actually preserves the skin for up to six months, providing it remains in the solution. Once the hide has been in this solution for a minimum of three days it can be removed, and split, shaved, and/or givin the final fleshing, but it's a wise idea to put it back in the pickle bath for at least 24 hours to soak the newly expose portions of flesh.
Hope that helps /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif
Thanks for the Info River Runner.. Guess I can put the razor and shaving cream away now /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif
I wasn't sure if it was needed on coyote and Bobcats. I can understand having to shave off thick skined critters.
Wow!! did you say Quarter of a million dollar machine?? take a lot of hides to pay for that one!!!
I wasn't sure if it was needed on coyote and Bobcats. I can understand having to shave off thick skined critters.
Wow!! did you say Quarter of a million dollar machine?? take a lot of hides to pay for that one!!!
River Runner
New member
Don't get me wrong CrazyWolf. There isn't one here. And no plans to get one either /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif
The Dakota fleshers do what needs to be done in this shop.
The Dakota fleshers do what needs to be done in this shop.