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Post by Gibb on Dec 25, 2008 15:22:07 GMT -6
Most trappers only ever get to see their own furs or maybe a few of their buddies. This week I was working on mink and was kind of surprised to see how poorly they are handled overall. In almost half the cases I have to cut open an inspection window to see the fur. You can make a sure bet that the better handled pelts do better. A few handling tips to help number one use a recommended size board. make sure you cut a good inspection window. Tuck the front legs inside. cut the lip off. A couple of well handled skins. You are free tp put up fur any way you, but when you end up with square pegs for round holes? Cheers Jim
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Post by Stef on Dec 25, 2008 15:48:57 GMT -6
Good post!
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Post by billmeyerhoff on Dec 25, 2008 15:52:56 GMT -6
Any reason why the front legs shouldn't be cut flush with the body and would I be docked for doing that?
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Post by lumberjack on Dec 25, 2008 16:14:13 GMT -6
I have tried and tryed to get the tails stubby and wide like that. What is the secret? Mine only stretch so far and not nearly that far. I thought about cutting the bottom couple inches off to make them look like that LOL.
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Post by Stef on Dec 25, 2008 16:15:59 GMT -6
Did you try it with a wire mesh?
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Post by lumberjack on Dec 25, 2008 16:25:17 GMT -6
No, just push pins. How would mesh get it any wider?
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Post by Gibb on Dec 25, 2008 17:46:38 GMT -6
Long tail short tail really not a big deal. If you want a short tail pin wide and pleat until you have about an inch left then just pin up tight. More important to have a good inspection window, easiest way is to pin the legs on the back with the tail. Then cut belly side about an inch almost to the penis hole on the males. Cheers Jim
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Post by coonhangman1 on Dec 25, 2008 18:40:55 GMT -6
How about the front legs. Does it matter if they're cut flush and pinned shut? Or perhaps cut short and taking a clothes pin on them?
I've been cutting a decent inspection window and pleating my tails short, but i'm doing a little of this and a little of that for my front legs.
Thanks
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Post by northof50 on Dec 25, 2008 22:13:35 GMT -6
Those front legs dry and crack with the handling when on the outside. Needle nose plyer grip them when putting them back inside gets them out of the way when the hide is green. The front legs should be trimmed at the knuckles. Good educational post Jim.
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Post by thebeav2 on Dec 25, 2008 22:53:23 GMT -6
I cut off the front legs close to the body and when they are boarded I roll back the edges and form a small rosett. They dry tight and close to the hide. No taint and no edges to hang up on anything. And they look good.
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Post by Gibb on Dec 26, 2008 5:12:26 GMT -6
Front legs Start by cutting the paw of at the wrist as the very first step in skinning your mink. Skin the rest of the mink, now when you board the mink scrape around the front legs and belly. Board the mink and with a nail just push the front legs inside the pelt. You can use whatever is easiest for you pliers or anything just as long as you push the legs inside.
Off course you are free to cut the front legs anyway you want.
I think maybe a better way to explain this would be pictures of what not to do? That way you may get a better understanding of what we look for.
Once you have a consistant stretch and a consistant put up only the value of the fur counts. Unfortunatly we have as many stretches and put up styles as we do trappers and the price reflects this. More money is lots in the skinning then almost anywere else.
Another tmportant tip or point once you have stretched and dried your mink, place it back in the freezer until you are ready to sell. Mink are the fastest furbearer to go stale. Cheers Jim
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Post by wheelie on Dec 26, 2008 8:53:12 GMT -6
Gibb, the mink that you skinned/putup at FTA 7B made its way up to Northbay for the Jan. sale......since you put it up, will it be graded a *SEL or if you see the Mink in question will you down grade it....or is it the mink in the middle of the pic? or would you recognize that particular mink (your put-up style) and say to your friends "hey, I skinned this mink in Indiana this fall, lookie here" : )
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Post by DaveM on Dec 26, 2008 9:17:37 GMT -6
Tim, that is a Select for sure. I am freezing all my mink on the carcuss so Jim can do more demos next time he is down this way.
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Post by wheelie on Dec 26, 2008 9:47:03 GMT -6
lol..Good idea Dave...hehe
Actually, if you did freeze a few that would be kool as all i have now is a good amount of whole froze coon and muskrats
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Post by Gibb on Dec 26, 2008 10:08:26 GMT -6
Well? I can tell you a good story, years ago 10 or more, I would organizes a workshop each last receiving date for my trappers council. We would head down to North Bay for the weekend maybe 12 trappers and stay the weekend. We would spent time with each grader and learn a few tips about fur handling and grading. One time I was watching the marten grader and he had about 2,000 skins on the table. As he picked one up I said to him that's my marten. Off course he did not believe me till he ran the computer tag in the system. After which he confirmed the skin as mine.
It is way easier to grade well handled fur then to have to work with poorly handled fur. This is not to say that poorly handled fur can not end up in the top lot. We grade for fur. You can not make a 10.00 skin into a hundred dollar skin but you can quickly turn a hundred dollar skin into a 10.00 skin. Cheers Jim
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Post by northof50 on Dec 26, 2008 11:22:26 GMT -6
And when they go back in the freezer make sure they stay on the top, without a mess of things crunching them. And the phrase ; TWO THUMBS UP, does anyone know where it comes from and is routinly used. a mink grader uses that inspection area, several times, opening it up, checking texture, colour, density etc. The 2 thumbs roll the area over and a slight blowing puff to lift the under fur, and it's decission time for him.
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Post by DaveM on Dec 26, 2008 11:42:50 GMT -6
Tim, if I catch any more mink I will freeze them so we have something to play with at convention time.
One thing I learned by watching Gibb's demo, as you can see in the pic, he pins the tail first before pinning the back legs. That helps the tail be wider and ends up with a better looking pelt IMO.
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Post by jim on Dec 27, 2008 12:59:52 GMT -6
I think we touched on this before, are we grading the mink or the putup? Take two idential mink, one done by Gibb one the way I used to do them, legs on the belly side one push pin at end of tail. After they come out of the tanning process don't they still look like twins. Its seems like a smart buyer would be getting a bargain with the one I putup. That being said I have a top lot award from FHA Dec 1997 that might not have been "properly" putup, I think it was $22 also had a better one that was PT that they sold for $24. Jim
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Post by thebeav2 on Dec 27, 2008 14:23:21 GMT -6
I remember back some time ago where I got a top lot award for a mink that came to $86.47 Along with that top lot award I got a award for the best handled Mink. Do you think groney Is going to give you any more for a picture perfect put up?
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Post by Gibb on Dec 27, 2008 16:07:14 GMT -6
I spend the day teaching my two boys how to board beaver. To say the least it was a little fustrating one is 11 and the other 15. Together they drove me crazy, one on one not too bad.
Now what I was trying to show them was how to nail them on the board. At times I would nail the legs and at other times I would sew the legs. Trying to explain why today was akin to pushing a boulder up a mountain.
Tomorrow might be a better day,
Cheers Jim
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