Results of my coon hide test

[yack]

Steve;
I'm not saying anything about your green fur, or anybody else's for that matter. I'm not a judge, and I don't want to be.
I just know that if I have a defect in my green fur, and the buyer doesn't see it, and I don't tell him about it, who's to know? If you have enough fur, you won't even know which one is defected. Dishonest? I guess each guy has to answer that, for himself.
Do I point out every thing that is wrong with the fur, NO, thats the furbuyers job.
If you want to see some poorly put up, and poor quality fur, go to Stoughton, to the NAFA facility. We have very nice fur.
I've toured it a few time's, some people just don't have a clue.
I'm sure the local guys see poorly handled fur, but if you sell to that guy often enough, eventually he's going to let you know, how he want's his fur. Hopefully you'll get the message, and do what your told. It took quite a bit of knocking me upside the head, to figure that one out. Now when Greg tells me he wants his mink tails pleated, I'm going to pleat them.
I am going to all wood, but they are expensive to get into, thats why I've converted the wire stretchers I have. Can you imagine buying, even a hundred wood coon stretchers, these days. May as well not count on any fur money for awhile.
I've gone to wood on my rats, they do look better, I think.
Always used wood on mink, I know they look better.
Can't say I see a huge differance between wood, and wood/wire though, on coon.
Jim

[thorsmightyhammer]

Yack, the modified wood/wire stretcher is more than adequate.

Its about all I use

I dont put up all that many coon 10 to 75 most years. But about the only time I find myself reaching for my solid wood board is on big coon and than its a nine inch board.

Heck most of the coon I catch you cant hardly stretch wrong. I'd wager in the last 10 years 70 percent were 3x or bigger with the majority fo the rest being 2x.

[thebeav2]

I am going to all wood, but they are expensive to get into, thats why I've converted the wire stretchers I have. Can you imagine buying, even a hundred wood coon stretchers, these days. May as well not count on any fur money for awhile.

I made my own got a Amish guy to cut and saw the boards. We took them to a guy with a kiln we had them dried. We then used a NAFA pattern and sawed them out had them routed and planed. When the dust cleared we had $1.50 In each board.
We ended up with around 150 boards. I ran short this year since I was trying to do 220 each time so I had to go out and buy some more. We got some use ones for $2.50 and bought some from Gregg, New for $4.00 bucks. They are already payed for.

I basically live at NAFA I'm down there at least once a week some times more.

Wood makes life so much easier. I bet I can board a coon In about a minute and a half and they look really good.

[trappnman]

I understand your point yack, but don't agree-

What really, can you hide with green coon for example? with the fur out, its all shown, so no surprizes there. And the color of the leather, is apparent. all you could hide, perhaps, would be some small holes- but I don't for a minute believe that a local buyer, doesn't take that into account when he buys green from an unknown buyer- and the condition of the pelts, would be at least to me, a pretty good indication of care taken in other areas such as skinning and storage.

so while you might get away with some flaws, I don't see it as a factor in people selling green fur.

take green selling beaver- mine are dry, folded in half, and froze. When I first started selling green beaver, he would open them up, and look at the leather. Why? he didn't know how I skun beaver- and a big pelt with a cut mark or two or three, was worth less thna one untouched. now, after the years, he doesn't even check- he knows that when I rough skin, I rough skin, with no cuts in the leather. but I'm guessing if an unknown brought him some green beaver, he'd look at both sides.

And people selling put up, also try to minimize flaws- by sewing, by bleaching, by other tricks.

but all in all, its a wash IMO....

[yack]

Steve;
If I was doing high buck cats, I'd sew the holes shut, on a $20 coon, no way.
Besides if I can see the flaws in the hide, even sewed up, I know the grader sure can, no matter how good of a seamstress you are.
I haven't sold green fur, in quite some time, but I remember the last time I went, the buyer didn't open up any of my coon, to look inside, and he threw them in 3 piles. Don't know what they were, but it didn't add up to enough coin.
You are correct about fur quality on the outside of the coon, rubbed, color, fur density, etc., you can't hide that.
I'm thinking more about small cuts, worm holes etc.
Anybody else see those nice round holes in their fleshed coon hides, I'm thinking worms? They must come out in the freezer, does anybody know anything about this?
I'm not saying your going to hide obvious flaws in the hide, but when you have a large window, and a dried fleshed hide, you can't hide anything. Thats all I'm getting at.
You mention bleaching, will that take the blue (blood) out of a hide, I've never tried that before.
Your right about it being a wash, you aren't going to get rich trapping, and the few cents/dollars either way, really isn't going to add up to squat.
I'm not a gambler, I wouldn't spend money in a casino at all, but I do like selling my fur on the auctions.

Beav;
I bought a sawmill a number of years ago, so I'm not worried about getting enough basswood stretchers. I've got a barn full of the stuff right now.
When I look in the catalogs though, they get anywhere from $7-$9 for wood coon stretchers. I see Grawes gets anywhere from $8.75-$12 a piece for his boards. Thats the info I have to go on, I don't get out much. Sounds to me like you got a pretty good deal. I know if I would make-em for you, I'd sure want more than that. LOL
Jim

[bblwi]

I always felt that if I could get some good wood for the base that a converted wire form for coon would be the best of both worlds with lighter and less expensive forms and faster drying no wedges. By using the duct tape to hold the form it worked more like wood than a wire form exerting pressure on the pelt every inch. Just was not smart enough to buy some decent wood to start with and then get a better attachment system for the board on the stretcher. I had the #5s formed right just got lazy and sold them and bought more wood forms. One thing I did not like about coon and the wire forms was sometimes the nose dried out around the wire and one really needed to work to get them off.

Bryce

[trappnman]

yack- WD-40 will get blood and rust off of pelts- keep rubbing gently with a clean cloth- on isolated spots, spray the rag, on severe, spray the fur-

I've never had a "greasy" problem after its use- when the rag wipes clean, the residue is gone as well

[yack]

Bryce;
I like to bend those wire's in a little. If you don't they will take the shape of the coon, which is a good thing, but the hides are also way harder to remove from the stretcher, because they are wider above the wood, than below. whew
As for the nose sticking I just clamp the wood part in my vise, and grab the side of the head, and pull. Works good, don't grab the dried legs, they will rip.
What are you guy's using to clean the grease off of the fur, on your coon hides?
Mine are always greasy, in the inspection window. Be nice to stand that fur up.
Jim

[thebeav2]

When drying coon hides hang from the tail end and just about 90$% of your grease problems will go away.
Hanging from the nose like most do will have every bit of grease running down the hide and collecting on edges of your fur.
I do the same with rats and mink In fact all my fur Is hung that way when I use wood. In fact all the coyotes I do are hung that way. It's not because of the grease but If you comb and brush the fur back against the grain when the hide Is still wet and then you hang It that way the fur will set In that position and will stand up and look a lot fuller. You could do the same with coon If you hung them from the tail end. It's all about presentation.

[trappnman]

I hang all my mink, rats by the nose. On these animals, running grease is a zero issue.

I agree- presentation SELLING LOCAL matters- not so much at auctions, as long as the fur is clean, the drumming takes care of fluffy and bright.

IMO, the key to canines isn't brushing it up to dry, the key is to have no snarls, tangles, matted spots as it dries. Straight brushed fur pops when taken by the tail and given a few shakes.

a brushing when turned, and a brushing before taking off, has that fur fluffy and presents all it has to present.. Drumming the way I do it, adds shine and softness.

[yack]

Beav;
Good tip, I'll be trying that in the future.
Jim

[blackhammer]

Good thread guys.Trying to go to putting up most of my fur.I just think I have been leaving to much money on the table,Still would rather catch em than spend time but more importantly my energy in the fur shed.

[kspanky]

Very godd post Im just starting to put up my fur jeff has helped me a lot and phil also but this post has given me a lot of ideas,kspanky