Fleshing Tools

T

The Woodsman

New member
I was wondering if a ulu type fleshing tool would work well for fleshing coyotes on their stretching board. It is like a U shaped blade with the handle on top. I am trying to avoid getting a fleshing beam and just fleshing them on their wooden stretchers. What do you think would be the best tool for what I want to do? Thanks for your input in advance.
 
It might be a little time consuming but I'm sure it would work.I knew a fur buyer that did all his fleshing with a large hunting knife and a beam.If you want something a little sturdier than a drying board to flesh on,just get a 2x6 piece of pine and narrow the end where the head goes like your boards and round the edges off with a rasp.It's crude,but it would work,I got lucky and found a 2x6 piece of oak and made a beam basically the same way.
 
I agree with him Woodsman, nothing is impossible. You should be able to get them fleshed well enough to sell.
But if your planning on doing any tanning, you may want to look into something a little more productive.
 
Nope, I wont be doing any tanning. I already have a nice 4x4 whitetail mounted in my room, a pheasant, and a tanned coyote, beaver, and a couple muskrats. If I put much more in there people will start to think I have some type of sickness. lol. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif I just want to flesh them to sell; don't plan on keep them for myself. How long do you think it should take with this rough method. Would I save much time you think if I used a 2x6 and the straight flesher.
 
If having furry living room walls indicates a sickness, I'm Really deranged /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Yea, you'll save some time with a draw type fleshing knife and a beam, but a lot of that is due to the fact that the actual cutting surface of the draw knife is wider. You'll be fleshing more with each stroke.

You COULD get good enough with your Ulu knife to pass up the next guy with his beam and flesher, but you'd most likely get frustrated first /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif
 
Maybe I should have added the stretcher that I plan to do my fleshing on is one I made of 1x6 and is ajustable; its pretty sturdy. I can do all my fleshing on this one.

I know anything is possible because back when I was a little dumber... I fleshed a coyote and took the membrane off and the works and every last scrap off right to the leather with just a knife and a stretching board! Everyone was like wow you sure did a good job of takin every last bit off...I won't mention how long it took. Im smarter than that now, I like to think.lol /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

Well Im babbling; any tips on removing the cartlidge from the ears. This seems to slow me down a bit???
 
Thanks for the support on the furry walls.lol. I figure I should be patient enough to use the ulu knife and board, I would'nt mind if it took me 20 minutes a coyote to flesh. Heck if it works and saves me money... I only plan on doing give or take, 12 coyotes a year. Thanks for the quick responses River Runner.
 
Oh yahhhh, if your using a 1x6 have at it. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif That will work too. You still may find it's faster with a regular fleshing knife. Try it and see, you won't be out nothing for trying.

Cartiladge from the ears...you talking turning the ears inside out, or just removing cartiladge?
 
Sometimes sickness is good. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif Sounds like you have a pretty good handle on it though.Good luck. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif
 
Turning the ear inside out and thus removing all the cartlidge from the ear. Your just left with a fur pocket/ear type thing but it has no support anymore; thus the ear without the cartlidge.
 
Woodsman,I'm thinking thats what he meant,some are straight and some are curved,the straight are basically like a draw knife except the handles stick straight out instead of curving down.I use a semi-dull straight on coyote and fox,and a sharpend curved knife on beaver.
 
I made my own straight fleshing knife (actually made it as a drawknife for peeling logs but it doubles as a flesher)fairly easily and without many tools. Just buy a flat piece of steel (about 1.5" wide X 14" long and 1/8" thick)at a hardware store. I think they are sold for welding. Grind a bevel as sharp or dull as you like along the edge with an angle grinder. Mount some hardwood handles on the ends and you're done. Mine cost about five bucks- looks crude but works great (even for beaver /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif ). I tried the ulu route like you, but I'm not nearly as patient! Just another idea.
 
Here's a pic of the fleshing knife I use in my shop. It's a Necker, not the cheapest thing you'll ever buy but it's worth ever penney to me.

necker-knife.JPG


As far as the cartiladge Woodsman what I do is stick my finger into the ear and down towards the base cartiladge (ear nubs). Leave it there and flip the hide inside out with the other hand so that you can see where your finger SHOULD be coming out.
It won't be, because of the cartiladge, but if you pull your finger back out to where you want to cut the base of the cartiladge off and then go ahead and cut clean through the cartiladge base just infront of your finger, your less likely to take too much.

When working with the inner ear, you'll need to split the ear first.
Put your finger back into the ear and against the back layer of skin as if attemtping to turn the ear inside out.
Actually that's exactly what your going to do.
While attempting to turn the ear inside out, looking at the flesh side of the skin, you see where the front ear skin and the back ear skin are joined.
Take a very sharp knife, I prefer a scalpel, and carefully cut along that joining line as you push the ear inside out. Only cut what you can push and only push what you can cut. It will take about 15 minutes to do your first one, take your time and cut as little as possible.
As you near the tip of the ear you'll notice it coming to a point. This is where you'll want to barely touch your scalpel to the skin as you cut because this area of the ear is thinner then wet toilet tissue literally.
When you get the ear completely inside out, you have successfully turned an ear. The inner ear cartiladge will be on what WAS the back side of the ear.
To go one step further you basically do it all over again and cut along the joining line where THAT cartiladge meets the ear skin itself.
This is not normal routine for most taxidermists or furriers. Very few people remove that inner cartiladge once the ear is split, but you CAN do it. It's very tedious and delicate work and the ear itself must be completely hydrated before attempting it. Meaning not dried out in the least. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif
 
It takes me long enough to do the first part! I have no desire to take her one step further. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif Hopefully I can pick up the speed on ear turning. Its probly all practice though. I can sit on the net all I want look for tips but what I really need to do is take the time to go shoot a coyte and do it! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

I like the sound of making my own straight flesher. Im apprenticing as a welder, so that will be real easy to do.
 


Write your reply...
Back
Top