Shaving tips

[oldshaver]

Pay close attention to the color of the hair, of the skin you are shaving! The "blue" color, most use as a guage for depth, of how thin to shave, mostly only applies to skins with slightly darker hair. For the most part, the hair remains the same color, all the way to the root.

Example: A chocolate fallow cape, will fall into that "blue", your looking for. A blonde fallow, wont have that blue skin color. You have to be able to judge your depth. A light colored hog cape, will also present the same problem. If you keep cutting, looking for blue, you are going to screw the pooch! Have a good one!

[Brian Jones]

Good tip, I love the "screw the pooch" saying.

[paule]

thanks for the tip

[remi609]

Great tips,  Keep them going.  Experience is everything with advice.

[oldshaver]

Except for a few REAL trade secrets, I have pretty much been taken off my chain. Since my Boss is going to be sell tanning supplies soon, I HAVE BEEN LIBERATED. NOW, no one can accuse me of trying to pick up customers, under the guise of trying to help someone!

Forget the week thing. I am going to spit out a shaving tip, every time I think of one!

Pretend EVERYTHING you shave is a lifesize skin. Tail to the right, and the head to the left. No matter if its a lifesize moose, or a lifesize coyote, shave towards the tip of the nose!

ALWAYS shave towards the head, when doing the main part of a wt cape, and lighten up your cuts, in the brisket area. When shaving the ear butts, always shave DOWN the ear butts. Shaving upwards is risky, and can lead to a hole being cut.

When shaving a bear, be careful on the front legs. The hair is swirlled in the elbow, and can be easily falsecut! DONT flesh bear paws, deep into the pad. Leave a white layer, or the pad will fall off!

I could go on for hours! Yall have a good night!

[Uncle Harley]

why do you shave toward the head.   I shave from the neck forward to the nose but always flip it over once I get the head neck ares shaved and then shave toward the back of the cape always keeping the edge of the Y cut down.

[oldshaver]

Shaving the same direction the hair is laying, makes it twice as easy, to make a serious damage, and "fall through the skin", or make a false cut. Even on lifesize skins, you should be shaving from the hoof or paw, towards the body. The direction hair is laying, is VERY important, when it comes to preventing falsecuts. On thin skinned game, like fox, and yotes, especially dorsal cut, you have to change the direction of shaving, multiple times, to prevent false cuts. Also, check out the hair direction of the legs. Many Taxidermists, can testify, to having problems with hair laying the way its supposed to.

The tips I am giving, are some of the ones I use to train shavers, for COMMERCIAL SHAVING.

When a Taxidermist sends their skins out, to a tannery for tanning, your margin of error, gets cut by 90%. There IS a difference. A Taxidermist paying $45plus, to have a coyote tanned, isnt NEAR as forgiving of shaving mistakes, as they are for their OWN shaving mistakes. In all honesty, I dont blame them! They pay for a service, and want it done right

For those of you, that dont know what a falsecut is, it is an area, that has been shaved TOO thin, cutting hair roots. The hair will fall out the fur side.

[SivkoFur]

I HAVE BEEN LIBERATED.

FREE AT LAST FREE AT LAST THANK GOD ALMIGHTY I AM FREE AT LAST !     

[oldshaver]

Thats funny Bob!LMAO I know yall do some hair-off tanning, certain times of the year. I know your not going to give away any of your secrets, but if you have the time, could you point me to some good reading material? Pm me, if you can think of anything? Thanks!

[Becky P]

Stupid question alert.
What's a "false cut"?

[bmdakk (Bryan)]

For those of you, that dont know what a falsecut is, it is an area, that has been shaved TOO thin, cutting hair roots. The hair will fall out the fur side.[quote/]

[oldshaver]

A false cut, is when a shaver, screws the pooch!(I stole the pooch thing from George)

A false cut is USUALLY(lol) a small area of a skin, that has been shaved TOO thin, cutting the hair roots. Im not talking about something like a bear, where a little hair might come through on the skin side. Im talking about an area that has been shaved to the thickness of a piece of THIN tissue paper. The hair roots, have been BADLY cut, and the hair in that area, will fall out, with a gentle shake of the skin. It has to be cut, and sewn.

The majority of Taxidermists out there, dont have blades sharp enough, or smooth enough, to do this. A Taxidermist, will usuall cut a hole in the skin, before they see a false cut.

Hope this explains Becky?

[cyclone]

The majority of Taxidermists out there, dont have blades sharp enough, or smooth enough, to do this. A Taxidermist, will usuall cut a hole in the skin, before they see a false cut.

Darn it, now I want new blades...what kind OS?

[Becky P]

For those of you, that dont know what a falsecut is, it is an area, that has been shaved TOO thin, cutting hair roots. The hair will fall out the fur side.

Obviously I'm blind, can't read, or both LOL. It only took me signing on three times (BAD internet connection today) to finish reading this post before I posted, evidently I didn't "finish", LOL.
Like I said - stupid question. Now I feel like an idiot.

Thanks OS for futher explaining it. I've had a few of those before from the tannery. I don't make that kind of cut myself, all of mine are for real cuts, LOL, you know, the kind ya gotta sew up.

[jigginjim]

I wonder how many guys use the machanical shavers to flesh hides. Or won't they work? The only way I have fleshed skins is with a knife or scraper.