drying frersh mounts in a cold shop

[RichWolfe]

Iam l.ooking for suggestions or DEHYDRATOR info to get my mounts drying properly in a 55 degree shop.

Have 2 fans going and set up a "shower curtiin"  around the mount stand with electric heat next to a catalic heater(which will read 80 degreess on a thermoeter hanging on an antler tine),
but I feel I am promoting too much bacteria growth.

signed,..... fed up with hair falling on the floor......

[Ron C.]

Are you mounting with raw capes/pelts? What are you talking about?

[RichWolfe]

Ron C. my problem is slow too slow drying of a shoulder mounted deer/antelope.  Every 4 hours I am up (use your imagination here) ie getting out of bed...to rotate the mount forward, backwards, upside down, etc. to fight with the moisture migration on the freshly tanned (salted, pickle,ed para tan and mounted cape.)  My own labor.  I do take a long time in razor blade fleshing the skin and sewing up any imperfections or barb wire rips in the ears etc. that I do between pickels

I have as thermometer in the far end of the 700 sq ft shop the reads 55 degrees F.

 I have another thermometer that I place on an antler tine, of my freshly mounted deer, that is surrounded by a suspended shower curtin, that hold the heat and movement of air from the two fans, that I am hoping is Properly Drying which will read 80 plus degrees at the height of the heater cycling.

By day three, going over the mount I finid slipping areas of hair and upon acloser inspection I find the hide damp in those 'spots".

Is denatured alchol, vinegar, acetone going to help dry?  This evening I sprayed some aceton and rubbed in some 'bess-maid' into the hair of an antelope that is slipping.  Thus is why I posted this "complaint" and signed off.......tired of hair falling on the floor....our NE colorado temps are 15 -20 nighttime and low 40's day.

[RichWolfe]

Is a Dehumidifiyer helpful?

i spoke with a coyote fur handler who told me he set up 2 dehumidifyers in his fur handeling room upon which, he told me he could stretch washed coyote pelts fur side out and have them dry in a day ready for market.

ANYhows....i need to stop hide slipping problems on my shoulder mounts.   Rich Wolfe

[Ron C.]

I'm in Texas so conditions are very different to say the least. I mount my capes as dry as I possibly can and still have stretch. Do you have a round knife? Are you thinning the capes? If you are not thinning the capes that could be a problem. Excess moiture is lost in the thinning process. If you are dealing with a thick cape their may not be a solution to the problem. I uderstand the curtain is to hold the heat but it also holding the moisture. Dry cold air will dry the mount faster than hot moist air. What happens if you use the fans only?

[RichWolfe]

I have shut off the catalytic heater, fan only to try that way awhile.

Like you said about the cold, dry air, i  knew Alakan trppers who made their catch, hung them out on a'clothes line' for a few hours, then hit the wolf hides with a stick, kerrwackkkk.........and the pelt moisture fell to thje fround as ice, the fur fully dry...... yea....dry air at minus 10 for sure, for sure.

I towl dry the cape rolled up with those TV shamwows and and/or cover the cape with cron cob grit to get excess moisture out.

i have been part-timmin' most near 26 years and trying full-timmin' is findin' different sets of solutions.
thanks...Rwolfe

[Bill Richards]

A dehumidifier would help, along with fans. It draws moisture out of the air, giving you a dryer atmosphere to work with.

[mr.T aka mr. friendly]

Why you would go full time in substandard shop conditions? Putting out the best product you can is not done by cutting corners or working outside in barn/shed conditions. Climant controll is alost manditory, hence forth, your hell.

[Hoytman]

Tumble your hides pretty dry before you mount em.. Its 22 below out here.. and 50-60 degrees in my garage.. Get the moisture off the cape, (most anyway).. mount and It will dry slowly.. Kinda like bagging the face..

[mr.T aka mr. friendly]

Tumble your hides pretty dry before you mount em.. Its 22 below out here.. and 50-60 degrees in my garage.. Get the moisture off the cape, (most anyway).. mount and It will dry slowly.. Kinda like bagging the face..

Actually , drying them slowly will help things not shrink as much. However, moisture is your problem, ( and lack of heat IMO)

[jasonb]

What tan are you using?

[double shovel]

I agree with Hoytman,if you are tanning them yourself then you should tumble them.I have been in your boat but I then built a tumbler and now I do not have that problem and I keep my shop cool as well and they dry.I also have a de-humidifer in my shop to help but in no way should you be surrounding them with a shower curtain and applying heat,you don't need to.Tumble them

[Hoytman]

I throw 5-6 fluffy towels in the dryer.. Throw a cape in their (fur side out).. and turn on (NO HEAT).. for 5-10 minutes.. I invert the cape.. close the door and let r go for 5 more min.. its pretty darn dry.. and you dont have all the sawdust and crap in the hair to blow out.. I only put one in their at a time so they dont rish getitng caught up on each other and torn.. Never had a problem yet.. 

[Ted Befus]

One thing no one has mentioned:  Corn cob WILL NOT remove moisture from a cape, it will clean the hair of excess oil from the tanning process!  Its not used for drying.

[jasonb]

I think your tan is bad.