I need some major fleshing help

[Stuff It]

I recently bought a Dakota IV flesher. I built a table for it, and last night I was fleshing out a deer cape and it was taking forever. I was having a hard time keeping the hide evenly fleshed. I bet I spent three to four hours on it and it is still not done. I had to salt it up and roll it up. Please keep in mind that I am not very experienced, but i've done two deer and they were with a mini-flesher and  took me a little over an hour each. I guess I assumed that the flesher would speed up the process...I'm not giving up, but I am asking for advice. I'm not sure if my cape will be able to stand my in-experience. Maybe I should have gone with the V.

Thanks,

[WBB793]

Its like anything, Practice Practice.  You will have to learn the "feel"  If your cutting holes, make an adjusment, if not taking enough off again make adjustment. I had to learn on my own. If I was standing over your shoulder I could help you some.  Any of the guys or gals on here that are good at it just practiced it.  I remember when I first started I just really poured myself into it. I had a passion to learn it.  You will get it..  I can do a cape in 7-8 minutes, but have been shaving for nearly 25 years  You can do it!!

[Stuff It]

Thanks I appreciate the pep talk... I'm sure it will just take some getting used to. I guess I'm curious if the Dakota IV is the way to go or if I should go a little bigger?

[kikkertinz]

The Dakota IV is just fine indeed, i only get one or two elk every year and i shave them bad boys down on it, takes a little longer than the bigger ones of coarse, but im not complaining

[nitt]

I find the raw capes a bit tougher to flesh then tanned ones but u assume its cuz there a bit slimyer wetter etc. Like they said you will get better wit time stick wit it practice doesn't always make perfect but u will improve

[josh s.]

I think the easiest thing to do....at least for me....is to flesh all the big stuff off on the beam....when I say this I mean everything from the neck down....then the ears, eyes, and nose get turned and I salt....this takes me about 40 min usually. I could do it faster but usually I am on the phone or some other distraction is around.

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[josh s.]

Oh...and since it takes literally 5 min to do the beam portion...i usually do that when the deer come in...this way I am not storing the cape with the meat and fat on it and it is that much faster when I take it out to work on it. After I salt...throw it in the pickle for a couple days and then shave....so much easier

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[Redwolf]

I use my beam for fleshing and my machines for thinning. The blades seem to work better on a pickled skin than a raw one.
Yes, practice makes perfect, but if you spent over 4 hours on it with little to no results it sounds like you may need to adjust your blades edge with the tuning steels. Your edge may be aiming inward or down. You may need to tune it up so it will bite more.
One of these videos enplanes how to tune the edge.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Srdd208BdMc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mg6U39BVcbs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6g5dTTqfaA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qor_0jBD94U
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PlTUtLyw9T0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrpkELdQVVg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o63ZdWJcO7I
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0Q_QQfbDqE

[Stuff It]

Thanks guys I appreciate the info and suggestions. A friensd and I were taking about doing a pickle instaed of just salting then shaving. Do you have a recommended pickle formula for me to try?

[Doug Bridges]

Flesh
Salt
Rehydrate
Pickle
Shave
Pickle
Neutralize
Tan

You don't pickle instead of salt. There is a process to follow.

I also think you will find it easier to use a fleshing beam and a fleshing knife to "Flesh" the hide in the raw state. It saves bunch of wear on a machine blade.

[josh s.]

Flesh
Salt
Rehydrate
Pickle
Shave
Pickle
Neutralize
Tan

You don't pickle instead of salt. There is a process to follow.

I also think you will find it easier to use a fleshing beam and a fleshing knife to "Flesh" the hide in the raw state. It saves bunch of wear on a machine blade.

that pretty much sums it up....definitely salt!!!!!!!!!

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[txoutdoors]

marking

[Stuff It]

Ok sounds good I'll give that a try I have two more hides in the freezer to work on.

[vandy81]

Bring them on down the road.   I do wholesale hide prep for a lot of local guys

[GregC424]

 i am new to a fleshing machine also and i had no luck fleshing a raw cape. I powerwash  fleshed and then pickle. Its amazing the difference shaving a pickled hide. i recommend the Keith Danial's tanning and fleshing DVD it helped me like night and day.