Hi,
I have a question. My son stretched his foxes on the fur stretcher,after a few days he turned them inside out and while doing this he completely tore the furs in half. They are now one big piece.
Is there a way to fix them up with some kind of glue or are they trash ? The skin is dry like paper. Is there a good rule when to turn them and what is a good way to do this without tearing them.
Thanks again for all your help !
Yvonne
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you can wet the hides down and sew.Hair should be fine, dont over wet them. When you get done put back on strecher and put a fan on them.
don,t over strech them either, just make them taunt. When I skin and strech fox and coyotes I turn them as soon as they feel like paper
on the skin side but still soft. I hope that made sense. good luck
Thanks so much for your response. My question is if I wet them and sew them up, wont they rip again once back on the stretcher ?
You mentioned a fan, how long should the fan be on the fur and what is the purpose of that ? Should I use a regular needle and thread or is there something special to do that with ?
Thanks for all your help, my son/hubby are very upset and frustrated over the fox(es) mishap.
Yvonne
Ynonne, you said that your son turned the fox inside-out after a few days. Fox should be first partially dried with the fur in while on the stretcher. Before the skin gets papery feeling they are turned righ-side-out (fur out) then put back on the stretcher. This is when you should put the fan on them. If the tear is along the crease where the stretcher was it may be pretty hard to salvage. If the tear is in the belly or back it will be easier. Use small, close together stitches and (if on wire stretchers) squeeze the nose of the stretcher together to reduce the width. This will provide you with the right shape but reduce the amount of tension on the stitching.
Good luck.
Glenn
on how much is torn and where the tears are. If you tore the skin in half, you have to be careful to match the pieces back correctly. Fox skin is fragile, but is easily sewn when damp and it will not re-tear if you are carful stretching it. However, it may re-tear during the tanning process, particularily if you send it out. The only real reason to turn a hide is if you are going to sell it. Otherwise, no need to turn it at all. Once dry simply start the tanning process or mail to a tannery. Just be careful putting the fox back on the stretcher.