I am having a dickens of a time not tearing the ear skin when separating the skin from the cartlidge so I can turn the ear inside out. I leave the cartlidge in and use the bonded ear method and y ou can imagine trying to clean off the bondo that squeezes out the tear. I have the ear pliars and occasionally dont tear them, but more often than not, I do. Any tricks of the trade anyone wants to share? Does it separate any easier when frozen first or best when it's fresh? What's the best way to fix a tear? Any advise would be appreciated.n Thanks.
Return to Beginners Category Menu
To help you prevent the tearing of the ears,there are a few methods that may be tried. Try using a small blunt object such as a flat blade screwdriver or a butter ( case ) knife. You insert this between the skin and cartilage and twist back and forth. This peels the two away from each other. The only other way is more tedious and that is to keep using a sharp knife to separate the two. Hope this helps.
You might also try cutting off about 2 inches of the tips of the ear opening tools. I've told others for years that the bills are just too long to be effective. A shorter bill will allow you more control of the opening process as well as giving you leverage in doing it. Also, lay the tool sideways instead of perpendicular to the ear so it can lift the skin away instead of tearing it. Even with that,however, early season, thin skinned, flea bitten ears are likely to tear.
I use my fingers to open up ears. When skinning up the back, I cut the membrane right to the cartilage leaving it all on the ear skin. Then I just push my finger in between the cartilage and skin, and work it to the edges. You can remove the membrane with surgical scissors, or leave it. After tanning, the stringy membranes give the glue, or bondo something extra to bond to. I very rarely get a tear.
I watched a video from Van Dykes which covered this process pretty well. It must have been half-decent, because I was able to do my first deer with little difficulty (there was an unhealed scar on that ear that opened). One of the big points they covered, was to only open little bits at a time (with the ear pliers) and to keep your fingers tight on the end of pliers (on the outside- through the skin), opening 1/4" at a time. Worked for me.
Dale, STOP-ROT will penetrate dry, porous, dead skin fairly quickly allowing easier opening of the ears. You will probably find the shaping of the cartilage to be easier also. Just brush it on the outside of the ear with a paintbrush, if the hair is long, brush the STOP-ROT down to the skin with a human hair brush. Allow the STOP-ROT to work. That part you will have to play by eye, it could take minutes, or it could take an hour, depending on the degree of dryness.
Go to TaxidermyReference.com and follow the STOP-ROT links to learn more. The most recent addition to the testimonials was centered around a mule deer cape that had been in the freezer for almost twenty years. STOP-ROT use allowed those ears to be opened.
Another application technique is to use an insulin syringe and inject a number of drops just under the ear skin, again allow it to work. Once the ears start opening, you can keep them damp with STOP-ROT, allowing it to work ahead of your tools.
Remember, if you're breaking a sweat, you're using the wrong tool.