I just finished my wire wheel flesher and decided to try it on a coyote.
I wanted to see how it worked. I have a soft wire wheel on it.
I messed around with it for only a minute and WHAM........a spot slipped on the nose about the size of a dime. The hide never felt warm in my hand....but I'm assuming that I held on one spot too long.
Can slip happen that fast?!
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sure can. try a fox seems like they can slip i just a matter of seconds.even the heat of your finger if held to long can do it to foxes coyotes arent that sensative but you still need to be carful. what might have also happened was you went to deep and cut the hair roots and that is why you lsot some hair
I think if you look in the archives, I've stated loudly and often that this idea along with a grinder is a hare-brained idea. Coyotes, foxes, bobcats, and a few others are notorious for hides slipping when you DON'T DO ANYTHING, so why would you want to chance doing something to make the situation worse? These animals have thin hides and if you remove all the big chunks and flesh the lips and eyes, clear the nose and turn the ears QUICKLY, then salt it and proceed with tanning. If you're using DP, don't diddle around with the fleshing. Get it done, DP, and MOUNT IMMEDIATELY. Don't put it away for later. "Later" is not your friend on these animals.
I'm still learning......and I am very good at learning from my mistakes. Another thing I learned on the coyote is to leave the cartilage in a bondo the ear. I made a mess out of the ears removing the cartilage.
if you use rubber gloves when fleshing thin skinned animals you should get better results . the rubber gloves acts as an insulator and keeps the heat from your hands from transmitting on to your skin especially on bird skins. hope this helps . Manny
Wouldn't that same insulating keep me from feeling the heat from wheel?
Nope those gloves should be worn at all times on small mammals and anything else your working on. I go through tons of gloves a week. I likes to eats with my hands. I would never try fleshing anything other then a bird with a wire wheel. I can't say this enough get a good knife and learn to use it. Round knife fleshing machines are for fleshing plain and simple they work no heat build up eather. Jack F
If you can feel the heat,it,s probably too late.Keep your fingers moving.When working with small mammals,keep your hands moving and don't let them linger on one spot too long.Don't have the skin in your lap while working.Be aware of what you are doing at all times.I think Bruce is right,you burned the roots off,either that or it was partially spoiled before you start.George is right too.I can't see how the wheel is going to be faster than manually fleshing or why that thin stuff can't wait till after it's pickled.The rubber gloves help too.It took me a lot of years to figure that out,but in recent years I have been using them for small stuff.I leave a lot of that thin meat on the heads of coyotes ,foxes and bobcats and send them to be commercially tanned and I can't remember the last time I had any slipping unless the tannery shaved a spot too thin.
I can't explain your situation as to why it slipped, but to me it does sound like you got an all but burn through. which will most deffenetly cause slippage in the area. I use leather gloves. and do my wheeling . like this. As soon as i get the cape removed from the skull. I will cold wash it for 15minutes with the meat. or meterial left on the hide. . then i will rinse clean. and tumble for 15 minutes. Then i will go straight to the wheel. Now i am not saying this is the way todo it. but this is the way i have found personally that works best for me because it makes the red meterial plump up and the hide a little easier to work with. once i goto the wheel the meterial just rolls right off... Always . keep the hide moveing. tolong in 1 spot will give you major issues. just like slippage..Ray
on fox and coyote faces all the time (45-60) per year - HAVE NEVER had that problem with wire wheel - sounds to me as if cape was already slipping and you didnt notice til you touched it
wheel on fox and coyote faces all the time (45-60) per year - HAVE NEVER had that problem with wire wheel - sounds to me as if cape was already slipping and you didnt notice til you touched it