i am by no means a beginner but here is my problem - i have both dakota fleshers - ful size and detail - i have a dickens of a time fleshing coyote (geez dont mention foxes) w/o cutting holes everywhere (yes they are pickled b4 i try) - can someone give me some hints - on the brite side i am one heck of seamster
Return to Beginners Category Menu
For those thin skinned animals, you need a professional quality machine. The Dakota line, IN MY OPINION, will never meet that. The guards aren't adjustable enough and the blades are just too "deep" for thin skinned animals. A fur dresser model will allow your guards to almost touch the wheel and the blade is a VERY shallow edged blade. I have a Rawhide, and I routinely flesh fox, bobcat, and squirrel. I've even done a mink and a chipmunk.
I mini flesh the face and use a dull two handed draw knife on my beam.
on my Dakota. It isn't the machine it is the way it is used. You can't flesh a deer cape and then turn around and flesh a coyote without adjusting your blade guards. I have said it plenty of times before I have done animals as small as mink to as large as life size zebras on my Dakota. To be honest though I don't even put them on a fleshing wheel any more. WASCO I believe makes a fish skinner that is awesome for coyotes and foxes. Send me an email and I'll send you a picture of it. It takes me around 15-20 minutes to flesh a life size coyote with it. NO JOKE! It's simple and it is just something I decided to try one day. When I get done with them there is very little facial fleshing left to do and some in the paws and thats about it. After I skin them out, flip, and turn everything I start throwing salt on them right then. I take the skin and pull it tight on my table. Pull the fish skinner across the skin and bingo the flesh, fat, and membrane comes up and you can grab it with your fingers and pull it. After pulling it with your fingers it peels in big chunks all the way down to the rear. Throw more salt on under that and rub it in. Flip over the hide and do the other side legs and all. The hardest part is the face. Be careful around the whisker follicles. Best fleshed yote you have ever done. Requires elbow grease, which the fleshing machine doesn't, but it works great and you will not cut holes in your hide any more. The only part I might do on a fleshing machine would be the face. Good Luck. Dan Hudzik