Submitted by Rick Goulding on 12/23/1998. ( rgouldng@physics.mun.ca )
One of my friends recently came into possession of a polar bear rug.
I noticed that the fur is quite coarse(like a A labrador retriever)
which surprized me. Is this normal or is there a way to soften it?
Thanks
rick
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This response submitted by Keith Daniels on 12/23/1998. ( arlcape@bright.net )
Rick, Polar bear fur is a little on the course side. If it is an old skin, I assume it is, it could possibly have been killed at a time of year when it's not in a full coat, which would make it even more course. If it is old, I wouldn't do much cleaning unless you're sure the skin is in good shape, you might do more harm than good. Keith
This response submitted by Bruce Rittel on 12/23/1998. ( rittel@ici.net )
Keith is right on about that! The older rugs seem to be coarser, and I've often wondered if the longer guard hairs on the newer ones sometimes snap off with age. One thing I will vouch for - its great fur for hats. I have an eskimo sealskin hat with Polar Bear flaps, and its amazingly warm. Of course, I take a lot of kidding when the flaps are up. Everyone tells me I look like I have a big fuzzball on my head!!
This response submitted by Bob on 12/24/1998. ( jonas taxidermy.com )
Just one more piece of information, yep, Polar bears are coarse, and the older they get i think the more brittle, We have had pretty good success with a product called fur glaze to soften and give sheen back to hair, It's used in the fur industry so look there to find it. so for results have been good.
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