Hey,
I was wondering if anyone could tell me a good way to flesh the squirrels face without ruining the whiskers. There is a lot of meat in that area around the whiskers. Also, when is the best time to patch any holes in the hide. It's probably before tanning, but I'm not sure.
Thanks,
Jeremy
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Jeremy;
Really, one thing I can tell you is to go slow and be careful in this area. I keep my dull scalpel blades just for this purpose. and slowly scrape away as much meat as possible, again being careful not to cut the whisker roots. some meat and membrane is still going to be there, but it's not a problem. I like to have just the roots of the whiskers showing when I'm finished. Trust me if this is your first squirrel or so, it's not the easiest part of the squirrel to do. I also spray a mixture of denatured alcohol and water on this area to keep it moist while I'm working there. Salt the squirrel good when your done, then do your tanning. A lot of people will tell you to just use DP on your squirrels. I myself don't like to use it. As for the holes you have in the squirrel, tan the skin first, then sew up any hole you have. I hope this has helped you. I'm sure you'll get others with different ideas. Have a good day and good luck.
Coyote
Coyote
the hair follicle's, shave the form down a little where the whiskers will set and replace the shaved area with clay. This will help them stay where you put them.
Sew holes gust before mounting. Have fun.
Pull them out if need be. Reattach them after it's mounted. That's one way of doing it.