If i get a coon that's is tanned and dried but nothing has been turned ears,lips and nose,can i rehydrate it and turn them or is it not worth it.Thanks Nick
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i am no expert on tanning, but how do you tan it without turning the lips at least enough to get the meat off. Maybe they just cut the lips off and the eye skin off to tan it.
Anyways i can't really answer your question but it does matter how much it is going to cost you. If it is a freebie then yeah it is worth a try. If it is a cheapo, then maybe put a damp towel on some of the lipskin(if it is there) and give it a shot. I don't think you have to rehydrate the whole thing just to see if it is turnable. And also, i think it depends a little on how it was tanned. By the neighbor kid with the coons brain and some flour? or by a tannery ? or alum or brush on or what? That might make a difference on what i would do.
The purpose for turning the lips etc. is so the salt can penetrate and prevent spoilage before tanning.If your hide came back with hair on it in these areas,it didn't spoil,in spite of not being turned.You are good to go.Just hydrate the skin and split them now.No harm done.At the very worst,those areas might not have taken the tan quite as well as the rest of the skin and could be slightly stiffer.No reason you couldn't mount the coon.These areas on small animals usually are not a problem.I still recommend splitting and turning,but if I get one like that I just don't sweat it.If the fingers had been left in,your job would have been a lot harder.If you haven't got the hide yet and it had toe bones in,I would pass.That would create a ton of work and might not be usable,at least the feet.