How many of you buy a pelt and you think to yourself "if only I could get this thing to have a useful cape, I'd have a great mount ready to go!"
It happened to me today.
I ordered a fox, and the fox showed up with both of it's ears crumpled down to it's skull, which is typical of tumbled skins. The fox had been home tanned? and tumbled in pine shavings - I was leery. The fox had a lower jaw and a good set of eyelids, so I had the thought (above). Stuck the fox in rehydration, came back in a few hours, ran a first fleshing. Things were looking promising.
After a few more convolutions, I figured what the heck. I injected each ear with Preservz-It (10 cc per ear, massaged in well) and then took one side of the ear in my left hand, the other side in my right hand, and TURNED THE EARS. To the tips. Without blowouts.
!
Then I split the nose and lips and fleshed the face as per usual.
Mountable cape from [very inexpensive] fox. Skinned for the fur market and has no feet. Only about 1/2 hour extra effort, too.
So, it can be done. If the Dash ( - ) can do it, you can do it too.
If you see a very promising fur market specimen, go for it, you'll at least get a great wallhanger if not something nicer out of it.
(I will be trying this on many more foxes in the very near future.)
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You just got very lucky and your subsequent endeavors are going to prove that to you. A flat hide or a "hanging hide" is usually an OLD hide and furbearers are notorious for disintegrating when rehydrated and any attempt is made to mount them. Why do you think tanneries tell you to mount immediately or freeze or otherwise the hide will not be warranted after one year?
What else is new? If you are married I bet your wife just lays in bed and does nothing because if she does something she's in fear of being told how wrong she is doing it
My wife is a very sick lady whose every day has to be a joy because she's not sure about tomorrow. Next time you have a smartassed remark to make about me, how about keeping it directed towards me. Your types are dime a dozen. There was nothing "negative" in that post. I'm POSITIVE that the results were just fortuitous. I've been doing taxidermy all week and I've seen most of it from both sides. I wouldn't encourage anyone to attempt to buy flat hides for taxidermy purposes, but then that's what separates people like me from dorks like you. I care.
You've got a lot of balls talking about someone wife. That is totally uncalled for, and shows you have no brains what so ever. I know the computer makes a lot of people feel like superman. Too bad it makes you look like the whimpering sissy you are.
Coyote
Everyone is a dime a dozen, including you, so your comment is dumb. Second I am sorry to hear that your wife is sick. Third I never made a smarta$$ remark about your wife I made it about you, I didn't say anything negative of your wife only you, and I still say my first post if true.
You posted: You just got very lucky and your subsequent endeavors are going to prove that to you.
HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT? just because you failed at it in the past doesn't mean that he will! That is a discuraging comment, with a negative energy behind it.
Just look up your IP address and read your own posts they may even be right many times, but it is your attitude that comes across. It seems to me that after all the years of experience that you have, now you are pridefull of all your knowledge as if you are better than the inexperienced taxidermists on here.
You knock me for making a smart comment about you but just check your own posts, you make plenty of smart A$$ comments to people that ask obvious questions.
So don't try putting a guilt trip on me with your sick wife, I am sorry for her illness but Like I said I never knocked her, only you.
And the reason I know it WILL HAPPEN is because it's happened to me more than just one time. In 47 years you're often tempted to "reinvent the wheel". Well guess what, the wheel's already been invented. How many have YOU done, smartass. If telling someone a fact is negative, then YOU TELL HIM HOW MUCH YOU KNOW.
I never talked bad about his wife I am talking bad about georges bad attitude and its afect on people. It is that simple. I never said anything bad about her I that his attitude makes her affraid to do anything in life. I see this a lot in children.
Their parents always are negative until the kid stops even being interested in anything at all and doesn't even try to do things.
It is called a fear of failure, we all have it and it is strenthened by people who give negative critisism instead of positive critisism.
Please read and get the message before you accuse me of doing something or saying something about someone.
I said :"If you are married I bet your wife just lays in bed and does nothing because if she does something she's in fear of being told how wrong she is doing it"
I didn't say she was lazy or stupid or anything I said she was affraid of a bully! that is a knock on the bully not the victim!
I didn't mean to get another flame saga going, Like I already said George, even if you are right about what you say, you seem to say it with a bad attitude behind it. That massage was in my previous post. You simply have a negative attitude that comes across in your posts. I'll give you an example ok, I'll make it a little exatgerated just to get the point across.
I ask you can you can I tan a hide by just soaking it in gasoline?
A negative answere would be. No, that is nuts to think you can tan a hide with gasoline.
a positive answere would be. No, you can't tan a hide like that.
OK both say no but the first one puts your judgement into it and the second one is just fact.
I don't question your skills, knowledge, on taxidermy. I read a lot of you posts and listed to what you say because it makes sence a lot of times and also because you do have a lot of time behind the wheel. BUT I wouldn't take lessons from you on how to give advice because on that subject I think you need a lot more time to improve your skills.
That is all I'm saying.
And to coyote I foregot to tell you that no the computer doesn't make me feel like superman at all in fact I'd rather debate face to face. I am not trying to fight anyone just trying to express my opinion about georges way of answereing questions.
and if you think I am hiding behind my computer than just call me my # is 504-319-6958. I'm not going to get into a yelling match with you but if you just want to go deeper into the subject of proper corretion and positive critisism feel free to give me a ring.
Don't call to curse me out cause I really won't even take it to heart.
Everything has to be sugar coated. You people who've never heard dumb questions live in pink palaces someplace I never visited. "Negative" answers telling guy he's a dumass for trying to tan a hide in gasoline certainly sounds "positive' to me. Charley, what people like you fail to realize is, just like the "dash boy"above, that information will be archived. Then along comes some "Beginner" who clicks the SEARCH icon and says "Mounting a flat hide". Dash boys comments come up and, voila, this beginner now assumes the post is factual and he destroys a $250 arctic fox during rehydration. The ONLY NEGATIVES on here are people like you who want roses blown up your butts. You should've lived so long as to understand that the hard lessons are those that are retained. There actually ARE stupid questions and stupid people out there. There's no such thing as a "negative" answer if it's factual. You may not LIKE it but it's certainly not negative.
BTW, I pull up your TCP/IP and I don't notice you've offered a lot of "positive" answers yourself.
If you have a beef with someone. That's fine. But don't "EVER" bring up anyone's family into it. Keep it with them alone. As far as i'm concerned that's hitting below the belt. Leave out the family part.
Coyote
To "dash" the original poster...I agree with George 100%. You had good results that time, and its great to hear. Honest! George and I both are going to warn you and whoever else reads this, that your results this time might not always be. You might be an old veteran at this or a beginner, I dont know, but Im offering the same advice as George attempted to. I cant tell you how many times Ive received tanned small game that fell apart BEFORE soaking, much less afterward. Many times the small game was tanned for a different process, not the manipulation involved in taxidermy. George wasnt being negative, just cautioning you and others. Why couldnt anyone read his opening sentence? "Make sure you come back and let us know." Dash, when it works like it did for you, all is good! But, when a guy comes back from AK with a lynx and asks you to mount it, remember what George said here. Because that lynx MIGHT be a fresh (or recent at least) tan that you can repeat that process on with those same good results. But perhaps youll get the same results I got (yes, Im as negative as George, lol) and itll start to tear. Or like the big wolf a friend of mine in Ohio had me do, again, purchased by him tanned. It tore so bad we just left it "as is" so he could at least hang the hide up. How about the nice wolverine I took....anyway, Ok, I think those who dislike George can clearly see that he gave very good advice as caution. This stuff does happen. Be forewarned, and feel free to call guys like me and George who only wish to help by giving you this warning, all the names you want. And Dash, again, good to hear it worked for you, and best of luck on the next one!
George is an experience taxidermist who knows what he's talking about.
George is also an A$$H0le, who's people skills stir up more ¢rap than a tornado in a Kansas stockyard.
There, the truth, no roses up yer butt either !
How you could ruin a happy thread with an old anal wart debate.
The pelt I got was new and had only been very roughly home tanned, maybe only even rinsed off and then nature tanned (aldehyde tan via fats in the skin, very similar to brain tanning).
I felt confident that it would be just fine in regular fur dressing (wallhanger / garment use), which is what it started off as. Later I got bored and decided to do the ears. The rest is history - the pelt is finished as of this afternoon and looks and feels great - no slips at all and no weak spots in the leather that I could discern.
I normally won't go within 100 feet of an alum tanned skin, and have made it good practice to rid my entire inventory of that trash -- but I have used alum to "taw" some pelts for taxidermy - if I knew that 1) the pelt was brand new when I got it and 2) the pelt would be mounted immediately by the buyer and was ONLY for taxidermy 100% (glue to the form, not a rug), not for later wearing. Everything else gets an oxalic pickle and a syntan or even a chrome tan for garment and rug use. Over 95% of my skins go w/o any crap on them.
I'm not a beginner with fur and mammals, which is why I didn't post in the beginner category. I'm not very good at turning fox ears, but 2 pairs of ears ok in 1 day is something of a record.
I will post up about future endeavors. :)
Please keep the dingleberry out of the threads. There was no advice sought in this post. It was a pep talk to those who shop the "no feet" and/or "I need a pedestal / cape only" market.
Then I can understand the situation now that you've fully explained it, but look at the title of your initial thread. "It CAN be done" as if implying that you'd been told it couldn't be. Because of the title, I replied that I felt you had been fortunate (remember, at that point, I was listening to you and you implied that you'd bought a flat skin and decided to mount it). I wanted to insure that Beginners (who don't necessarily always stay in the BEGINNERS category) might see this and assume that we'd previously given bad information here. We shoot the breeze a lot around this site, but some people forget that the information is archived. Do you have any idea how many people asked how to tan a snake in anti-freeze when it appeared unchallenged in ONE post a couple years back? Ask Tom Voyer. Now people like Charlie and sounds a lot like you as well, want to get your drawers in a wad because I challenged the idea. That made it "negative" to you, but if it saves just one beginner the heartache of seeing a $250 flat skin turn into oatmeal, then that's your problem. And I can't say that it bothers me a whole lot about your emotions and how you interpreted what I said.
You must be a libral George and if not you should be, you twist things like crazy. No one said that you are wrong about what you say they say you are an A--HOLE not a dumb taxidermist. You may be the best in the world with taxidermy but you suck with people skills.
I do not need "sugar coating" trust me I believe in the truth even if it hurts. Hell, when my ex-girlfriend asked me if she looked fat I said yes, that is not mean at all it is true she was over weight.
The fact that you chalenge an idea doesn't make it negative.. YOU and your poor correction makes it negative, read Bill Yox post and take notes George he says it won't work and why it won't always work and never gets his dgo into it like you.
I know you won't think I'm right and I really am tired of even thinking about this, I wish I didn't even post about it to start with.
George wrote: "If telling someone a fact is negative, then YOU TELL HIM HOW MUCH YOU KNOW."
Once again not addressing what I am accusing you of, I'll tell him how much I know about what he is trying to do with the flat hides. SYFER
I'm sure you can figure what that means george your a smart boy.
But guess what I never said what dash did would work or wouldn't work I don't know. I am saying you give a bad attitude when you post about things that you don't agree with. The proof of this should be the fact that it seems that you are getting into a lot more flame sagas than anyone else. I guess that is bucause you are so truthfull and we just can't take such greatness yeah I know it is not you and your bad attitude it is us we are to weak to take the truth huh? I know that is what you think and that is fine with me but just take a look at yourself. I admit I shouldn't have even started a post about you cause I know it is useless but I let my irritation get the better of me, I just get sick of seeing people use their knowledge of something to knock others down.