I am new relatively new to tanning and have not tried a beaver. It has been skun out and I have done a primary fleshing. It is now salting. My concerns lie in not getting a soft pelt. The hide is thick and I do not own a fleshing machine and can not afford one. How does one go about thinning the hide effectively enough to get a soft tan? What tools do I absolutely need? I'm not afraid to work! One more thing, I've got some safety solvent degreaser, DO you use it in the pickle or do it out of the pickle. Thanks a bunch. Mike
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well you will need atleast a fleshing board and a draw knife or alot of razor blades ? i have a fleshing machine , but i also use razor blades around the face area . after you pickle it , neutralize it , and then thru the tanning , you can put it the degreaser to remove the oils from the hair .I hope this helps you , if not e-mail me okDan
After it's been pickled for 3 days - take it out, drain it for 30 minutes - then soak it in the degreasing solution for 30 minutes, rinse, and return it to the pickle to soak overnight (or longer) before neutralizing it and tanning it.
I've tried tanning some beaver without thinning them, and most turned out stiff in the back area, where the skin is thickest. The younger smaller beaver were fairly soft, but the older thicker skinned beaver really need to be thinned down with a fleshing machine first to turn out soft. I tried a mini-flesher and it was almost worthless on beaver. Yet I like the mini-flesher on deer capes....Steve1