Just wondering the science behind tanning. Why is it that we have to worry about hair slippage on a deer cape, yet for a long time people have been trapping, tubbing, and air drying coyote skins without the hair slipping after they are sent to market? What part of preparing a fur bearers hide keeps the bacteria from growing and the hair slipping?
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I'm sure they had the same problems we have today and even more.
First, we just discussed this on an earlier post, furbearers have a very thin skin. Though we salt them for taxidermy purposes, fur dealers have no need for the feet, the nose, the ears and sometimes the tails. That skin, inverted and exposed to the air will dry very quickly. You did notice, I'd hope, that these skins are STRETCHED over hoops and boards to make their surface area even thinner.
With taxidermy skins, we need everything and those feet, ears especially, nose and tails have to be worked. There's no stretching hoop or board for bobcat legs or fox ears, so the dampness is trapped inside the skin, inhibiting bacteria growth which leads to slipping.
......Those trapper prepared air dried skins for wall hangers, the problems were always in the face and tails. When they came back from the tanner, if there were slip spots, it was almost always in the face and now and then a tail. No big deal for a wall hanger pelt. If they had been for taxidermy purposes they would have been worthless. The fur industry doesn't worry about those areas of the skin for their finished products, so air drying is usually more than enough, that's how they get away with it.
ever seen an "air dried" coon? Take a good look at the ears. actualy take a good look at the whole face. mucho slipage! Joe