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Greasy And Poorly Tanned Fox Hide

Discussion in 'Beginners' started by Redfox23, Jun 26, 2020.

  1. Jun 26, 2020 #1
    Redfox23

    Redfox23 New Member

    11
    1
    Germany.
    Seems I'm getting more active here with a lot of beginner's questions ... I used the search but didn't find what I was looking for.

    Well, years ago I got a nice fox pelt from ebay. It always was in a rather smelly condition due to not having been stored properly before. The worst smell fainted over the years but the leather seems to be in a greasy condition, especially on the hindquater. It seems that the pelt wasn't properly fleshed before ... I have found one black spot at the most greasy part and hope it's not mould.

    The leather still seems strong, I cannot pull out the fur.

    Any clue how to go on from here? Remember: I'm from Germany and don't have access to many chemicals you can use ...
     
  3. Jun 26, 2020 #2
    13 point

    13 point Well-Known Member

    4,322
    9,569
    Goldsboro MD
    Try washing it in Dawn dish detergent if you can get it
     

  5. Jun 26, 2020 #3
    Sea Wolf

    Sea Wolf Well-Known Member

    14,141
    2,263
    Taxachusetts
    Chances are, if you get it wet, it will disintegrate. The hide is grease burned because it wasn't cared for properly. Yes, what you see is probably mold. I had a raccoon dog hide from Europe that was the same way. Fur side looked great. Skin side was a mess and got worse the longer I had it. When mold showed up, I tried to wipe it down with detergent to clean it. The minute the hide was wet and softened up, it came apart into pieces. You might want to try rubbing it down with isopropyl alcohol and see what happens. Try a small area first. You might want to just rack this one up to experience and know what to look for when buying a replacement skin.
     
    Frank E. Kotula likes this.
  6. Jun 27, 2020 #4
    Redfox23

    Redfox23 New Member

    11
    1
    Germany.
    That's certainly not the answer I wanted to hear, but the answer I expected, thanks you two.

    I don't know how old the pelt itself is, I had to sell it three years ago and only recently was able to get it back. Here are two photos. The fox in question (a cross) and a very freshly tanned red fox. All my pelts, despite their age, are in neat condition, it's only my favourite one looking really, really, bad.
     

    Attached Files:

  7. Jun 27, 2020 #5
    Frank E. Kotula

    Frank E. Kotula master, judge, instructor

    3,792
    1,881
    wilkes barre
    I would do as advised and use rubbing alcohol on it.
    None of us know what tan that is and it looks like it wasn’t oiled and broken properly and I can see creases in the leg skin . You might still be fine for yrs to come but never ever a guaranteed.
     
  8. Jun 27, 2020 #6
    Redfox23

    Redfox23 New Member

    11
    1
    Germany.
    Thank you for your reply.
    I'll carefully will rub down isopropyl alcohol on the leather and see what happens. If the leather holds up, I work on all of him. If only I can save the pelt for a few more years it would be great.
     
    Last edited: Jun 27, 2020
    RoeBuck likes this.
  9. Jun 27, 2020 #7
    RoeBuck

    RoeBuck New Member

    24
    6
    Leicestershire, United Kingdom
    I had a coyote pelt like this once, it was very smelly and VERY greasy. Ears were folded up tightly so I tried to rehydrate them to open them but the second water hit them, they disintegrated. I always wondered what was up with that, now I know!