Newbie With Some Questions

1. No. Baking soda = sodium bicarbonate; they are one and the same.
2. Yes. It is a good idea to wash the hide and make sure you get as much blood and dirt out before putting into the tan. I use dawn or just straight water.
3. Whatever you use, be sure and rinse it out real well so any soaps or chemicals you use don’t affect the tanning/pickle solution.
4. I usually take it out of the freezer the night before I plan to work on it and let it thaw overnight.
5. People have different preferences. I recommend you use what you have. As you progress try other methods. Power washers with enough pressure to be effective can be pricey. What one person likes and is effective with, another might struggle with. You need to experiment and learn what suits your skill level and your pocketbook.
6. Read as much as you can in the tutorials on this site and get some dvds of different methods.

 

I avree in all questions answered above with Mike. I use krotann

 

It's 20 degrees outside. Do you want to suit up in water proof clothes, set up a pressure washer, get you hide out there and spew fleshings all over the yard or walk into a comfortably warm room, set your hide on a beam and push a knife around while dropping fleshings in a garbage bag lined can? Some like like a pressure washer and some don't. I don't think, for myself, all the fuss and mess is worth the outcome of pressure washer fleshing.

 

All good advice, my only suggestion would be to try ALL methods of fleshing and then cherry pick from there. I personally don’t use one specific method. I’m not a huge fan of the pressure washer, but for some instances it works well. I’ve used that mini flesher and it will do the job, but it flings tissue everywhere! Nowadays I use a beam, round knife and a dremel for thinning. Krowtann is simple to use, just follow the directions to a T. It is not a race, speed is not important. Take your time and really get the skin nice. In taxidermy the better job you do upfront, the less work you’ll have down the road. Good luck!!

 

If you're using the flesher to thin hide, I'm not sure the pressure washer is the same tool as the flesher. The pressure washer is handy for initial fleshing fat & meat off, but it is not what you need to thin the hide after tanning.

 

I have the mini flesher as well. It works pretty good once you get the hang of it. Beware however make sure you wear glasses/goggles and preferably an apron when using it. It slings fat, membrane and meat everywhere. Its no fun wiping membrane straight out of the pickle bath from your eye.

 

I have to say...
When I read this reply I literally dropped to the floor laughing!!!
This week I did my first hide in the front yard now it looks like I was getting ready for Christmas... but used flesh in place of tinsel!!! There is literally flesh on the ground, on the tree bark, just everywhere... and I was wondering if it was just me making a mess due to lack of skill....
Good to know that anytime you use a pressure washer it will look like Freddy Krueger stopped by for the afternoon
I now have a fleshing blade on order LOl