Dave: I don't know what the weather is like but when I would get bits and pieces from the taxidermist, I'd nail it to an old door or board (even drill screws) all stretched out. I'd then chuck it in a shady and very windy position so it wouldn't cook, give a quick spray of bug spray (will get washed out) to keep off the baddies, and sometimes cover it with hessian for some protection while drying to still allow some air to flow. Don't worry about marks and stuff on the skin, just the meat and fat. If you ever want to use the skin t=for tying, it is easy to colour in and dye.
R ______________________________________________ Reuven Segal B. Engineering (Aerospace)- Final Year B. Engineering (Manufacturing Systems and Management) RMIT University 5/11 Rockbrook Road, East St. Kilda, 3183 Melbourne, Victoria Australia [EMAIL PROTECTED] <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Mobile: 0422 266798 -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of David Masson Sent: Monday, 20 November 2006 6:16 AM To: [email protected] Subject: RE: [VFB] hides Hi Jimi: some of the hide is red and won't come out,i cut into the hide and it red all the way through any idea on this or dose any body else have idea,also can i leave it outside? i don't have a shed yet and i really don't want to put in the basement just in case something come alive, trust me that all i need i'll never hear the end of it.anyway thank for the help. dave -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of Desert Eagle Sent: November 18, 2006 11:26 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [VFB] hides Hi Dave, just getting on so hope I don't re-iterate a bunch of stuff for you. Having been a trapper and hide person since the late 60's would be glad to help if I can. First, go to your local store, in the detergent isle you will find "20 Mule Team Borax", or possibly a store brand. Get a box of that. Then, stop by the seasoning isle and get a container of "course salt", not rock salt. If that is not available just get non iodized salt. Take these home and mix them 4 parts Borax to 1 part salt. Then soak and wash the hide in a mixture of Dawn dishwashing detergent and cheap hair conditioner. Scrub it the best you can to take out any blood stains and free fat or meat. Now, stretch the hide out as tight as you can on a sheet of plywood/ Use nails or staples to hold it stretched as tight as you can. Use a butcher knife 90ยบ to the hide to scrape off as much of the fat and meat that you can. Then, take the borax/ salt mix and rub it in liberally to the hide. In the morning, or evening, depending when you do this, look for any dark spots. The dark spots indicate an excess of fat or moisture. Rub another generous amount into those areas, even if they are small. Check the hide every day about the same time, and run a bit of fresh mix into it every third day. At the end of 10 day just let it set for about a week. It should be toughly dry and firm by then. If it is, with no damp or dark spots cut it into suitable sizes for storage. If you have space, and it will be long term storage, bagged and in the freezer is the way to go. Otherwise just bag it with a bit of the borax/salt mix and it should be good almost indefinably. Most parasites can not survive in the borax/salt mix, but, as an added safe guard, throwing the bag in the microwave for a couple of minutes should kill anything else, (best done when the wife is out). Then put it up for storage, in a cool dark place. Hope this helps, and not from thru Department of Redundancy Department...;-) Jimi Ok guys here we go again,just got a deer hide got most of the fat and meat off it. i realy don't care if the hide is soft or not,the question is,would borex work to save the hide or can i just cut the hair off it and bag it. any ideas guys thank dave
