Protecting Rabbit fur

[ducksterman]

When you cut your own rabbit fur strips either straight or crosscut how do you avoid cutting into the fur?

Maybe I'm not quite getting a good stretch but even though I'm cutting from the leather side it seems like I get areas that cut through too much fur. Crosscut seems a little harder.
I've heard of using a seam stripper but thought that still might catch hair and also would not stay sharp enough?

[OkieBass133]

Use a very sharp razor blade, and cut through the skin very carefully. Stretch the skin taught and stroke the razor gently across it, little bit at a time, until you've cut through it. If you try to go quickly and cut through the whole hide in one pass you'll surely cut off hairs too.

Take the skin and turn it skin side up and firmly attached "ABOVE" the work table. You can do this by attaching a couple of temporary scrap pieces of 2x4 to the work table. Strech the skin between the 2x4's, snug but not tight enough to distort the skin. Orient the hide and lay out the width strips you want in what direction(straight or cross cut)you desire. Take a double edge stainless steel razor blade and break it in half (just like you use to trim deer hair) and make your cut. Cut all the way through the hide and follow your layout line. You will only cut the skin and leave the hair and under fur almost completely undistrubed since it is suspended above the table.

duckster,

I used to have that same problem. Suggestion made to me by a knowlegeable tier was as follows:

Don't cut through the skin. Cut into it but not quite through. Then put the razor down and rip it apart.

Not sure if this results in a better strip because I don't tie with rabbit strips that often and I have a good quantity of store bought stuff.

Allan

[Panman]

Secure the hide in a embroidary hoop before cutting.

Tim Anderson

[Buddy Sanders]

Duckster,

I have a good friend that runs a leather store and does some amazing leather work as well.

He told me the same thing Tyeflies suggested, cut part way through the hide from the skin side, then tear it apart.

When he's cutting, he doing HUNDREDS of skins, so I figured he'd know the most efficient way.

For 'strips', I do all the 'cutting' first, then tear off the strips. You lay out/cut a whole skin in about ten minutes, and do both regular and crosscuts.

Works well for me.

I do, however, think that Rando's method would work as well. Neat trick.

Good Luck!

Buddy

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[RG/AR]

Simple fact, any blade that is sharp enough to cut the skin effectively will also cut the hair....accepting that, we have to accept that some hair will be cut. The objective is to cut as little hair as possivle...I've accomplished this with the seam ripper...sharpen it with first a diamond rod, then a ceramic rod....it will do you yeoman service for a small commitment....