Cleaning Fur on the Skin

[Joe Billingsley]

I have recently purchased a opossum skin and the fur feels quite greasy and dirty to the touch. What is the best way to get it clean?
Thanks,
Joe

[Fatman]

Joe,

You'll probably get a few different ways but this way you'll need to get some 20 Mule team borax (laundry isle in your supermarket), some long finishing nails and a flat piece of plywood that your skin will fit on.

The way I do a skin is first check the skinned part of your hide is it clean or does it have dried blood, fat tissue etc.??

Make sure all the fat is scraped off and then use warm water and I use regular shampoo and wash the skin, then I used conditioner on it.

Don't twist to wring it out!!!!!!! Hold it up with one hand and use your other hand first two fingers and pulling downward wring the water out as much as you can.

Tack the skin hair down on the board and as you tack make sure you stretch it. Once you have it all tacked to the board cover the skin completely in borax. Set aside to dry where nothing can get at it. Watch it and if you see any wet spots put more borax on those spots. When I did my muskrat skins after 1 week I knocked all the borax off and put a clean layer on them. Again check for wet spots.

You'll know it's all done when you have no more wet spots, and you can check after untacking it, bend the skin and if it sounds like paper rattling you're good to go.

That's how some of the folks here taught me. Now if you want it tanned you'll have to wait for more answers as I know nothing about that.

Hope this helps,
Fatman

[Joe Billingsley]

Thanks, Fatman. I printed your response for future reference.
But my question this time is just about the fur. The skin was clean when I got it (brittle, but clean) but the fur itself is greasy and dirty feeling. Any recommendations for cleaning it? I've got A.K.'s book on bleaching and dyeing but was wondering if anybody had any other suggestions for the dirty fur. Will the regular shampoo and conditioner do the job?
Thanks again,
Joe

[This message has been edited by Joe Billingsley (edited 27 February 2006).]

Joe,

Perhaps better than shampoo would be a dishwashing detergent like Dawn. Use warm water and work fast because, as I recall, the opposum skin is pretty thin and you don't want it to dissolve. Just rinse out all of the soap and dirt. You may want to use a little hair conditioner after washing the hair. Rinse out with the grain. Again work fast. Blot and allow the hair to air dry.

Good for dubbing and wings.

Allan

[EdD]

Im still trying to imagine a "non-greasy 'possum".

Of course, if we follow the example of Mr. Castwell's article, then we could have a whole new sort of "materials swap". I'm sure that my local 'possums (and skunks, and raccoons etc...) look a little different from yours.
Now all we have to do is wait until Diane is so dubbing addicted, having taken drubbin' from the dubbin', that she volunteers to run it...

Ed