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I am fortunate to have friends who supply me with an occassional deer hide. Being that I only want the hair, I try to make the task as simple as possible, yet good for long term storage. I will first of all assess the condition of the hide. I may be incorrect here, but I find that a late fall deer hide will provide the better hair than an early autunm kill. I take it into the garage and lay the hide onto a sheet of plywood. Scrape it as clean as possible, then I cut most of it into approx 18" workable squares and remaining strips. I will then wash all the pieces in a saturated solution of warm water and 20 Mule Team Borax. This washes all the blood and dirt from the pieces. After shaking out most of the water, then I lay the pieces onto the plywood hair side down and cover them completely with pickling salt. The salt will draw the moisture from the skin causing it to shrink and firmly hold the hair in place. Each day I will check on the progress and periodically turn the pieces over to allow the hair side to dry. The whole process takes me about a week. Once the hide pieces have dried out completely, I will once again give them a quick wash in a borax solution to remove excess salt residue from the hide. I don't want salt residue on my hands to ruin my vise or tying tools when I work with the hair. Let dry on the plywood and turn them over each day. When thoroughly dry, I store them in a Rubbermade container with moth balls. The process takes time, but I have been using this method for many years now and the hair has stored well for future use.
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David P.,
Thanks for your reply. One thing that confused me in reading it was your mentioning that once you'd had the hide all dry with salt you would again wash it in Borax solution to rid the hide of salt.
Hmmm. Now you need to dry it all again. I'm confused as to why? So you scrub the salt off then do you stake the hide out to dry again or just flip/flop them as mentioned without staking them down?
I'm thinking once dried, even with salt you wouldn't want to rewash it?? Maybe I missed something.
Thanks,
Jeremy.
Here's the hide cut into pieces afetr being washed and now staked and boraxed.
[url=http://www.myfishingpictures.com/img/081015.jpg:bbb9e]http://www.myfishingpictures.com/img/081015.jpg[/url:bbb9e]
[This message has been edited by Jeremy (edited 15 November 2005).]
[This message has been edited by Jeremy (edited 15 November 2005).]
[This message has been edited by Jeremy (edited 15 November 2005).]
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Your pieces look great. Dont ever use salt--salt will collect moisture from the air also. With Borax I can not imagine why anyone would think of using it. As I said earlier I air dry deer hides and dont have the problem of even cleaning off the Borax. Have some about dry in the yard at this moment.
Deer hair from one part of the country isn't as good for tying as from another--To learn more about hides go to [url=http://www.globalflyfisher.com/staff/helm/selecting/texture.html:eb171]http://www.globalflyfisher.com/staff/helm/selecting/texture.html[/url:eb171]
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Bill
[This message has been edited by William Fitzgerald (edited 16 November 2005).]
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I'm certainly no expert on this but isn't the hair along the backbone premo for spinning....tends to be long,
coarse, and straight? Kelly Galloup emphasizes those qualities and somewhere I got the idea that's where it's found on the deer?????
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Duckster,
I think you're correct there. I've heard the primo hair for spinning is along the top of the back also.
Wish there were a bit more white belly hair on this boy. I read that is the prized stuff as well.
Cant wait!
Jeremy.
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Jeremy and Duckster--Go to the Chirs Helm site that I just added above and read under "Hair Charts" It explains where each section of hide hair can be used. No need to guess what can be used where it's all in the many pages that Helms shows.
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Bill
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Thanks,
Bill,a couple of weeks ago I had checked his info I had filed away and didn't find it.......I'll have to try your site.
Also seemed to me there was mention of the side body hair and according to Gallop at least that tends to curve...
I had occasion to harvest some deer hide recently and it looks to me like the white belly hair may not be as hollow.
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Bill,
Thanks. I already printed out the info as it was pertinent to my job in taking good care of this skin. It's working out well.
Only thing that went awry was last night when my little bride went downstairs...and the warm basement smelled a bit "off", if you know what I mean *G*
Nothing much to be worried about. I just needed a bit more Boraxo! BUT....the fur flew...(another *G*) for a few moments until it was taken care of!
No sweat. We're fine. Although for a while there....(wink)
Thanks Bill.
Jeremy.
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To all who posted and helped with info., I thank you!
I just took all the pieces off of the nails, cleaned up all the excess Boraxo, took the skins outside and with a stiff nylon brush, I scrubbed the back of the hides to clean up the extra clinging Boraxo.
Then I brushed the hair out with (cough, cough) a hairbrush I "found" in the drawer *BG* and lightly sprinkled some talc in the hair and fluffed it up some.
You should see the beauty of the hair on those pieces now. Awesome and fluffy! This was incredible and fun.
And so was the trip to the store....I "treated" my very understanding bride to a new set of brushes....my dime! "No problem sweetie....honest!!!" *G*
Jeremy.
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Just love it when a plan comes together!
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LadyFisher, Publisher of
FAOL