Basically How???
I have some full rabbit fur skins. I tried cutting but couldn’t get the strips thin enough or straight enough. Is there an easy method???
The “right” way is to stretch it on a picture frame or something similar and slice it with a razor blade . The store bought skins that are pre - sliced are done with a fixture that holds multiple blades .
The easiest way that I’ve found is as follows:
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Buy a package of “business card” magnets. The thin ruberized magnets that are the same size as a business card. A pack of 25 costs around $2.50
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Buy a pack of double edged razor blades. Insert the razor blades between the magnets with 3 or 4 magnets between each razor blade for spacing. Leave about 1/3 on the corner of each razor blade exposed. You will now have the magents with about 6 razor blades equally exposed along one edge.
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Clamp the block of magents, razor blades up, to the edge of a piece of wood. I use the side rail of the drawer on my tying desk and one of those heavy duty spring clamps.
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With your rabbit skin fur side up. stretch it tight between your hands and draw it across the razor blades. BE CAREFUL, especially when getting your fingers near the blades. Depending on how many razor blades you inserted into the magnets, you will produce 3 or 4 zonker strips on each pass. It usually takes me about 3-4 minutes to make a whole pelt into zonker strips. It is MUCH easier to draw the pelt along the cutting edge than to try to draw the cutting edge along the pelt, even if you have the pelt streched in a rack.
You can vary the width of the zonker strips by adding or removing magnets between the razor blades. Just rotate the razor blades when they get dull, esposing a new corner. This setup will last you for years and you can produce custom sized zonker strips whenever you want them a whoile lot sheaper than buying them.
Jim Smith
Mick:
Just tore myself away from the British GP Qualifying to respond…
Once you get the skin stretched; IF you can get your hands on some cheap inexpensive box/carton cutters that utilize a single edged razor blade like this:
If necessary; you can make a spacer of the desired width out of cardboard or the same magnets Jim suggested and tape several of the cutters together and cut multiple strips at the same time. I have done it before and it works out great. These thin metal carton cutters are usually given away as promotional items by companies here in the States so my supply was free. They work great because they are so thin and flat and lend themselves to easily and safely adjusting the width of the strip cut. Plus the blades are retractable so you can safely store it and easily reuse it again and again.
Here is a link for a US promotional seller of these items just to give you an idea of what to search for in regards to possible sources in the UK:
http://www.absorbentprinting.com/tools- … box-cutter
Cheers!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v185/ … G_0003.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v185/ … 0002-1.jpg
Cheers guys… some ideas to think about.
I have an old one of those card trimmers. The one with the rotary blade that you can trim photographs etc. I was thinking of trying to adapt that somehow, but getting the pelt taught enough will be the problem. I think you are all right and the razor blade or the knife ideas are the best option.
I lost my post before so I just sent the pictures…but briefly…
Stretching is the key and…as one picture almost shows…I put one end of the pelt in a vise…then I pull it taut with one hand and cut with the other…pretty simple…
Most of the time I don’t want a lot of strips so I cut with a razor blade to whatever width and direction I want…BTW IMO there’s nothing sharper than a double edged razor blade…they are getting harder to find…and sharp really makes a difference…
I cant remember who had it but i think MRFC had a tool you could buy to cut skins into zonker strips.
http://www.flyanglersonline.com/bb/showthread.php?t=24942&highlight=zonker
watch the video in the first post
Watching that video made me cringe waiting for him to slice an artery. 