Supposed to hit -15 tonight will this be cold enough to frost scrape a beaver hide ? Never tried this before so any hints or tips would be appreciated.
Thanks Dave

-20f would be better,but if you get on it first thing in the morning before the sun comes up it will work.Keep your scraper sharp.

Yes it will. Look look up Bocos posts on it he has it mastered.

Osky

There you go. From what Boco has posted on temps I was figuring you were going to be about there. I have never myself tried it.
Probably wanna get the hides out and out of the sun all day?

Osky

I have a beaver on the board outside, it was -35 with the windchill this morning, -18 straight up (-27c). I wanted to try this since I saw Boco post about it. I will show the results when it is done.

How does this work? I have scraped partially frozen hides, it seem to scrape better but more danger when using sharp side blade of cutting hole in pelt

Boco
do you have a picture of the scraper you use?

Only a fool would work on beaver at -20. Learn to clean skin and do a good job and skin in a nice warm building.

What Yukonjeff said.

I guess you guys don't trap when its cold either,lol
Jeff stays home and smokes dope and beave watches the soap opera,lol
I love being outside in winter.

Here are the two scrapers I use most for frost scraping.

You mean you can’t snoke dope and scrape at the same time?

My shop Is kept at about 55 degrees and I can work In my shirt sleeves. And listen to the oldies tunes.
I'm to smart to be standing out In the frecking cold to put up $8.00 beaver. LOL

The only reason you get 8 dollars is because its a greasy mess.lol.Thats why you never put pics of your fur.
Frost scraping is way faster and much better finished product.

Clean skin and wipe off any drops of oil Cave men had to frost scrape because they had to.Most trappers evolved except Boco, he is a slow learner.

Maybe you need to read this to improve your methods.
This guy wasn't the top NAFA wild fur shipper for nothing,lol.

Boco the beaver market Is In the tank and you expect us to stand outside In - degree weather to turn a $8.00 hide Into a $10.00 hide. I think your brain has been frost bit.

I can rough skin and beam flesh a beaver hide and do It faster and just as clean as any of your frost scraped hides.
Like some one said your still back In the stone age. LOl
Happy New year you stone aged Canuck.

Beave show us some of your fur,I want to see what it looks like.
Old Paul Millette could put up more beaver in a day than you could in a week,and warm hut jeff could in 5 years most likely,and his fur was grease free.Your a Nafa Guy Right Beav?Maybe read that Nafa Article before you criticise what you know nothing about.
Just because your older doesn't mean you cant learn better methods to improve yourself.

Boco you can argue this point all day long. But If you don't have your frost conditions you can't do It that way. And I'm betting that more beaver are done In warm conditions then are done out In the back yard In freezing conditions.

When the Howell brothers were doing beaver for NAFA I never ever saw one of them standing outside frost fleshing beaver. And It's really hard to frost scrap beaver In South Carolina. LOL I bet none of the groney fur handlers are out there frost scraping. Give It up Boco.
I could care less about Paul Millets history, probably 97 % of beaver aren't frost scraped. Gee I wonder why. And you can take that to the bank.
And the other thing Is does frost scrapping improve the fur quality?? No I didn't think so.

Not many nail holes in those beaver boards?

Why would I give up something that makes the job easier and a better finished product.Of course you cant improve the fur quality but the graders will all tell you a greasy beaver(a heavy) cannot be properly evaluated so will be tossed into the poorer grade.Inferior handling costs money.And why would some piecework laborer care what the finished product looks like.All they care about is doing as many as they can in an hour.its not their fur they get paid the more they do.The poor guy that owned the fur winds up with a grease soaked piece of junk and then wonders why they got 8 dollars for a 20 dollar beaver.
Anyone who has the conditions to frostscrape can greatly improve their product and decrease the work effort by learning how to do it.
And not everyone on this board traps in the south.There is a good number of northern and western trappers on here that operate in cold conditions.I would say more than half on here.
I think most southerners have gotten out of trapping.Except for maybe nuisance.