^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

The shape of the head to neck area. The coyote one I have is more of a triangle from nose to neck & the fox one is more rounded.

They should both have a slight rounded profile from nose to neck area.
Check your board sizes with those illustrated on the NAFA and FHA fur handling pdf's.

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Ok. So what's the difference between hanging furs nose up & nose down during drying while they are on the boards? Is there a benefit for one & not the other?

With fur in goods, nose down allows the grease to drip off the nose in stead of absorbing into the tail and skirt.

With fur out goods, nose down allows the fur to fall toward the head allowing for fluff while drying.

That's the way to do It.

Thanks

So I just took the coyote off of the stretcher, when I was brushing it i heard a ripping noise like a piece of paper. I just noticed that some how I ripped it under the armpit when I was brushing him. It's totally dry now with fur side out. How do I fix it now? It's about 3" long. Do I have to re-hydrate & sew it?

It's going to be just about impossible to get It softened up enough to get It turned.
Maybe you could soften up that spot were the tear Is but It's going to be tough to get It sewed up.

You can rehydrate it in a tub of warm water for 4-6 hours,then wring it out good in big towels a few times until the fur is just damp.Then sew the rip,re-board,turn and brush again-but be careful.

What are you planning to do with this coyote? The damage is done. You can do stuff to prevent further damage, but it may not be necessary. Is ripped in the thin fur of the armpit?

I planned on selling next month @ auction.
& yes it's in the armpit.

If you are very careful, you might be able to super glue it together. Did you leave the legs sticking out of the pelt?

No the legs are in & up.

If you don't do something with it, it will tear wide open when they drum it at the auction.

This is what I'd try to do. You need to seal the leather of the rip edges by getting it wet. The hair in the armpit should be fairly thin. Put a gob of spit on the end of your finger and work a liberal amount of spit along the tear through the fur until the leather re hydrates at least a half an inch both sides of the tear. You might be able to get some of this liquid on the hide side with your finger. Depending on access through the tear you also may be able to re hydrate the tear area with a waded up wet paper towel placed on the leather side of the tear. If you are able to re hydrate the leather at the rip you should be able to pinch the leather up and add stitches for strength like a wound. You may also be able to sew the whole thing normally, if you want. You will have to pick hair out of the stitches. Good Luck!

I had the same issue on a coyote, torn front leg badly while pulling it off a board. I took a chance based off some comments I saw, soaked it in a wash tub, it took less than 2 hours to make it completely pliable. Turned it back fur in, sewed it up and re-boarded it. It was simple, looks great and took almost no time. Would absolutely do if you have some torn after its dry. Was actually easier to work with than freshly fleshed.