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Boco, question about plucking beaver #6303368
08/16/18 02:13 PM
08/16/18 02:13 PM
Joined: Sep 2016
Posts: 355
NY
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VH60 Offline OP
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VH60  Offline OP
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Joined: Sep 2016
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Boco , I'd like to tap into your fur handling knowledge if you don't mind . I'd PM you but I'm not sure how to . When my computer wiz daughter in law comes back this way I'll have her show me . I've recently hand plucked a beaver with fair results but it is VERY time consuming .
I'm trying to figure out an easier way with possibly better results . Much of the guard hair came out by the roots but a fair amount did not . It just broke off higher than I wanted it to . The back hairs come out easy but the sides and belly DONT lol . I know paying a processor to do it is the smart thing but this is one of those bucket list things I wanted to do . If I had unlimited furs to wreck in the learning process I wouldn't ask but I don't lol . I'm thinking about some kind of wooden dowel or squared off piece of wood coated with rosin or something to make the hair stick to the tool and doing it like fleshing the the hide . I don't think corn starch would be grippy enough but I'm worried the rosin would be too difficult to remove from the fur . I think wood alcohol would dissolve the rosin but would it hurt the fur ? Do they make a tool for this ? Maybe some kind of metal tool with a squared off edge that would grip the guard hairs and pull them without cutting them or the underfur ? Do you think it would be better to pluck while the hide is fresh , put up , already tanned or does it matter ? I'm thinking fresh before the hair roots are "fixed" but I don't know . I can't find anything online about plucking beaver and I don't have access to a truckload of them to practice on . I'm not looking for any trade secrets but a nudge in the right direction would be appreciated . Thanks in advance for any info you could provide .

Re: Boco, question about plucking beaver [Re: VH60] #6303431
08/16/18 04:19 PM
08/16/18 04:19 PM
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 45,271
james bay frontierOnt.
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james bay frontierOnt.
It looks pretty good.I have never done it but I have an idea how it is done.
First,the fur is dry and the skin is wet when its done.I think it is after the pickle.I think you could probably wet the leather side of a tanned skin like when blocking and do it.
It is done on a beam similar to fleshing,I have seen pictures of a two handed wooden tool wrapped in burlap called a scud.Handfuls of powdered chalk are thrown on the fur and a back and forth motion like fleshing on the beam is done to remove the guard hair.

Let me know how it turns out,I cant imagine plucking the hairs out by hand.
Good Luck.
After plucking the under fur is usually sheared to a uniform thickness in a machine.

Last edited by Boco; 08/16/18 04:21 PM.

Forget that fear of gravity-get a little savagery in your life.
Re: Boco, question about plucking beaver [Re: VH60] #6303477
08/16/18 05:46 PM
08/16/18 05:46 PM
Joined: Sep 2016
Posts: 355
NY
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VH60 Offline OP
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VH60  Offline OP
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Joined: Sep 2016
Posts: 355
NY
Thanks Boco . Burlap and powdered chalk . I'll give it a go . I'm going to try shearing the underfur with a barbers clipper with the attachment they put on to keep it at an even length like when they do a crew cut . My son has one . The plucking by hand isn't hard just time consuming . It took a couple of hours . Most of it came out very soft but some areas have a very slight prickly feel where the hairs didn't come out by the roots or broke off not low enough . I just sent out a half a dozen to be tanned and I have a few in the freezer just in case they needed to be fresh .

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