I usually ship to NAFA . And every year I look at the matted down and kind of greasy/oily looking fur on the flanks and back of the skunk and raccoon . I've thought of rubbing borax into the fur to dry and fluff it up and then shop vac or blow the borax off . Is it a good idea to do this or not - will it help the grades and overall sale price

I think it absolutely gives a better presentation. As for a better price....I like to think so lol

Yes it would provide a better initial impression of good handling if you removed the grease with a little sawdust before shipping.

The more grease you can remove from the fur, the better it will look to the grader. Better grade = better price (most of the time).

If the fur in the inspection window is very greasy and matted, you might look at your fleshing technique. It might be easier to keep thebgrease out of the fur to begin with rather than trying to clean it up later.

Use some type of cleaner to remove that grease.

Are you hanging your coon nose up or nose down? You should hang your coon nose down. This will allow any grease during the drying process to drip off the nose Instead of building up on the tail and skirt fur.
Another thing that helps when fleshing Is to start about 6" up from the bottom. Get rid of that fat first then when you start back up at the top you won't have all that build up at the bottom. All the fat will just roll off and won't build up on the skirt with this vacant area.

Thanks for all the responses . They are hung nose down . I used to flesh the bottom first . But went away from doing it thinking it was slowing me down but I can see that being part of the problem . Also just the fur laying down from being on the board makes it look unappealing . I've got corn media so I think I'll try that or sawdust to put a nice look on them

Wiss miss is correct,it is easier and more efficient to keep the grease off in the first place as opposed to trying to clean it off later.

That may be true but the problem Is neither you nor Wiss Miss gave him any hints on how to solve the problem.

I know you have done a few coon but I'm not sure how many times Wiss Miss has been bent over a fleshing beam.

I’m a smart cookie. Therefore I’m staying out of this!
Semper Fi

Best way I have found to keep grease off is to flesh them cold, then hang them nose down. I almost always freeze coon after skinning and flesh as soon as they are thawed enough to work. Keep the fat solid so it does not run all over everything. And burlap works great if you do some runny grease on the skirt.

Never seen a Jar head back down from anything. LOl
I did go back and re read my reply. I should have said how much time Wiss Miss had spent bent over a fleshing beam. But I don't think I'll edit It because It was funny. LOL

Semper Fi

Beav. Fighting guys is ok but I never won a fight against a woman!

Beav - I have never fleshed anything in my life. I understand the concept of a fleshing beam and draw knife but I have no idea of which edge to use when or at what angle to hold the knife. Since I don't know how to use a fleshing beam, I did not attempt to post an answer that would lead the OP astray.

I was merely pointing out why he was having a problem. I was relying on the fur handling experts, such as yourself, to instruct him as to how to prevent the problem in the future.

BTW - I have skinned a couple dozen rats and 1 coyote.

I knew that but I was just having a bit of fun with you.

I know your relatives. And all your secrets are safe with me LOl

I have already posted how to keep fur grease free on another thread.
-Keep the beam clean(grease free)Wiping it down with a solvent or w-d 40 once in a while will suffice.
-scrape the fat off when it is cold like butter-same goes for clean skinning.Even better-frost scrape if you have the climatic conditions.
-use a handful or two of cob grit or hardwood sawdust around the skirt to soak up the liquid before it gets in the skirt fur.Helps with sweeping up after too.
-Trim off about an eighth of an inch around the skirt and trim the window.Most of the grease if any will be in this fur initially and can migrate up into the inspection fur while hanging nose down to dry.So trim it off.

I've met some BAMs that I would for sure back away from LOL