If the fur isn't dry when they go on the stretcher it will look very matted when you pull the hide off the stretcher. I don't catch a lot of rats but they are by far one f my favorite critters to put up - fast to skin, fast to flesh and fast to board. Even with all the humidity we have here in KY rats are usually ready to pull of the stretcher in 3 days. Any more than that and they are tough to take off wood, even with a belly wedge.

Hang and let the fur dry and then skin ,flesh and put on the stretcher. I use wire on my rats. ,when I use to ship to NAFA ,I have got top lot use of wire. The thing I see lot that lost money that use wire is that they do not pin the nose in place and let it fall off the end of the wire. They lost some on that . I also see it on furs that show up at my fur buyer I ask him about and he told me he try to explain to them and they do not want to hear it.

I have yet to see a commercial wire rat form that Isn't to wide In the neck and shoulder area. And that also goes for your wood commercially made boards. Is that going to cost you money? You bet It will. A 1/4" In width In that area will probably shorten that rat by a 1" or so. I have yet to see a fur buyer measure the width of a rat but they sure do measure for length. And length + fur and leather quality Is going to get you more money.
Un less you add a board to the tail end of your wire form you can't get the skirt squared off. And a rat Is measured from the nose to the shortest part of the rat. So those nice scalloped looking rats skirts are costing you money. And the more you pull when you anchor the tail side and the belly side the shorter the skirt becomes. And clothes pins won't cut It.

The right skinning technique will allow you to place the rat nose over the end of the form and you won't have to pin It. But most of us are bit rough when It comes to the nose of the rat and a pin or nail Is required to hold It In place.
And On wood place your belly wedge In from the nose end. Why would you shove the thinnest part of the wedge Into the part that dries the tightest. That also goes for every critter that goes on wood. In fact on some hides It won't hurt to use 2 wedges one stuck In from either end.




I'll bet the farm that a 18" top lot rat will bring you more money then a 16" top lot rat.

In the old days when they got lots of 18 inch rats to make that bundle, sadly some of those 16 inchers get into that top lot with the low takes.

On wire when you are pinning the nose with a nail; go through the nose--round the wire----and into an eye socket.- usually takes a 2 1/2 inch nail. Problem solved with roll-overs lips

you can use an air compressor to blow the water out of fur if you need to put them up in a hurry and don't have time to let them dry

No more hanging rats to dry the fur for me .i just throw them in the tumbler for 10 mins and they are ready to skin ..trapping inc had a video on it a long while ago works awesome