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Does anyone know what the tool is called for plucking a beaver pelt? I have googled it and am coming up with nothing. I would like to purchase one but can't find anything about them?
Good luck scrubby , I looked for a very long time for such a tool . Quite a while ago I saw a beaver tanning video that contained a small segment showing a guy plucking a beaver hide by hand with some type of scraping tool over a fleshing beam and using what appeared to be some type of powder . Maybe it was rosin or chalk I don't know . I never could see the tool clearly and never could find any more info on it . I wound up sitting down with a few beers and a couple of Gentleman Jack shots and plucking a January prime beaver hide by hand . It came out pretty good and I don't remember it being too hard or taking that long ........LOL . You might reach out to Boco on here . He has quite a bit of knowledge with fur handling/tanning and is usually willing to help if he can . PS , The guy doing the plucking was working for a commercial tannery .
I've been told that plucking a beaver is combination art and science. Apparently at some stage in the dressing process the skin is allowed to get just to the verge of tainting, and at that point the hairs are plucked either by hand or machine.
"My life is better than your vacation"
Re: plucking beaver pelt
[Re: Jacob W]
#7217316 03/16/2106:23 AM03/16/2106:23 AM
I new a guy and sold some beaver hides to he was making pillows out of and he had blankets two he said he used a hair trimmer with I think a three inch comb on it to get rid of the guard hairs.
So they don’t need to be plucked, just shortened?
I would think they would still be too stiff to render the fur soft.
-Goofy-
Re: plucking beaver pelt
[Re: Scrubby]
#7217349 03/16/2107:23 AM03/16/2107:23 AM
I have been told the powder they use is chalk to pluck on a beam. I have done a few with a spoon and my thumb. It's not fast, but can be done. I would not want the guard hair trimmed.
"Not Really, Not Really" Mark J Monti "MJM you're a jerk."
Re: plucking beaver pelt
[Re: VH60]
#7217357 03/16/2107:44 AM03/16/2107:44 AM
VH60, I think I saw the same video. There has got to be a hand tool for this process. I had read in one of the NAFA reports several years back that was one of the reasons beaver fur wasn't as popular as other types because there was no way to mechanically pluck the fur??? The plucking process was all done by hand?
Re: plucking beaver pelt
[Re: Jacob W]
#7217364 03/16/2107:52 AM03/16/2107:52 AM
I new a guy and sold some beaver hides to he was making pillows out of and he had blankets two he said he used a hair trimmer with I think a three inch comb on it to get rid of the guard hairs.
A very big difference between plucked and sheared beaver, plucked is way softer and from what I understand is all done by hand which is why it’s so expensive, those sheared look good but the sheared guard hairs feel like 5 o’clock shadow when you rub them
The tool used is called a skud or puck but might be known by others
I have seen it done using any number of different tools, I think as long as you hav something that holds the guard hairs firmly so you can get a grip to pluck them would work, then it’s just putting in the time to do so
Plucked beaver is as soft or softer the bunny fur and dos not shed like bunny fur does
If they could come up with a mechanical means I think beaver fur would be in high demand
�Everything in excess! To enjoy the flavor of life, take big bites. Moderation is for monks.� ― Robert A. Heinlein
Re: plucking beaver pelt
[Re: Scrubby]
#7217421 03/16/2109:10 AM03/16/2109:10 AM
My understanding is beaver guard hair is plucked and then the underfur is sheared to a consistent length. Takes a heavy winter beaver to be considered shearable, very labor intensive which is why a sheared beaver coat is very spendy.