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Fleshing Rats #7364903
09/26/21 06:04 PM
09/26/21 06:04 PM
Joined: Sep 2018
Posts: 52
Northern Wisconsin
A
Alfa Dog Offline OP
trapper
Alfa Dog  Offline OP
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Joined: Sep 2018
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Northern Wisconsin
Anyone ever use a hand crank clothes ringer for fleshing rats?? How did it work?

Re: Fleshing Rats [Re: Alfa Dog] #7364915
09/26/21 06:12 PM
09/26/21 06:12 PM
Joined: Jun 2016
Posts: 13,964
Michigan
T
Trapper Dahlgren Offline
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Trapper Dahlgren  Offline
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Joined: Jun 2016
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Michigan
I've heard of it but never saw it done

Re: Fleshing Rats [Re: Alfa Dog] #7364967
09/26/21 06:44 PM
09/26/21 06:44 PM
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 4,483
PA
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PAskinner Offline
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PAskinner  Offline
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Nah. I never understood how that was supposed to work anyway. You just take off the fat on a rat. Leave all the red membrane. On most it goes really quick. I have some really fatty rats so I do em on the beam. You can just use a one-handed fleshing knife and do them on the stretcher.


Right now I’m having amnesia and déjà vu at the same time. I think I’ve forgotten this before.
Re: Fleshing Rats [Re: Alfa Dog] #7365014
09/26/21 07:12 PM
09/26/21 07:12 PM
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 19,691
pa
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hippie Offline
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pa
Be a bugger to clean it think but I have no experience fleshing on one, only watching Gram wash clothes in one is my experience.

I have a dull knife I push it off with once its on the board.

Re: Fleshing Rats [Re: Alfa Dog] #7365178
09/26/21 09:43 PM
09/26/21 09:43 PM
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 23,797
Wisconsin
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The Beav Offline
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The Beav  Offline
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Joined: Dec 2006
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Wisconsin
I used a wringer and It does work. In my opinion most trappers over flesh rats.


The forum Know It All according to Muskrat
Re: Fleshing Rats [Re: Alfa Dog] #7365191
09/26/21 09:55 PM
09/26/21 09:55 PM
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 866
Indiana
cattails Offline
trapper
cattails  Offline
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Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 866
Indiana
We used one in the fur shop years ago. I remember when the traveling buyers starting wanting our rats cleaner. It seemed silly and time consuming to hand flesh...but we never used it again. The one thing I remember most about it was .... if you had a bite mark or scar on the pelt, or possibly a thin pelt. it would occasionally rip the hide

Last edited by cattails; 09/26/21 10:25 PM.
Re: Fleshing Rats [Re: cattails] #7365292
09/27/21 12:00 AM
09/27/21 12:00 AM
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 11,293
East-Central Wisconsin
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bblwi Offline
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East-Central Wisconsin
Several flesh rats too clean and a few not enough. The happy medium is what the trade likes. I use a 2 inch by 4 inch metal trowel and it does not take long to flesh a dozen rats. Making sure all the grit and sand is combed out is important as even small holes (especially in the belly) makes a slight and as the rat market improves those little holes cost more.


Bryce

Re: Fleshing Rats [Re: Alfa Dog] #7365299
09/27/21 12:18 AM
09/27/21 12:18 AM
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 2,794
100 Mile House, BC Can
bctomcat Offline
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100 Mile House, BC Can
Use the broad you will stretch the pelt on, or if using wire for rats use a small rat board to flesh on. Pull the pelt on so that you can flesh the side and then flip the broad to do the other side. Then straighten the pelt out so you are ready to tack the pelt on the board. Then finish the belly and back, leaving the saddle membrane on the pelt, except mink if it has a lot of fat under the saddle.
A curved small pelt (stirrup) flesher is the ideal tool for the fleshing of rats, mink/marten and other small animals when using their forming boards in the fleshing process.
[Linked Image]


The only constant in trapping is change so keep learning.






Re: Fleshing Rats [Re: Alfa Dog] #7365389
09/27/21 07:46 AM
09/27/21 07:46 AM
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 3,452
MN
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walleye101 Offline
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It works great. Fur side out, strart the nose, then a gentile pull on the nose while you turn crank. Fat, excess meat comes off leaving the proper saddle. When the hide pops free, reverse the crank about a quarter turn and swipe away fat with paper towel. Insert another rat.

Re: Fleshing Rats [Re: walleye101] #7365610
09/27/21 12:55 PM
09/27/21 12:55 PM
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 1,801
Beaman Iowa 55
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Mike Cope Offline
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Mike Cope  Offline
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Beaman Iowa 55
Originally Posted by walleye101
It works great. Fur side out, strart the nose, then a gentile pull on the nose while you turn crank. Fat, excess meat comes off leaving the proper saddle. When the hide pops free, reverse the crank about a quarter turn and swipe away fat with paper towel. Insert another rat.


I will add, make sure that the hide is flat, any "pockets" of fat will pop like a zit through the hide; so make sure that you get the wrinkles and pockets smoothed out before you run it through.

Re: Fleshing Rats [Re: Mike Cope] #7365858
09/27/21 06:37 PM
09/27/21 06:37 PM
Joined: Sep 2018
Posts: 52
Northern Wisconsin
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Alfa Dog Offline OP
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Northern Wisconsin
All good info. I'll have to give it a try this year. Groeny always says to leave as much as possible. He says they sell by weight.

Re: Fleshing Rats [Re: Alfa Dog] #7365976
09/27/21 09:38 PM
09/27/21 09:38 PM
Joined: Mar 2017
Posts: 2,842
Wy
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Giant Sage Offline
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Giant Sage  Offline
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Wy
Hog scraper.

Re: Fleshing Rats [Re: Alfa Dog] #7366023
09/27/21 10:23 PM
09/27/21 10:23 PM
Joined: Mar 2013
Posts: 586
IL
H
houndone Offline
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IL
paint scraper works great on wooden stretchers or beam

Re: Fleshing Rats [Re: Giant Sage] #7366049
09/27/21 11:03 PM
09/27/21 11:03 PM
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 3,897
minnesota
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mnsota Offline
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minnesota
Originally Posted by Giant Sage
Hog scraper.



Something in line with the hog scraper, you can cut one of the narrow propane gas cylinders,dull the edges,add a handle,bolted from the top.
Put the pelt on a bit of undersized board side ways( hope I projected that image correctly). You flip the board instead of pelt while fleshing avoiding having to remove pelt and re-position.
This is done while sitting and the base to hold flesh board anchored at a comfortable setting. Done a lot of rats that way. Worked pretty good.

Re: Fleshing Rats [Re: Alfa Dog] #7366064
09/27/21 11:39 PM
09/27/21 11:39 PM
Joined: Jan 2016
Posts: 10,007
WI - Wisconsin
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AJE Offline
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Originally Posted by Alfa Dog
He says they sell by weight.
Interesting. I did not know that.

Re: Fleshing Rats [Re: AJE] #7366352
09/28/21 11:32 AM
09/28/21 11:32 AM
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 82
Fallon, NV
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Jim Curran Offline
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Posts: 82
Fallon, NV
I have done thousands of rats using a wringer that was designed for fleshing rats. They were designed so you could adjust the tension on the rollers. Walleye101 described the process exactly like I did
The wringer does a great job except for the heavy fat around the tail which takes a second by hand. The only drawback is you do have to turn them fur out to flesh then back to the leather to stretch.. All the Trapping catalogs in the 1980's listed them for around $100. I bought an extra from Mel at M&M Fur, Bridgewater, SD during that period and it still sits on the shelf in an unopened box.

Re: Fleshing Rats [Re: Jim Curran] #7366799
09/28/21 08:24 PM
09/28/21 08:24 PM
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 3,452
MN
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walleye101 Offline
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MN
Originally Posted by Jim Curran
I have done thousands of rats using a wringer that was designed for fleshing rats. They were designed so you could adjust the tension on the rollers. Walleye101 described the process exactly like I did
The wringer does a great job except for the heavy fat around the tail which takes a second by hand. The only drawback is you do have to turn them fur out to flesh then back to the leather to stretch.. All the Trapping catalogs in the 1980's listed them for around $100. I bought an extra from Mel at M&M Fur, Bridgewater, SD during that period and it still sits on the shelf in an unopened box.


Yes, I have 2 and they both have adjustable tension on the rollers. Mine are very old laundry wringers, not designed for rats, but do them very well. I found that the fat around the tail came off as well, if you stopped cranking just as you got to the end and pulled that last 1/2 inch through.

Re: Fleshing Rats [Re: walleye101] #7367491
09/29/21 05:27 PM
09/29/21 05:27 PM
Joined: Sep 2018
Posts: 52
Northern Wisconsin
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Alfa Dog Offline OP
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Northern Wisconsin
All great info. I have one of the old hand ringers and I think it can be adjusted for tension. Never would have thought you do them fur side out. Learn something new every other day.

Re: Fleshing Rats [Re: Alfa Dog] #7367545
09/29/21 07:07 PM
09/29/21 07:07 PM
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 45,265
james bay frontierOnt.
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Boco Online content
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james bay frontierOnt.
Should be able to do mink too?


Forget that fear of gravity-get a little savagery in your life.
Re: Fleshing Rats [Re: Alfa Dog] #7367557
09/29/21 07:29 PM
09/29/21 07:29 PM
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 866
Indiana
cattails Offline
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cattails  Offline
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Posts: 866
Indiana
I'm having a hard time believing we've come full circle with todays fur market. Wait till you see what those look like compared to hand scraping.

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