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Coyote pelts - anyone know how fur industry cuts?

Posted By: e2py

Coyote pelts - anyone know how fur industry cuts? - 01/15/23 02:55 AM

So, I've been wondering this for a long time and a good explanation will likely be fascinating. I've looked high and wide online but come up short for answers. Does anyone have a line diagram like the one below only one that shows how the fur industry uses the various pieces/parts of a coyote pelt for fur products? I think we all imagine the long centerline is a "prime cut" of fur, but what about other areas like maybe the head, the stub of front legs, belly, etc.? Thanks for any helpful replies.

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Posted By: Yukon John

Re: Coyote pelts - anyone know how fur industry cuts? - 01/15/23 03:20 AM

I don't have an answer, but I LOVE your question!
Posted By: SNIPERBBB

Re: Coyote pelts - anyone know how fur industry cuts? - 01/15/23 03:48 PM

They're mostly cut into 3" strips from neck to skirt. Midline down the back will be the longest strip obviously. Heads and tails arent generally used commercially. They get sold to tourist trap stores.
Posted By: Boco

Re: Coyote pelts - anyone know how fur industry cuts? - 01/15/23 06:27 PM

Depends on the end use.
First thing a furrier will do on a coyote pelt is to open it up the belly,cut out the front leg holes,cut out the thin spots in the belly and armpits-re sew and trim and sew any holes,and cut out and sew any rubs clips etc..The tail,head and legs are removed also.The legs have uses for plates or blankets,tails for trim and the gills from the head for plates.
Then the leather is dampened and pulled out and pinned on a blocking table in a rectangular shape to remove any puckers left from the preparatory sewing and to remove the excess stretch in the leather.
Once the leather is dry the skin can be marked for pattern cutting.
On skins with a heavy grotzen the first step is to mark the centerline and remove the entire grotzen strip from top to bottom.This will leave two pieces of skin from each side.These can be re sewn together to make a full skin with the grotzen removed.The grotzen is normally discarde since it is rough and has limited use.Some coyotes do not have a heavy coarse grotzen so this step is not necessary-again depending on end use.
Hood strips which was a recent popular use are cut across the skin in 3 or 4 inch strips,ends matched and sewn together in a long strip.
These hoodstrips were often made and sold to manufacturers exclusively for hood trim wholesale.
Coyote skins are sometimes used in garments.because coyote skins are often heavy and thick the entire skin is cut into small half inch strips,like you do for letting out(making a skin very long and narrow without affecting the character of the skin),and half inch strips of leather inserted and sewn between the fur strips.This is called leathering,and is labour intensive and usually only done by skilled fur designers.This creates a unique look and a much lighter less bulky garment.
You wont see much if any of that from the Chinese mass production furs on the market today.
Posted By: Yukon John

Re: Coyote pelts - anyone know how fur industry cuts? - 01/15/23 09:32 PM

You got a pic of those 1/2" strips? That does seem very laborious!
Posted By: Boco

Re: Coyote pelts - anyone know how fur industry cuts? - 01/15/23 09:43 PM

No pic.
Posted By: e2py

Re: Coyote pelts - anyone know how fur industry cuts? - 01/18/23 03:10 AM

Thank y'all for your replies. Very informative and goes to show that you can still learn something new everyday!
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