a couple of questions about a fox

[ellir0305 9]

i got a fox i've been after for a while now with the shotgun earlier (bad things happen when gingers fall asleep in the sun) and thought i would try and cure the tail anyway i balls up skinning it so i now have 8" tail stub which i am going to dry with salt and dunk in meths to hold the fur.

 

so whats the proper way to skin and 'cure' a fox tail?

 

oh and another question, with the rest of the fox is it possible to lure in some crows rooks and maggies that have been making a nuisance of themselves? trying to get them within range of my not particularly impressive 12g shooting.

 

 

thanks a lot

 

rob

[Treacle Trackpad 6]

Tails are pretty easy to get off. Cut round the base of the tail, just going through the skin and all the way round. Next use two sticks (I use my shooting sticks) and put them one either side of the cut and squeeze them together, put your foot on the fox and pull the sticks. The tail will slide off nice and easy, leaving the bone etc on the body.

 

As for curing, I never perfected that, I just stuff em full of salt and leave for a few months, wonder WTF I brought it home for, threaten the kisd with a new attachment for their hats, and then chuck it

[slipper 116]

hi mate i would imagine crows and magpies would go mad for the fox, especially if you prop it up near where they are nesting, if you try it let us now how you get on, been thinking of doing it myself, atb

[HUnter_zero 58]

so whats the proper way to skin and 'cure' a fox tail?

thanks a lot

 

rob

 

 

You can 'cure' the tail by filling it with Salt Peter. Plain old salt will do at a push by is not as good as potassium nitrate (salt peter). You can also use sulphuric acid from car batteries but I have never do it that way before and don't know much about it. I was also told that silica gel (the stuff in anti-corrosion bags) will also cure fox & squirrel tails, not tried it.

If you do a google search, there are a few companies that will supply Taxidermy chemicals, which of course is the best of the lot.

 

Also see below, extracted from a book out of copy right.

 

TANNING LEATHER.

Pickline Process.—Eitner and Stiazn^

have made a systematic series of experiments

with mixtures of salt and various

acids for pickling skins preparatory

to tanning. Experiments with hydrochloric

acid, acetic and lactic acids

showed that these offered no advantages

over sulphuric acid for use in pickling,

the pickled pelts and the leather produced

from them being similar in appearance

and quality. By varying the

concentration of the pickle liquors, it was

found that the amount of salt absorbed

by the pelt from the pickle liquor was

controlled by the concentration of the

solution, 23 to 25 per cent of the total

amount used being taken up by the pelt,

and that the absorption capacity of the

pelt for acid was limited.

The goods pickled with the largest

amount of acid possessed a more leathery

feel and after drying were fuller and

stretched much better than those in

which smaller amounts of acids were

employed. Dried, pickled pieces, containing

as much as 3 per cent of sulphuric

acid, snowed no deterioration or tendering

of fiber. The pickled skins after

chrome tanning still retained these

characteristics. An analysis of the

leather produced by tanning with sumac

showed that no free acid was retained in

the finished leather. An Australian

pickled pelt was found to contain 19.2

per cent of salt and 2.8 per cent of sulphuric

acid.

From a very large number of experiments

the following conclusions were

drawn: 1. That sulphuric aeid is quite

equal in efficiency to other acids for the

purpose. 2. To a certain limit increasing

softness is produced by increasing

the quantity of acid used. 3. For

naturally soft skins and when a leather

not very soft is required the best results

are obtained by usin^ 22 pounds of salt,

2.2 pounds of sulphuric acid, and 25 gallons

of water for 1 10 pounds of pelt in the

drum. 4. For material which is naturally

hard and when a soft leather is required,

the amount of acid should be

increased to 4.4 pounds, using similar

amounts as those given above of pelt,

salt, and water.

French Hide Tanning Process.—I.

—

The prepared pelts are submitted to a

3 to 4 hours' immersion in a solution of

rosin soap, containing 5 to 10 per cent of

caustic soda. The goods are afterwards

placed in a 6 to 12 per cent solution of a

salt of chromium, iron, copper, or aluminum

(preferably aluminum sulphate)

for 3 to 4 hours.

II.—The hides are soaked in a solution

of sodium carbonate of 10° Be. for

3 to 6 hours. After washing with water

they are allowed to remain for 5 hours in which may vary from 2° to 30° Be.

From this they are transferred to a bath

of hydrochloric acid (1° to 5° Be.) in

which they remain for 2 hours. Finally

the hides are washed and the beam-work

finished in the usual way. The tannage

consists of a special bath of sodium or

ammonium sulphoricinoleate (2 to 30

per cent) and sumac extract, or similar

tannins material (2 to 50 per cent). The

strength of this bath is gradually raised

from 4° to 30° or 40° Be.

Tanning Hides for Robes.—The hides

should be very thoroughly soaked in

order to soften them completely. For dry

hides this will require a longer time than

for salted. A heavy hide requires longer

soaking than a skin. Thus it is impossible

to fix a certain length of time. After

soaking, the hide is fleshed clean, and

is now ready to go into the tan liquor,

which is made up as follows: One part

alum; 1 part salt; i to J part japonica.

These are dissolved in hot water in sufficient

quantity to make a 35° liquor.

The hide, according to the thickness, is

left in the tan from 5 to 10 days. Skins

are finished in about 2 or 3 days. The

hide should be run in a drum for about 2

hours before going into tan, and again

after that process. In tanning hides for

robes, shaving them down is a main

requisite for success, as it is impossible

to get soft leather otherwise. After

shaving put back into the tan liquor

again for a day or two and hang up to

dry. When good and hard, shave again

and lay away in moist sawdust and give a

heavy coat of oil. When dry, apply a

solution of soft soap; roll up and lay away

in moist sawdust again. Run the hides

on a drum or wheel until thoroughly soft.

The composition of the tan liquor may

be changed considerably. If the brownish

tinge of the japonica be objectionable,

that article may be left out entirely. The

japonica has the effect of making the

robe more able to resist water, as the

alum and salt alone are readily soaked

out by rain.

Lace Leather.—Take cow hides averaging

from 25 to 30 pounds each; 35

hides will make a convenient soak for a

vat containing 1,000 gallons of water, or

25 hides to a soak of 700 gallons. Soak

2 days or more, as required. Change

water every 24 hours. Split and flesh;

resoak if necessary. When thoroughly

soft put in limes. Handle and strengthen

once a day, for 5 or 6 days. Unhair

and wash. Bathe in hen manure, 90° F.

Work out of drench, wash well, drain 4

of 5 hours. Then process, using 45

pounds vitriol and 600 pounds of soft

water to 700 gallons of water. In renewing

process for second or consecutive

packs, use IS pounds vitriol and 200

pounds salt, always keeping stock constantly

in motion during time of processing.

After processing, drain over

night, then put in tan in agitated liquors,

keeping the stock in motion during the

whole time of tanning. Pack down overnight.

Use 200 pounds dry leather to

each mill in stuffing.

For stuffing, use 3 gallons curriers'

hard grease and 3 gallons American cod

oil. Strike out from mill, on flesh. Set

out on grain. Dry slowly. Trim and

board, length and cross. The stock is

then ready to cut. The time for soaking

the hides may be reduced one-half by

putting the stock into.a rapidly revolving

reel pit, with a good inflow of water, so

that the dirty water washes over and runs

off. After 10 hours in the soak, put the

stock into a drum, and keep it tumbling

5 hours. This produces soft stock..

In liming, where the saving of the hair

is no object, softer leather is obtainable

by using 35 pounds sulphide of sodium

with 60 pounds lime. Then, when the

stock comes from the limes, the hair is

dissolved and immediately washes off,

and saves the labor of unhairing and

caring for the hair, which in some cases

does not pay.

 

 

John

Edited April 12, 2010 by HUnter_zero

[waidmann 105]

good lord thats a long one

 

waidmann

[ellir0305 9]

jesus thats a lot of tanning info, thanks a lot . right now i know how to get the skin off next time, we are going out lamping tomorrow so will hopefully get another one. my chickens and the rabbit and pheasant population took a hammering last year so a pregnant vixen is a good kill IMO.

 

salt peter looks the most simple method, so where on eath do you get it from, GOOGLE!

 

thanks

 

rob

[weasle 1,119]

good lord thats a long one

 

waidmann

DO as above to remove skin from bone leave it inside out and put it in a sealed jar of methlated spirits for a week,one perfectly cured brush.

[borntoshoot 1]

good lord thats a long one

 

waidmann

 

Ive been hearing that alot recently.

[ellir0305 9]

good lord thats a long one

 

waidmann

DO as above to remove skin from bone leave it inside out and put it in a sealed jar of methlated spirits for a week,one perfectly cured brush.

 

so do you take it out after one week, turn it the right way and hang to dry?

 

atb rob

[weasle 1,119]

[waidmann 105]

good lord thats a long one

 

waidmann

 

Ive been hearing that alot recently.

 

 

[Deker 3,478]

jesus thats a lot of tanning info, thanks a lot . right now i know how to get the skin off next time, we are going out lamping tomorrow so will hopefully get another one. my chickens and the rabbit and pheasant population took a hammering last year so a pregnant vixen is a good kill IMO.

 

salt peter looks the most simple method, so where on eath do you get it from, GOOGLE!

 

thanks

 

rob

 

 

The simple method is Meths, pure and simple, I put the tail and meths in an old clean coffee jar, FILL with meths, lid on and leave for about 3 weeks...4 max, turn/shake every couple of days.

 

Extract from meths, ring out tail and retain, and filter, all meths for the next one.

 

Wash tail thoroughly in MILD shampoo and leave to dry naturally, kneading regularly to stop it going hard and brittle.

 

Easy!

[waidmann 105]

the addition of a drop of aulan will stop beatles etc eating it when dry

 

waidmann

[murphymax 9]

i got a fox i've been after for a while now with the shotgun earlier (bad things happen when gingers fall asleep in the sun) and thought i would try and cure the tail anyway i balls up skinning it so i now have 8" tail stub which i am going to dry with salt and dunk in meths to hold the fur.

 

so whats the proper way to skin and 'cure' a fox tail?

 

oh and another question, with the rest of the fox is it possible to lure in some crows rooks and maggies that have been making a nuisance of themselves? trying to get them within range of my not particularly impressive 12g shooting.

 

 

thanks a lot

 

rob

i have tanning fluid for tanning hides, bought from the USA, will do 3 foxes, or 2 roe deer or loads of rabbits, £15 a bottle + postage

[langouroux 14]

good lord thats a long one

 

waidmann

DO as above to remove skin from bone leave it inside out and put it in a sealed jar of methlated spirits for a week,one perfectly cured brush.

 

 

this is the way! then wash it with the mrs shampoo & conditioner and it will be nice and fluffy and not sell of meths!