Curing hides with meths

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Pete

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Archived from groups: uk.rec.shooting.game (More info?)

Anyone here experienced in curing hides with methylated spirits?

My boy has just produced a fox pelt which he had cleaned and left
rolled and immersed in meths for two weeks. Result? One extremely
soft, very clean pelt which, prior to a final rinsing off today,
carries a faint smell of meths but absolutely no eau de Toby.

Quite a result. Not sure what he's going to treat it with now to keep
the skin from drying/cracking but all commetns welcome.
From Pete

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Being eaten by a crocodile is just like falling asleep in a blender"
Bart Simpson
 
Archived from groups: uk.rec.shooting.game (More info?)

Pete <pete.ansbro@virgin.net> wrote in
news:5jc0211mldn9ejrg6nlcgoed0m83e73ki9@4ax.com:

> Anyone here experienced in curing hides with methylated spirits?
>
> My boy has just produced a fox pelt which he had cleaned and left
> rolled and immersed in meths for two weeks. Result? One extremely
> soft, very clean pelt which, prior to a final rinsing off today,
> carries a faint smell of meths but absolutely no eau de Toby.
>
> Quite a result. Not sure what he's going to treat it with now to keep
> the skin from drying/cracking but all commetns welcome.
> From Pete


Funny you should bring this up for conversation Pete!

My last call yesterday was to a funeral parlor and I got talking to the
embalmer (spelling?), she was telling me all about chemicals and the
like. Any way I got a thinking that she might be interested in sorting
out some taxidermy for me, I mean after all she can do a wonderful job
with her clients and I don’t think she has had any complaints, although
her even her best clients only call once you know :)

(This pest control job can be a funny old thing on times… anyway)

It turns out she is training with some top notch guy who rebuilds the
faces of bodies that have been found, he also rebuilds the faces of war
crime victims, to the point. She thinks that it would be very possible to
simply inject a cocktail of different chemicals and that would be
sufficient to keep your common or garden fox mask look top notch for many
years to come (brains removed… of course! And some modeling clay added
here and there), I kid you not.

Creepy hey!

My only worry with meths is that when dry the skins will dry to a crisp,
I guess your boy could try some shop purchased leather conditioner?

John
 
Archived from groups: uk.rec.shooting.game (More info?)

On Sat, 26 Feb 2005 08:28:25 +0000, Pete
<pete.ansbro@virgin.net> wrote:

>Anyone here experienced in curing hides with methylated spirits?
**Snipped*
>Quite a result. Not sure what he's going to treat it with now to keep
>the skin from drying/cracking but all commetns welcome.

A little tickle at the back of my memory
suggest lanolin, but I don't *really* know. If you
have a leatherworker's shop anywhere nearby it might be
be worth droppping in and asking questions.

Gyppo

John Craggs - Writer - Adult Tutor - Storyteller
and All-Round Rogue
Need a laugh? Then subscribe to the free Monday Silly Digest:
mail to: gyppo1@ntlworld.com With 'MSD SUB' as subject.
 
Archived from groups: uk.rec.shooting.game (More info?)

John <zero_one34@hotmail.com> wrote in
news:Xns96095B31319A1zeroone34hotmailcom@130.133.1.4:

> Pete <pete.ansbro@virgin.net> wrote in
> news:5jc0211mldn9ejrg6nlcgoed0m83e73ki9@4ax.com:
>
>> Anyone here experienced in curing hides with methylated
>> spirits?
>>
>> My boy has just produced a fox pelt which he had cleaned
>> and left rolled and immersed in meths for two weeks.
>> Result? One extremely soft, very clean pelt which, prior
>> to a final rinsing off today, carries a faint smell of
>> meths but absolutely no eau de Toby.
>>
>> Quite a result. Not sure what he's going to treat it with
>> now to keep the skin from drying/cracking but all commetns
>> welcome. From Pete
>
>
> Funny you should bring this up for conversation Pete!
>
> My last call yesterday was to a funeral parlor and I got
> talking to the embalmer (spelling?), she was telling me all
> about chemicals and the like. Any way I got a thinking that
> she might be interested in sorting out some taxidermy for
> me, I mean after all she can do a wonderful job with her
> clients and I don’t think she has had any complaints,
> although her even her best clients only call once you know
> :)
>
> (This pest control job can be a funny old thing on times…
> anyway)
>
> It turns out she is training with some top notch guy who
> rebuilds the faces of bodies that have been found, he also
> rebuilds the faces of war crime victims, to the point. She
> thinks that it would be very possible to simply inject a
> cocktail of different chemicals and that would be
> sufficient to keep your common or garden fox mask look top
> notch for many years to come (brains removed… of course!
> And some modeling clay added here and there), I kid you
> not.
>
> Creepy hey!
>
> My only worry with meths is that when dry the skins will
> dry to a crisp, I guess your boy could try some shop
> purchased leather conditioner?
>
> John
>
>
>

John,

You are getting altogether too much!

Now I have to pick all the little bits of cheese out of my
keyboard. That'll teach me to eat sandwiches while reading your
posts!!<vbg>

Derry
P.S.. Could you please email me the name of the company the
mortician works for? I just want to know where to avoid. Called
in for cockroach control, were you??<vbg> Or was it vultures??
 
Archived from groups: uk.rec.shooting.game (More info?)

Derry Argue wrote:
> P.S.. Could you please email me the name of the company the mortician
> works for? I just want to know where to avoid. Called in for cockroach
> control, were you?? <vbg> Or was it vultures??

Maybe it was Woodworm, or Death Watch Beetle :)
 
Archived from groups: uk.rec.shooting.game (More info?)

On Sat, 26 Feb 2005 18:35:16 -0000, "Andy www.ukrabbiter.co.uk"
<andy@ukrabbiter.co.uk> wrote:
>snippety snip<

>Maybe it was Woodworm, or Death Watch Beetle :)

Now what'd we recommend for dealing with either species...... trap
loads? .303?
>

From Pete

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Being eaten by a crocodile is just like falling asleep in a blender"
Bart Simpson
 
Archived from groups: uk.rec.shooting.game (More info?)

SSG? :)
and don't spare the powder

Pete wrote:
> Now what'd we recommend for dealing with either species...... trap
> loads? .303?
 
Archived from groups: uk.rec.shooting.game (More info?)

Not sure if it helps, but put the search argument "curing hide alcohol"
into google, and the top 3 articles look promising, though they refer to
the preparation of hides in America.
If I remember correctly, meths is only alcohol with a dye added to
discourage meths drinking.
--
Peter Lacey
 
Archived from groups: uk.rec.shooting.game (More info?)

On Sun, 27 Feb 2005 15:39:38 +0000 (UTC), Peter Lacey
<Peter@removeoldlace.co.uk> wrote:
>snippety snip<
>Not sure if it helps, but put the search argument "curing hide alcohol"
>into google, and the top 3 articles look promising,


thanks for that - I found an 8 page PDF at
http://www.cahe.nmsu.edu/pubs/_l/l-103.pdf which I've downloaded for
the boy!



From Pete

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Being eaten by a crocodile is just like falling asleep in a blender"
Bart Simpson
 
Archived from groups: uk.rec.shooting.game (More info?)

Pete wrote:
> On Sun, 27 Feb 2005 15:39:38 +0000 (UTC), Peter Lacey
> <Peter@removeoldlace.co.uk> wrote:
> >snippety snip<
>
>>Not sure if it helps, but put the search argument "curing hide alcohol"
>>into google, and the top 3 articles look promising,
>
>
>
> thanks for that - I found an 8 page PDF at
> http://www.cahe.nmsu.edu/pubs/_l/l-103.pdf which I've downloaded for
> the boy!
>
>
>
> From Pete
>

Let me know how whether you need any more fox pelts to practice with. I
went out for Roe today and instead found 3 more foxes:)

Cliff
 
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