Washing coyote pelts in washing machine

[JohninAB]

Just a few quick questions.

1) What do you use for a detergent?

2) Hot, warm or cold water?

3) I trust you only do this after fleshing the yote?

Thanks.

[Bushmaster]

I use Sunlight dish detergent as its a bit gentler, warm or cold water and do it after fleshing. I also drop in some downy in the rinse cycle.
Then I tumble dry them in the dryer at low heat and usually with an old pair of jeans or old towel to act as a buffer. Watch them in the dryer. Don't let them heat up. As soon as the underfur is drying...fluffing up, I remove them and board them skin out to cool the skin.
Also, I find that 3 coyotes is a load.

[2430M]

I use Sunlight dish detergent as its a bit gentler, warm or cold water and do it after fleshing. I also drop in some downy in the rinse cycle.
Then I tumble dry them in the dryer at low heat and usually with an old pair of jeans or old towel to act as a buffer. Watch them in the dryer. Don't let them heat up. As soon as the underfur is drying...fluffing up, I remove them and board them skin out to cool the skin.
Also, I find that 3 coyotes is a load.

And my daughter thinks finding my underwear in the dryer is bad...wait till I take up this hobby a little more :D

[fjhoward]

I guess as they say there is more than one way to skin a cat. I wash them with a little tide before fleshing. When I flesh it sqeezes out most of the water. Then board them fur in. After I turn them I just leave a fan on to help them dry. I also use a little borax around the ears and under the arm pits to help keep the fur from slipping. If they are a little dry when you go to turn them (usually overnite is enough) just wrap the hide in a damp/wet towel for a bit to soften it.

Fred

[fjhoward]

I just use cold water and I do rinse them as well with just cold water.

[mwipf]

Just a few quick questions.

1) What do you use for a detergent?

2) Hot, warm or cold water?

3) I trust you only do this after fleshing the yote?

Thanks.
In all the years that I have been custom skinning I have never used a washing machine or a dryer, because a washing machine seems to twist the fur. I usually wash my fur with just a garden hose and if there is blood I will work it out with my hands before I flesh my skins. Sometimes there are burs in the fur so have to get them out before fleshing,otherwise you could cut the fur when use a fleshing bar. When I am finished washing I let the fur drip dry overnight and then flesh the next day and sew and stretch the fur inside overnight.Turn it around the next day with fur outside and then give it heat and lots of air. With the ears I cut out the canal and split ear with my thumb and turn inside out (overnight). Turn back after they are sort of dry, this way you don't get hair slip. tail is another important area to watch that you don't get hair slip, so split it and sprinkle a little wood shaving in it. The coyote should be dry and ready to be taken of the board in 3 to 4 days.
"But then different folks, different strokes"

[ruger300]

My solution so far is washing the hides after I'm done fleshing and sewing in an industrial mop bucket by hand with warm water and dawn detergent. After the main wash and usually a couple of cool water rinses I use the mop wringer to squeeze out the water the best I can, board the pelt up, stoke up the wood stove and let dry overnight. I wish I could find an old working wringer washer as I think that would be better but alas they seem hard to find these days. And to think of all the ones I discarded when I worked in the oilpatch camp repair job I had years ago.

ruger300

[2430M]

My solution so far is washing the hides after I'm done fleshing and sewing in an industrial mop bucket by hand with warm water and dawn detergent. After the main wash and usually a couple of cool water rinses I use the mop wringer to squeeze out the water the best I can, board the pelt up, stoke up the wood stove and let dry overnight. I wish I could find an old working wringer washer as I think that would be better but alas they seem hard to find these days. And to think of all the ones I discarded when I worked in the oilpatch camp repair job I had years ago.

ruger300

I'll keep my eye out for you. I run into the odd one in a barn when working for farmers.

[ruger300]

Thanks, give me a PM if ya find one in your travels.

ruger300

[wolfcreek]

I did my fair share of coyotes back in my trapping days. I'd process 100-125 coyotes over a six week period and time was of the essence to get them all done quick.
I'd have a system to skin them which would take about ten minutes, complete. I'd then flesh them on a beam and a fleshing draw knife purchased from Jonas Bros. in Denver. It was expensive and damn good. Fleshing would take about 15-20 minutes on the wooden beam. I'd wash them in a washing machine used only for fur. Cold water only, Degreaser in the wash and Downey in the rinse cycle. After washing, I'd untwist the tail and slide in a tail splitting guide (Halford Hide catalogue and using the guide and a thin knife I'd split the tail wide open.
Now for drying, I'd use metal stretchers with mesh wire wrapped around the metal frame made of 3/8ths cold rolled steel so that air could get between the frame and the hide. I'd place the stretcher into a long wooden box I built special for the job. This box is about 6 feet long, with a squirrel cage furnace fan at one end. This blower pumps air down the box and up through a round 3 inch hole cut below each metal stretcher which would slide into 1/2 inch holes drilled to receive the stretcher frame legs. I'd pull the hide down on the stretcher, fur side out, clamp the coyotes legs onto the legs of the stretcher frame with booster cable clamps. Then I'd slide a 2 inch strip of plywood down the open mouth of the coyote and then turn the strip of plywood so it was stretching the hide out allowing more air to circulate and also when the hide was dried, you turn the strips so that the hide will slide off easier. same as you would do for a muskrat hide on a board. The drying box would do about 10 coyotes at a time and as each hide would dry, (about 12-16 hours, usually over night) I'd pop the booster clamps off, turn my plywood strip, slide the dry pelt off and comb out. They would turn out perfect and would bring good remarks from the buyer. I learned all this from a guy who custom skinned for old Stan Henders back in the day when Stan would travel the provinces buying fur and bringing hundreds a week to be done by his skinners back at his fur farm which was located along Nose Creek between McKnight Blvd and 64th Ave. There was a lot of fur being processed there and Stan invented a good quick efficient system. I can find no faster way of handling coyotes, the skinning system took a lot of work out of it and the drying system was super easy and quick.
Just my thoughts.....