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

Pete  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 dont 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

On Sat, 26 Feb 2005 08:28:25 +0000, Pete
 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.

John  wrote in
news:Xns96095B31319A1zeroone34hotmailcom@130.133.1.4: 


> Pete  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 dont 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??

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 :)

On Sat, 26 Feb 2005 18:35:16 -0000, "Andy www.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

SSG? :)
and don't spare the powder

Pete wrote:

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

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

On Sun, 27 Feb 2005 15:39:38 +0000 (UTC), Peter Lacey
 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

Pete wrote:

> On Sun, 27 Feb 2005 15:39:38 +0000 (UTC), Peter Lacey
>  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