Fleshing tool recommendation

[socoalt]

Hey fellow roksliders.

I am going to start fleshing and tanning hides this year and am looking for advice on what are the necessary tools to start. Fleshing knife etc. I have the beam taken care of already.

Thanks!

 

[hereinaz]

Hey fellow roksliders.

I am going to start fleshing and tanning hides this year and am looking for advice on what are the necessary tools to start. Fleshing knife etc. I have the beam taken care of already.

Thanks!

In for the answers.

I had an old draw knife that I dulled the edge and used to flesh a buffalo hide when I was doing mountain man stuff in scouts.

 

[EdP]

Depending on what you are fleshing you can get away with a cheap dull knife (fox, possum, muskrat), but you will want a sharp knife for beaver, otter, coyote, deer, bear, raccoon, etc. A quality knife with a sharp edge on one side and dull on the other gives you the proper tool for either application. Your beam should be shaped to match the knife curvature reasonably close.

Weibe and Necker are brands that make a very similar product for pretty much the same price. My Necker 600 is a good fleshing knife but it was bought about 15 years ago and I have read that they moved mfg to China and the quality isn't there anymore. I don't know. There are fleshing knife threads on the Trapperman forum that you can google up.

 

[butcherboy]

For big stuff like deer and above nothing beats a 3000 psi power washer with a rotary tip. It will flesh beaver hides as well. Smaller stuff use a draw knife or you can use a beef skinner and rub in something like borax or soda ash so it’s not so slippery. I fleshed tons of hides and capes with a power washer. Watch some YouTube videos on it. It works pretty well. It works best on a flat board set at an angle.

 

[go_deep]

Old heavy duty butter knife is great for small animals like a weasel, rabbit, mink, muskrats, Marten, or even just working the edges of a larger animal.

 

[wytx]

Lee Steinmeyer makes a great fleshing knife. You can make a fleshing beam from pvc pipe as well, the larger pipes for water and sewer. They have a nice curve to them that works for fleshing.

 

[stooxie]

Do you know about the pressure washer trick?

-Stooxie

 

[Larry Bartlett]

You'll never use anything else IMO

Serrated Electrician Scissors with Stripping

Scissors feature nickel plated carbon steel construction Electrician Snips work left-handed or right-handed Includes stripping notches for 19 and 23 gauge wire Serrated Straight Blades hardened to 59…

beaconsafetysupplies.com

 

[go_deep]

You'll never use anything else IMO

Serrated Electrician Scissors with Stripping

Scissors feature nickel plated carbon steel construction Electrician Snips work left-handed or right-handed Includes stripping notches for 19 and 23 gauge wire Serrated Straight Blades hardened to 59…

beaconsafetysupplies.com

Do you take them apart and just use one side?

 

[NCtrapper]

Necker

 

[cjdewese]

Just looked up the pressure washer trick. That looks like it's the ticket.

 

[stooxie]

I couldn't believe my freaking eyes when I tried it myself. It's like a magic flesh eraser. Seriously, all meat and fat and membranes just peel away and you're left with a perfectly white hide. Take you all of 10 minutes. Maybe 15 if you're super thorough.

The nozzle is called a turbo nozzle (or seems to be). This is what I got:

Search Results for 3,100 PSI Gas/Electric Turbo Nozzle at The Home Depot

Search Results for 3,100 PSI Gas/Electric Turbo Nozzle at The Home Depot

www.homedepot.com

About 30 bucks. Time saved: priceless.

-Stooxie

 

[cnelk]

This past October, I fleshed my moose hide in a local city park with an old curved knife and used my knee as a fleshing pole

 

[go_deep]

This past October, I fleshed my moose hide in a local city park with an old curved knife and used my knee as a fleshing pole


View attachment 801213

I'm not staying this jokingly, you're a bad ass! I think my lower back would have been gone halfway through it!

 

[cnelk]

I'm not staying this jokingly, you're a bad ass! I think my lower back would have been gone halfway through it!

Ha! Not sure about that but I got r done.
Fleshed and salted since I decided to get it tanned

 

[cnelk]

I'm not staying this jokingly, you're a bad ass! I think my lower back would have been gone halfway through it!

Also to be fair, I’ve been fleshing stuff for 50 years. I just may need to try that power washer trick!

 

[Larry Bartlett]

GoDeep, nah just use 'em like scissors while you hold the hide up with your non-dom hand. Lay the scissors flat against the hide so you feel the pressure on your fingers underneath, then just clip the flesh off. So easy on large or small game hides.

Quick demo of this trick 30 mins into this video: