fixin coyote pelts...maybe

[philintheblank]

got some time on my hands so I decided to see if I can spruce up a couple crappy looking coyote pelts I got this season. I sent a crappy one in last auction to see what would happen and it didn't sell... graded DMG3 which is pretty much as bad as you can get, it was really rubbed though so I had little hope for it anyways.

this one is similar quality so I figured if it didn't work out, I'm not really out much.

Here is what I started with, you can see where the mane got rubbed off somehow



so I cut out the damaged part plus a little extra to ensure the guard hairs will cover the seam



then I rehydrated the skin and started sewing, and sewing.... and sewing. this is where I think its a lost cause due to the huge sew job done, he might get graded damaged anyways.



once he is dry and fluffed out again I will post the final product.
I towel dried him and gave him a bit of a brushing and the initial look is promising but we will see once he is off the stretcher.
any thoughts as to how he will turn out? he has a decent pelt everywhere else, so hopefully the results are positive.

[HunterDave]

Thanks for posting Phil! This is a good experiment for guys like me just starting out. I had a few that I just turfed this year but I don't mind spending the time to do this if it'll bring value to the pelt. If it turns out good I'll definitely look at doing this next season.

What type of needle do you use for your sewing? I'm using dental floss to sew and I had a hard time finding a proper needle and I've actually bent a couple trying to get them through the leather. Also, do you use a small pair of pliers(?) along with the needle or do you do it all with just your hands? Any advice would be appreciated.

[philintheblank]

I use a round shank sharp point needle that is fairly long. I usually used dental floss also but couldn't find it so I used plain jane cotton thread.

I deffinately hold the needle with a pair of pliers to held me push the needle through the hide

[HunterDave]

Thanks Phil! I'm going to try to find some surgical needles that they use for suturing people up and a small pair of the pliers that they use. I kept a couple of pelts to make hats from and what I've been doing/using ain't cutting it.

[tomcat]

I find a glovers needle is the best for sewing pelts as no pliers are needed to easily push the needle through the hide.

[nube]

I use glovers for taxidermy and I find it is the best as well

[HunterDave]

I don't want to Hijack Phil's thread but what size Glover's needle. I see that they're at Halford's.

[tomcat]

Originally Posted by HunterDave

I don't want to Hijack Phil's thread but what size Glover's needle. I see that they're at Halford's.

I believe size three is what you want for sewing up pelts.

[mark-edmonton]

Originally Posted by HunterDave

Thanks Phil! I'm going to try to find some surgical needles that they use for suturing people up and a small pair of the pliers that they use. I kept a couple of pelts to make hats from and what I've been doing/using ain't cutting it.

Suture needle would be good if you can thread them, but you can't as they come with the suture thread attached!

[flyguyd]

Just buy a big roll of waxed thread from a taxidermy supply store. One piece can be separated into many smaller strands. You can sew up three truckloads of critters for the price of two packs of dentalfloss.

[waterninja]

interesting thread, don't know how i missed it. look foreward to seeing finished product.
first time i heard of glover needles. i'll check them out at halfords today.

[philintheblank]

Well it turned out nice, but I am not sure if I did myself any good but cutting out a huge chunk, have to wait ant see at the auction I guess.

[HunterDave]

That looks really good, Phil! It's a little narrow but the fur came together nicely. I'm really curious about how you make out at auction.

[Famabrav]

Size 3 indeed.....good luck I'm sure it will look better. Cheers.

[coy coyote]

Anything with a 3 inch and larger stitch your better off selling to a local fur buyer. This is still a damaged dog when Nafa grades it. Its a 50 to 65 $ dog other wise. Nice stitch job

[mxz1997]

Originally Posted by coy coyote

Anything with a 3 inch and larger stitch your better off selling to a local fur buyer. This is still a damaged dog when Nafa grades it. Its a 50 to 65 $ dog other wise. Nice stitch job

Not neccesarily. I had 3 coyotes which had 6-8 inch bullet holes sewn up and only one was graded as damaged. I figured for sure I wouldnt get much but I guess if you stich it up good it doesnt matter much.

[coy coyote]

I tried I sent two to nafa which I got 40$ a piece. I avg 72.50 from the local buyer for my scrubby ones out of the same batch and 113$ avg for my good ones at nafa.