Beaver tail question

[osage outlaw]

Mr. Gsulfridge was kind enough to give me a cooler full of animal parts this past weekend at the Moon Tree gathering.  There were several beaver tails in it.  I started cleaning them today and wasn't sure how much to scrape them.  I searched PA and google but couldn't find a good picture or explanation on how thin they needed to be.  Does anyone have a picture of a cleaned tail?   

 I plan on using some hide tanning solution on them.  I know you can dry them green like snake skins also.  I might do a few each way and see which is better.

Thanks for the help

[Outbackbob48]

OO I skinned a few of them. I fleshed them with a old spoon , they get a kinda real white and then a blue tint and then next is the black leather as you just went thru. I tried the home tanning solutions and they still dried out real stiff. Later I soaked in water until real plyable and then applied to my bow, dried hard as a rock but have held up real well, Good Luck Bob. 

[osage outlaw]

Thanks Bob.  I'll sneak a spoon out of the kitchen tomorrow and give it a try.

[Gsulfridge]

Careful there Mr Outlaw.  Mrs Outlaw will cloud up and rain on you for stealing the silverware.  Keep us posted on the progress.  I plan on some beaver tail work before long.

[osage outlaw]

Got them all scraped as clean as I cared to.  I set them outside for the last few hours of sunlight and they started to dry out.  Thanks again for the beaver Greg   

[lebhuntfish]

Wow, those sure are some nice ones outlaw! Are you going to use them for handle wraps? I want to try one on a handle sometime. Hear they really good for that. Patrick

[osage outlaw]

Yup.  That's the plan.  Handle wraps and other projects.  I think an arm guard would look cool.

[soy]

Fun isn't it ...just did 40some my self,the fleshing knife works well...on the thicker side I wait tell dry than thin them on the belt sander

[Blackcoyote]

Good luck! I haven't found a good solution to use on them, and most tanneries won't even tan them- I know of 1 in the US, and 1 in Canada.

[lebhuntfish]

Thats cool! If you happen to make an extra arm guard I would be interested in trading something for one. Patrick

[TRACY]

Yup.  That's the plan.  Handle wraps and other projects.  I think an arm guard would look cool.

Or a loin cloth like the one I told Blackhawk I was sending to him that we Greg used for the Moontree 

Those look real good Clint. Do you have any more of that tanning solution to try?


Tracy

[osage outlaw]

Tracy, I still have 75% of the tanning solution left.  I didn't use much on that fawn and chipmunks.

Lebhuntfish, I'll keep the trade in mind.  Let me see how they turn and see what I can do with them.

[lebhuntfish]

No biggie buddy, I think they would be cool. I could use a good arm guard if they work out. Patrick

[crooketarrow]

   I love the feel of a beaver tail handle. I put on a quite a few.