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Fur cutting question

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Brokennock

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Okay, probably a dumb question, as I'm sure there is a painfully obvious answer that I'm overlooking. I'll try to set up my question the best I can without diagrams or ability to demonstrate.
I need to cut some rectangles out of a nice beaver fur hide I bought. So, with the hair laying from head toward the tail, let's say I have the tail end to my right as it layers skin side up on my work area. I have penciled my rectangles on the skin side.
How do I cut the skin without chopping off the hairs on the tail end? I want the fur/hair to lay past that cut edge naturally.

Thanks,
Dave
 
Okay, probably a dumb question, as I'm sure there is a painfully obvious answer that I'm overlooking. I'll try to set up my question the best I can without diagrams or ability to demonstrate.
I need to cut some rectangles out of a nice beaver fur hide I bought. So, with the hair laying from head toward the tail, let's say I have the tail end to my right as it layers skin side up on my work area. I have penciled my rectangles on the skin side.
How do I cut the skin without chopping off the hairs on the tail end? I want the fur/hair to lay past that cut edge naturally.

Thanks,
Dave
With a very sharp blade (I suggest a new utility knife or razor blade), gently cut from the skin side (through just the skin) so the squares separate from the hide. This can be achieved with multiple passes with minimal pressure and will keep the hair at its full length. When you feel the blade break through the hide, stop cutting and move on to another portion.
 
I've found it really helps to keep the hide under a little tension. Doesn't have to be stretched, but you want it tight enough to push back at the knife a little as the knife does it's work.

Kinda "third world," or more likely backwoods, but I sit down and squeeze one end of the hide between my knees and pull it tight with one hand while the knife in the other goes to work. Have to reposition it now and then, but that's easy.
 
With a very sharp blade (I suggest a new utility knife or razor blade), gently cut from the skin side (through just the skin) so the squares separate from the hide. This can be achieved with multiple passes with minimal pressure and will keep the hair at its full length. When you feel the blade break through the hide, stop cutting and move on to another portion.

Okay. That's kind of what I came up with. As well as the tension mentioned by others. Maybe I overtensioned/stretched as I did have a little trouble following my straight marked lines. Takes some practice I guess.

Thanks all.
 
I don't know how precision the cuts should be but it seems to me the pelt could be placed on a wood cutting board, hair side up.
Then, using the edge of a steel ruler (or a straight cut piece of sheet metal), the hair could be pushed backward against the knap, revealing the bare skin under the hair.
Pressing the ruler down hard against the skin and holding it in place with the hair still folded out of the way, a razor blade or Exacto knife would make the cut, holding it against the lower part of the ruler as a guide.
When the ruler is removed a bit of combing would put the hair back down in its normal position.

Once the first cut had been made, with a bit of measuring, the next cut could be located and once it was, the ruler could be used again to fold the hair in the new location back against the knap and the process would be repeated.

The only problem I see with this is it might be difficult to locate the second cut.

Once the cuts across the lay of the hair was done, the pelt could be turned over, hair side down and the side cuts could be drawn on the skin or, the steel ruler could be used as a guide for the razor blade or Exacto knife to make nice, straight cuts.
 
The biggest precaution is to avoid cutting hairs along the margin of your cuts. That's why I make all cuts from the back.

"Back in the day," as in over 50 years ago, I worked in a large fly shop that distributed lots of their own fly tying materials. Being the lowest of the low men on the totem pole, cutting and packaging hides and lots more materials was my daily chore. I can still hear Da Big Boss rasping at me: "Boy, I'll have YOUR hide in little bitty packages if you cut any hairs on MY hides."
 
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