Fleshing tool talk

[Zuma]

Now that I have some hides pressure washed and being de- haired in the ash soup,
I need some  fleshing tool advice.  Can I grind one out of soft steel? Or use a diamond
grinder on say a lawnmower blade?  Thanks Zuma

[Morgan]

Big serving spoon with a single bevel filed from the back works well.

[Pat B]

Pappy's got some he just made.

[bjrogg]

Zuma not sure if it's what your looking for, but what I use is a thin steel "cup". It's actually a container that rings for a engine rebuild where shipped in. It's really not sharp, it just has a square edge. I misplaced it one year and made one from a chunk of four inch exhaust pipe.
Bjrogg

[jimmi the sammi]

Grind the teeth off of a circular saw blade.  Cut in half.  Cut a 2" dowel ( or broom handle or piece of antler) to length to match the width of the blade.  Split center of dowel, broom handle, antler to use as handle of saw blade.  Glue to saw blade.  Leave the rounded edge of the saw blade as ground.  It will have 2 sharp edges on both sides from the grinding.  Works great for fleshing and dehairing.  The tool looks like an ulu but isn't sharpened like a knife.  Just ground flat 90* to the blade.

[Zuma]

Thanks a lot Morgan. I can see that working.
Thank you also Pat Buuuut I need one now,
It seems to me that some push and some pull the knife
Also is a fleshing knife supposed to be flat or curved, chiseled edge
or bifacial  (center edged)? Sharp as possible or somewhat dull?
You folks rock when we need help
Zuma

[Zuma]

Wooah BJ thanks
It seems like you are using a tin can with no bottom but made of steel and a bit thicker.
How do you hold it? You must have to pull it towards you?
Thanks jimmi would my drawing work?
Second drawing is just for reference
Zuma

[jimmi the sammi]

Yep.  Got the right idea.  The ones I have made look like an ulu but are not sharpened to a knife blade edge.  Just left with the saw teeth ground off.  Pull the blade towards you.  Works great on a fleshing beam (log) or hide stretched, either one.

[Outbackbob48]

Don, first off I am going to assume that you are wet scraping vs dry scraping. Pappy dry scrapes and a different tool is used, Most fleshing knives are slightly curved and have a sharp side and a dull side. The sharp side is used for shaving gristle around the head of coon and also for heavy gristle on beaver, as soon as you get past gristle dull side is used to push fat and bits of meat from hides. For dehairing and graining wet hides you need and edge that is dull but must have an edge, you will pushing into your swelled hide hard but not cutting or shaving, this done on a fleshing beam. My personal set up for graining hide is a pc of 6 inch pvc slid over my fleshing beam. The pvc pipe has a much steeper radius than my fleshing beam so when I am graining I am taking off narrower strips of hair and grain. Graining is much harder than fleshing so I am pushing much less surface. Now to really confuse you, some people set there fleshing beam up so they are pulling instead of pushing.. Next every fleshing knife that have ever seen is a single bevel edge some are straight and some are curved blades. For a home made fleshing knife I would get a flat pc of steel about 12" X 1-1/2 and put a single bevel on it and put some rubber garden hose for handles. Rig your beam up level or down hill angle , rubber apron and hold hide with stomach against beam and push your grain and hair off, Do some experimenting for most comfortable way. Hope this  helps ya some, Also see if you can get a copy of Deerskins into Buckskins by Matt Richards, lots of pics of what I am trying to explain to you and  easy reading for steps on braintanning and making rawhide. Don hope some of this helps ya and shortens the learning curve. To answer your orginal question Yes a flat lawnmower blade should work.   Bob

[bjrogg]

Zuma Outback explained that pretty well.  I have a single bevel store bought fleshing knife. It's a cheapie but it does work. Some really good ones get very pricey. I hardly ever use mine. Mostly I just use my "tin cup" I'll try to send you some pictures today if I can. I use it by holding "cup" upside down in palm of my hand. I use stretchers or flat fleshing beams. For larger animals I clamp fleshing beam on our shop forklift tine and get it a comfortable hight. Then I do like Outback and hold hide in place with my belly. I've never tried to de-hair with it but I think it would work. The only time I made rawhide was muskrat rawhide for backing my sinew backed mini bow for Marshall mini bow challenge. I put it in white ash ashes and water for about three or four days. The hair rubbed right off with very little effort. The epidermal layer was still there and I believe that should be removed for brain tanning. I didn't want tanned, just rawhide so I rubbed off hair left epidermal layer and washed really good. I think I might even have used baking soda to neutralize it. It gets kinda stinky at the hair slipping point. If not washed good it will continue to deteriorate. It make a difference what type of wood ash you use. White ash works great, I tried it a second time with ashes from my nephews wood stove. Not sure what he was burning but never did get hair to slip. You can use lime also. The only deer rawhide I ever used my brother bought me from a well know bowyer. It was cut in strips 2" wide. It still had the epidermal layer on. It actually gave it a neat look almost like scales. Good Luck. I'm thinking much like "skinning a cat"  that there's more than one way to flesh a hide. I have never tried to dry hair removal method but I think I will give it a go for the deer hide I plan on brain tanning.
Bjrogg

[Outbackbob48]

Bj, when ya get ready to dry scrape give Pappy a shout, I have personally seen some of Pappys braintan and it is excellent. Bob

[BowEd]

BJ....I've showed a complete brain tan hide done on the primitive skills thread.Under "Big fella into buckskin".
I've fleshed thousands of coon/coyote and many other fur bearing animals and dehaired deer too.To save typing time here.Outbacks' statements are the way I've done mine.Fleshing knife is slightly curved.I've got a figerglass covering over a wooden beam.Tighter radius of surface.Takes a narrower slice of hair off which is less resistance and gets the job done but will, take more time.
Dehaired hundreds of deer dry scraping too.Different tool used like stated.Laced in a frame then too and dry.It can leave rudder board marks at times that can be sanded away.Wet scraping leaves a nice smooth surface.
You may think you reduced work by power washing fleshing but you will still need to use a fleshing knife.

[Zuma]

Well I guess it's up to me now
You guys are great. Thanks a bunch.
Zuma 

[bjrogg]

Thanks Outback, I've seen a picture of Pappy's scrapers on here before. I'm guessing they went away with the photo bucket hi-jack but I remember what they looked like.
Ed I very much remember and appreciate that thread. It was very thoughtful and informative. I'm guessing the pictures are gone on it to but I believe I have a pretty good understanding of the process from reading it before and will probably look it up again.
Good Luck Zuma I'm mostly scrapping fur bareing animals and although there my be similarities I'm quite sure there are differences to. I'm certain that both Ed and Bob have way more experience with deer than I do.
Bjrogg

[BowEd]

BJ...I can almost gaurantee your going to have questions when first brain tanning.Somewhere along in the steps.The thread is still there..pictures and all.It's different then chemical tanning of which you've done a great job with.