Fleshing Deer hide

[Clemo]

OK so I was so disgusted with last nights footy game, I couldn’t watch it any more after 30min so I decided to go and work on a deer skin im tanning ATM. The skin has been salted for a few weeks and I needed to flesh it.
I haven’t done a deer skin before, the last skin I did was a fox about 10 years ago, the deer skin (medium Fallow) was a real chore to de flesh it took me the best part of 2 1/2 hours and I ended up with one nasty blister for my trouble. I was using the tool that most kits supply for the job and I couldn’t help thinking that there must be an easier way. I thought about a wire wheel in the grinder but I wasn’t game to experiment on my first deer pelt.
Anyone got any tips or suggestions?

[Sagitarius]

I use the tool or a knife to lift the flesh of enough so as I can grab it. I then pull the flesh of in big sheets by hand.

The other thing you can do to help is do a good job skinning it, if your careful you can leave all the flesh on the beast and not get that thin twitchy muscle on the skin.

[Sagitarius]

A bloke I know who use to work in a tannery said they use to flesh after the hide had soaked in the pickle. This made the flesh slough of easier as it swells up.

Haven't tried it yet.

[Clemo]

Yeh, there wasn’t allot of flesh on it and what there was came of as you said, just made a start and ripped it off, the hard part was the membrane which took some getting off, especially were there was no flesh left after skinning.
I did some research and it appears there are attachments for grinders available and also purpose built hand held tools for defleshing. If I do another one I will try and get the grinder attachment one.

[Sagitarius]

Yeah a wire brush rips up the membrane pretty good. I just use a hand one but a powered one on low revs should be ok.

[troy]

Hope you didn't get any 'Hair' slip Clemo. :P :P :P

[Clemo]

You will keep!