salting pelts~ humidity help.

[Lone Ranger]

I have several pelts that I have case skinned and the humidity here in Florida is giving me some issues (as it does every year this time)I found 2 racoons that were just hit by a car a few days ago and case skinned them both, they are fleshed, salted and drying (or not) on my front porch- the problem is that they are not drying out.


can anyone give me some ideas? there is a fan overhead that slightly blows on them. the humidity is so high lately that its nearly impossible to get them to dry so I can bring them inside (just did an eastern and it took a week to dry out enough to bring that inside!)


thoughts?


L.R.

[JimB]

A fan blowing directly on them is about the best you can do.Never put them in the sun.It would probably help to scrape the existing salt off and put fresh salt on.Repeat that if you need to till dried.

I have to ask,what are you doing with them after you get them inside?

[John Scifres]

Can you bring them into an AC area?

[KOOK68]

I hear ya the humidity brother. Maybe a squirrel cage blower in a shed if you have that.

[Lone Ranger]

AC is not an option, fan is what I got. I CAN change the salt out every few days. When they are dried they are stored salted inside until I can get them tanned.

L.R.  

[Skipmaster1]

I either freeze or wet salt my pelts. If they dry all the way they are a dog to soften. Just salt them for a couple of hours and they them drain.  Roll them up flesh side in and stand them up in a 5 gallon bucket with some water softener salt on the bottom. Put a lid on it. It will last a long time

[beaver#1]

Add fresh salt to them each day. I also use 20 mule team borax on my beaver here in east Texas. We have high humidity also. It seems to work well. Like said above if you can keep moving air on them is a big plus.

[Lone Ranger]

If I had a chest freezer I would salt then freeze, but I don't.

appreciate the help,


L.R.

[JimB]

Just scrape the wet salt off and salt heavily.Never freeze any salted hide unless it is completely dry.Salt will keep it frim freezing and they will be swimming in their own juices and can actually spoil in the freezer.

[Roadkill]

Had those problem when I lived in NC. No problem here in NV

Salt and resalt, get all the fat off.  That fat holds moisture on the hide.  I tumble my hides and birds in corn cobb 1/8 inch.  This sucks off some moisture and fat.  Resalt
Luck to you

[Running Buck]

Unfortunately, salt pulls as much moisture from the air as it does from the hide. I have had better luck with sawdust when the hide is green, save the salt till the hide is dry to the touch.

[TRAP]

A fan is all you need to dry raccoon pelts

Trap

[Machino]

This is advice coming from a trapper.  Borax (20 Mule team) will work better than anything else.  When I trap, skin and flesh I will put Borax anywhere I want in to dry faster.  In fact, most fur houses encourage the use of it.  It is also good in cleaning the fur if you have high grade pelts like the marten I averaged 129.00 a piece at the last NAFA sale.  Clean up is also much nicer than any salt or saw dust.