softening hide for quiver

[walkabout]

I got a fox hide to use for a back quiver, and some areas of it are still very stiff. i was wondering if anyone knew a way to soften it? The main area is the nose/lips. id like to be able to get most of it turned out to show off the natural detail. any help will be greatly appreciated.

[BowPlinker]

beat the crap out of it!!!!!!!! no joke thats what I do. Awire brush helps to but dont get carries away and tear hair off.
Keep it protected and work over the skin side.

[walkabout]

thanks, ill have to try that. ive already worked some of the spots like the ears by hand, just rolling them and working the cartilage, got them better than they were.like i said though its mostly the nose and lip. nose ids kinda caved in and the lips pulled back from being on a stretcher.its actually a really nice hide for being #2 grade, ive seen alot of fox hides growing up with my grandpa trapping fox in pa and this one is nicer than the majority ive seen at the wholesaler we used to sell to

grt it wet and work it till its dry, its called breaking, once its dryed out its hard to get it soft, get it wet and work it till its dry....

[BowPlinker]

yep wet it and work out the nose and head areas. If you let it dry it will dry very hard but you may want the face area to remain firm. If you can smoke it over a smoldering fire that will help keep it softer

[calgarychef]

Go to braintan.com and have a look at what they say.  It doesn't have to be real soft for a back quiver I think.

[JimB]

Is it tanned or just dried?It should be tanned.

[walkabout]

the hide's tanned. the rest of the hide is pretty soft, just around the face its pretty stiff and id like to soften it up and get it looking a bit better.