Figure 42. — A dull drawing knife or a 

 specially designed tool, as shown here, 

 helps remove fat and flesh from the 

 pelt. 



skins are tlien shaken out and sus- 

 pended by the nose on nails, racks, 

 or barbed wire to dry before they 

 are stretched. 



The first stretchers were fash- 

 ioned of thin boards or shingles cut 

 the desired size and form, with a 

 few tacks to hold the pelt in place 

 to dry (fig. 44). Although cheap 

 and effective, board stretchers have 

 been almost entirely replaced by 

 those made of heavy galvanized 

 steel wire (fig. 45). Several types 

 of metal stretcher are in use and all 

 have the advantages of being rust- 

 proof and almost indestructible. 

 Compared with wooden stretchers 

 they give a more uniform stretch 

 and permit quicker drying, and can 

 be hung in tiers in a minimum of 

 space (fig. 46). 



Muskrat trappers along the Gulf 

 Coast still use a very simple type 

 of heavy-wire stretcher without a 

 barbed, sliding crossbar. Optimum 

 stretching of the pelts cannot be 

 obtained; as a result of this, and 

 the customary "slashing-across" 

 method of skinning prevalent in 



Figure 43. — A hand wringer is used by 

 Louisiana trappers to remove blood, 

 fat, and excess flesh from the skins. 



Figure 44. — This view of the attic of 

 W. A. Gibbs, pioneer trapmaker and 

 marsh manager, illustrates the old 

 method of drying muskrat pelts on 

 wooden stretching boards. 



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