326 KEPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 

 DRESSING MINK SKINS. 



Mink skins as received at the dresser's are usually cased, the fur 

 being- turned inside and only the greasy skin appearing, and they 

 usuall}^ remain cased during the entire operation of dressing. As 

 may be required, the fur and the leather sides are successively turned 

 outward, and this tedious process forms one of the principal items 

 in dressing this fur. The first operation is to place each pelt on a 

 beam and scrape or beam off all the grease and surplus flesh adhering 

 to the membrane. They are next moistened on that side with salt 

 water. After remaining thus overnight they are placed in a tramp- 

 ing machine, 2,000 pelts at a time, and revolved for four to six hours, 

 until the}^ are thorough!}^ softened. In the best establishments, the 

 same result is accomplished in the tramping tubs. They are next 

 turned fur side out and cleaned in a revolving drum containing saw- 

 dust and a few haudf uls of plaster of paris or fuller's earth. This is 

 continued until the grease is entirely removed, when they are revolved 

 in the beating drum and the sawdust, etc. , removed. 



On removal therefrom the skins are turned leather side out, moist- 

 ened with salt water over night, then fleshed, as described on page 

 292. After fleshing, they are stretched as wide as possible with 

 special iron stretchers, hung up and dried. The following day they 

 are placed in the foot tubs — 100 skins and 1 peck of sawdust to each 

 tub — where they are treaded by barefooted workmen for about three 

 hours. On removal they are stretched lengthways and beaten with 

 rattans or in a beating drum. Then they are turned fur side out, 

 placed in the cleaning drum with fine hardwood sawdust and revolved 

 until thoroughly clean, which may require five or six hours. The}" are 

 again placed in the beating drum to remove all the sawdust. On 

 removal therefrom the fur is combed straight and they are turned 

 leather side out and cleaned and polished with a fleshing knife, or, 

 according to more recent practice, on an emeiT wheel. 



Mink fur is manufactured into muffs, wraps, gloves, caps, and boas, 

 either in vatui-al state or dyed. Many skins are also used for coat 

 linings. The tails are usually made into capes. Mink pelts are never 

 plucked unless the overhair is exceptionally poor. This fur is very 

 durable, lasting with moderate care a generation or more. The writer 

 recently examined a mink muff' ""ahnost as good as new," which had 

 been in use for more than fifty vears. Mink fur is very frequently sold 

 under the name "American sable." 



