New Zonker strip cutters

[Fatman]

Finally found 2 packages of double edge razor blades and bored today so made a new Zonker strip cutter with them, with the extra length of the screws I may check around work in the gun room and see if there are any scraps I can use for handles.  

Large cutter side view

Bottom view

Then I made 2 smaller ones - one is made from old style curtain hanging brackets

and the other is made out of the container that the mini box cutter blades came in - will only cut 2 strips at a time

 

[hookup]

That'll cut some nice zonked strips

 

[LedHed]

Very cool - you might think about selling them.....

 

[Fin and Fur]

That's a heck of alot better than one strip at a time. I've got a light tan pelt I was thinking about trying to dye after it's striped.

Anyone ever tried dying rabbit fur?

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[Fatman]

It's not hard to dye it - but keeping the hide from turning hard is!! I've talked to a few folks on taxidermy sites and they couldn't tell me. The guy that did the you tube video shut his site down and I really wish I could contact him as he shows dyeing the skin but never says how he keeps it soft!

 

[Fin and Fur]

Interesting. Good to know. Thank you.

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[Fin and Fur]

Well the rabbit fur turned the color I wanted, the hide shrank by about 1/3 length of original zonker strip (crosscut). Continually stretched strips as they dried, still stayed shorter, but a little still . More hair per inch, I'm happy with the end result.

 

[Fin and Fur]

Revisited strips this morning, they finished drying/curing, not as happy as I initially thought I was. Maybe some sort of cold dye process. I'll keep trying, and let you know if I come up with a method.

 

[hookup]

Did you dye them before cutting? Or dye the whole hide?

 

[Fin and Fur]

I'd be really unhappy if I did whole hide. I did a test on crosscut strips, cut 1/8 wide. Turned into 1/16 wide and third shorter OAL.

 

[Fin and Fur]

Think I'm getting closer to a cold dye process this last batch is looking like I might not have shrunk the hide, and still got fur to take color. I don't know if I should start a new thread or not.

 

[Fin and Fur]

Tan to orange, when cut away from dyed and dried strip it has two tone effect(not sure if pic will show it)

 

[duffy]

Cool! Looks like a flame with the lighter on the bottom, darker on top. Was watching How It's Made the other night and they showed a cutter that would be perfect. Looked sort of like a board planer that they put whole pelts into and it cut it into perfect strips in about 2 seconds. They also have a tanning one on too but I missed part of that one.

 

[Fatman]

But are the strips and or pelt still staying soft and flexible when dry???

 

[Fin and Fur]

Yes stays soft and flexible!

 

[Fin and Fur]

Tried green color only dyed hide and changed tan to light brown. Headed to sportsman's to look at molds and try and find white pelt

 

[duffy]

I wonder what hair dye or peroxide would do to the hair, if it would bleach it enough so that it would take a different color?

 

[Fin and Fur]

It's worth a shot to me. I got the pelt 10 yrs ago cause it was cheap. I'll see if it works and report back

 

[Fatman]

Some of the buds on my fly boards bleach some dark feathers and they all say to watch how long it stays in as it can damage the materials. Only thing I've ever tried with the bleach was peacock eyes and burning the fuzz off. Most of them go to a hair salon to get good stuff.

 

[Fin and Fur]

Ok I'll try to make it beauty supply store and check it out. I'll try peroxide first as I know there is some in the house