# Preserving a Tail?



## Fallguy

I have a fox hide that was blown up pretty bad from a .243. I have the hide frozen but I don't think much will come of it. I was thinking just salvaging the tail and making a tail that can be hung.

What needs to be done after taking the bone out of the tail to preserve it? I was thinking splitting the tail, then using borax to dry it out, then stitching it back up. Or is that not enough? Is it possible to just shove borax down the tail without splitting to make a nicer looking piece? Suggestions welcome.


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## Rick Davis

It has to be split to get the bone out. Becarefull when you get close to the end, they get pretty delicate. I would salt it first and let it dry for a few days. Then you could get some liqiud tan or use some eggs and rub them in good. I tanned a mink w/eggs and a moose beard and they turned out good.


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## bart1_99

Fallguy, if it's any help you can split the tail(your choice) or from what we do here in Maine is remove the tail bone and use a stick to shove your preservative down the hole...it should be repeated a few times. I prefer to split the tail but it's certainly doable both ways. Glad you had the luck :beer:


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## Plainsman

Your much better off not to split the tail. It will not tear if you do it right. Don't just grab the bone and haul on it. It needs to be stripped. I drill a 3/8 inch hole (sometimes it has to be a 1/2 inch) in a 3/4 inch oak board about two inches wide and eight or ten inches long. Then cut the board lengthwise through the center of the hole. If you have already skinned the coyote vice grip the tail bone. peal back the skin a little until you expose a couple inches of bone. Now with one piece of wood under the tail, and the other on top pinch the wood together so the bone is passing through the 3/8 inch hole. Holding your foot on the vice grips pull upward with the wood and it will push the skin off the bone. As you near the center of the tail the bone will be smaller, and you may have to make a new wood jig with a 1/4 inch hole. I have seen people with four different sized holes in the same piece of wood. Just use the hole that fits over the bone snuggly and it will support the hide and keep it from tearing as you pull the bone out. It works much the same as an oak lining in a barrel vice. 
You should be able to get tanning solution of your choice into the tail with a straw. If that doesn't work use a basting syringe, or a marinating syringe.


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## Fallguy

Yeah guys I have a tail stripper already and have the bone out. If you reread my post you will see I was asking about what to do AFTER I take the bone out. Thanks for all the good info though. Plainsman great info on making a homemade tail stripper!


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## Brad.T

Cut open the last two inches of the tail and nothing more if you don't want it split. then push salt down with a straw or piece of wire and let dry for a few days. You then want to wash the salt out and use a rehydration formula to make the tail plyable again. Then use the liqua-tan or what ever tanning oil you decide on. the slit at the very end of the tail will let you know that the oil is going all the way to the end of the tail (it will start to come out of the slit) Try not to get anymore of the tanning oil on the fur then absolutely neccessary.

If you split the tail it will look bigger on the wall but will have one side that is kind of flat if you going to hang it on something like a walking stick where it is not on a wall then i wouldn't split it. If its going on the wall i would split it.


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## Fallguy

Brad.T said:


> You then want to wash the salt out and use a rehydration formula to make the tail plyable again.
> Then use the liqua-tan or what ever tanning oil you decide on. the slit at the very end of the tail will let you know that the oil is going all the way to the end of the tail (it will start to come out of the slit) Try not to get anymore of the tanning oil on the fur then absolutely neccessary.
> 
> If you split the tail it will look bigger on the wall but will have one side that is kind of flat if you going to hang it on something like a walking stick where it is not on a wall then i wouldn't split it. If its going on the wall i would split it.


Brad

This is what I have for a rehydration formula:
http://www.vandykestaxidermy.com/product/01001140/
It is Bloodeater and relaxing agent in one. Will this work? Do you use it straight or make a bath to soak the tail in?

This is what I have for tanning oil:
http://www.vandykestaxidermy.com/product/01351435/
It looks like it has been sitting for quite a while (all the layers were visible). Any ideas on a shelf life for this?

I am going to hang it from a deer antler or something so I am going to try the non splitting method I think.[/quote]


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## Fallguy

btt


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## Plainsman

Fallguy, you could force a strong salt solution into the tail with a syringe. Use warm water and you can get an awful lot of salt dissolved into it. The water will dry quickly leaving the salt behind in the tail.

I think a nice full tail looks good so would try tanning it without splitting it. I picked up a heavy injecting needle and syringe at Home of Economy. It's made to inject meat with particles of herbs in the sauce so it would inject salt solution and tanning solution easily.


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## Brad.T

Those should work fine Fallguy


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## Fallguy

Well I am practicing on a squirel tail today using the method you said Brad. I'll end up making it into a decoy or something. If it works the fox will get teh same treatment.


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## Bgunit68

I've always found the best way to preserve a tail is buy her Coach and Tiffany's. lol


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## Bgunit68

by the above post I don't mean to offend or tick anyone off. I am just a simple goof. I like to joke and laugh. Hell I've been married twice. The last time was to the Anti-Christ. I need to laugh a LOT. Makes me forget. Thanks.


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## xdeano

I was told by a Taxidermist that a fox or coyotes tail will actually cure itself, he said just get a straw and stuff the straw down the tail and start filling it with 50/50 mix of salt and borax, once full pull the straw out and let it sit for 24 hours and dump all the borax and salt out and the tail will be good to go.

xdeano


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## Fallguy

xdeano

Really? That is interesting to know and maybe I will have to try it. I started preparing the tail today using Brad's method. It is sitting filled with salt so I will go that route for now.


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## Brad.T

I like the joke about preserving tail LOLOLOL.

Fallguy don't base a lot on how the squirrel tail comes out they are really hard to not have slippage on. Let us know how it comes out.


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## Fallguy

Brad

I have the fox tail salting right now. I put salt in it yesterday (Wed.) morning. When do I wash it out with the rehydration bath? This weekend or wait until Monday?


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## Brad.T

Shake the salt out today and apply new salt. Tommorrow (friday) you should be able to put it in the rehydration formula


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## Fallguy

This mornig I already shook the salt out and put more in. I will probably do taht again this afternoon. Then I will do the rehydrating tomorrow AM. Do you create a bath of it and let it soak? Then do I need to dry out the tail prior to tanning solution being added? Can I use a blow drier for that or what? After putting the tanning solution in do I just let it sit over the weekend then?


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## Brad.T

yes you want to make a bath and let it sit for 10-15 minutes. Once you have it hydrated set it and pat it down with a towel and then try to get the fur 80% dry with a blowdryer. Once this is done apply the tanning oil. you will be able to see the oil sink into the leather over time. Once the leather has a dry look to it you need to break the leather or the tail will end up stiff. Do this by rolling the leather and gently pulling in apart until the leather turns from a golden color to a white color. This will be easier to see when you start doing it.


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## Fallguy

I will do the relaxing bath tomorrow and then start adding teh oil. If I add a few syringes full of oil then do I just let the tail sit for a while? The oil obviously will leak out of the slit. Do I then let that tail dry over the weekend prior to breaking it up and trying to soften it up? If I need to I can always come up to the school to mess with it to make it turn out better. It's a beautiful tail with a nice white tip and some black in it.

Also, it would be best to come out any burs today before I end up rehydrating it right? Or should that wait until the very end or doesn't it matter?


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## Brad.T

Comb out the burs right now. You will want to start breaking it after about six hours of the oil setting. then you want to break it about every 3 hours. This does not mean that you need to set an alarm and get up and break it at night but try to keep after it all day long.


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## Fallguy

Well guys I ended up putting tanning chemical in the tail today around 2 PM. I went and checked it around 8 PM and the leather was still moist. The way I understood it I am supposed to wait until it dries to break in the leather? I am going to go check on it again tomorrow early in the day. I have it sitting up at the school.

I am kind of worried that I got some oil in the fur or that I put too much oil in and it soaked through to the fur. Is there a way to fluff up the fur so to speak and get the "greasiness" out of it? This fox tail is so pretty I hate for my work to be ruined.

If you have any ideas let me know. Thanks.


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## Fallguy

Well the tan is finally stiff on teh tail. I am going to break it up and try to soften it up over the next day or so. Then I think I will do this to remedy the "stickiness" of the fur.

Use a little of that relaxer/blood remover mixed with water and "hand wash" some of the fur that feels sticky. Then blow dry it well and comb it out. Do you think that will work?

When it's all done I will post some pics of it and you guys can say what you think of it.


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## Brad.T

I would maybe try just water and a fur comb first i don't think that the relaxer will effect the tanning oil but i'm not sure.


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## Fallguy

Allright then I will try water then. Its free too.


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## Tangohammerli

I have followed the instructions from this thread, deboned the tail
(the hole in the board method worked perfectly!) and I have fed hot water with a heavy concentration of salt and packed with more salt into the cavity.
I plan to repeat this step and then use something as a rehydrator. Someone mentioned eggs. Is this the whole egg, just the whites or what? NA what is the proceedure??
Thanks for all your help thus far..


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