How to Make Fur Stretcher Wedges

Green fur pelts are dried by pulling them over a wooden stretching board and tacking them down. The pelt draws tight against the board as it dries, which can result in difficulty when removing the pelt. A wooden wedge slid in between the full length of the green pelt and the board will create a gap that will it make it easier to pull the dried pelt off the board. Two different sizes of wedges are needed---a thin one for small pelts, such as those from a mink or muskrat, and a thicker wedge for large pelts, such as those from a fox or coyote.

Things You'll Need

  • 1 1/2-inch wide lath material
  • 1/2-inch wide half-round wood trim
  • Tape measure
  • Coping hand saw
  • Medium-grit sandpaper
  • Fine-grit sandpaper
  • Liquid wood sealer
  • 1/2-inch wide paintbrush
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Instructions

    • 1

      Prepare the lath material for the smaller pelts. Cut the lath to the same length as the stretching board to be used. Rip the lath to 3/4-inch wide strips for wedging mink pelts; leave it full width for muskrat and similar size pelts.

    • 2

      Cut the half-round wood trim to the length of the stretching board to be used. Use this for making the wedges for large pelts such as raccoon, coyote, fox and bobcat pelts.

    • 3

      Cut one end of both types of wedges to a rounded, tapered point.

    • 4

      Sand the wedges smooth with the medium-grit sandpaper. Round off all the sharp edges and tapered point. Complete the sanding with the fine-grit sandpaper, stopping when you have achieved a perfectly smooth finish.

    • 5

      Paint the wedges with the liquid wood sealer and leave them to thoroughly dry before using.