# Self Sufficiency/Living off the Land or Off the Grid > Making Stuff >  uses for fox fur

## your_comforting_company

I have 2 deerskins in process, and while I was at work yesterday a friend called and said he found a fresh roadkill fox and wanted to know if I wanted it. HECK YEAH!
So I got him skinned and fleshed, except for the face... that takes a while, so I had to put it in the fridge to finish tonight. I think I'm gonna use the buckskins to make a pair of britches, seeing as I already have an abo shirt and my wife has a dress (still working on it tho).

What I'm wondering is what would be a good use for the fox fur. I'm gonna leave the hair on because the pelt was just immaculate and, well... beautiful. He is cased or caped, however you wanna call it, same as I do deer and I'm gonna dry salt him till I figure out what to do with it. Some ideas of mine are a possibles bag, but I think I need another, headwear, like a coonskin hat, arrow quiver, or maybe just a warm throw to lay over my lap and pet like a lap-dog.

I welcome any ideas or items you guys might have made from fox fur. this really is a beautiful pelt and I wanna make something nice out of it that I can use.

Also, I had a question about extracting teeth... the canines from this guy are pretty sharp and I can think of several uses for his teeth. whats the best way to extract the teeth without breaking them? I need an answer to this quickest of all because my wife isn't gonna let me leave the carcass in the garage very long and the temps are on the rise again (they get stinky when temps are above 40).

Thanks in advance!

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## your_comforting_company

A tanner can tell who his friends are by the animals they leave on your doorstep.

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## NCO

How you skinned it? As a tube or did you open the belly? If in tube, make a muffler. Really warm and useful as the winter is on it way. Or use it as decoration on some of your other projects.

About the teeth, how you remove human ones? Ask your dentist. I have no idea.

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## your_comforting_company

I did open the belly, I think that's called 'caping' but I'm not too savvy on the lingo. split him from tail to the hair of his chinny chin-chin and fisted the skin off. saved his mask and tail. He's wide open to be stretched and salted.

I don't have a dentist, they cost too much money, soo.. Any dentists on board? best I can come up with is a pair of pliers, grab the tooth, and wiggle it loose. I just don't want to break the teeth.

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## NCO

Be careful then. Or you could try to cut the gum a little around the tooth...

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## your_comforting_company

pics of the pelt.

I'll try cutting around the gums a little to get down in there. Thanks NCO. I'll let you know how it goes. It'll be after work this evening when I get another chance to mess around with it.

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## NCO

You could still make it in to a muffler.

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## canid

the fur would be great for lining or trim on just about any wearable [boots come to mind], or trim on decorative items.

most of a pelt would make a good quiver for arrows, a hood for a coat, a target for PETA protesters, etc.

scraps would make great string silencers for a bow.

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## COWBOYSURVIVAL

Boil the head and the teeth will fall out readily. I know this to be fact from boiling deer heads to produce my desert mounts! It'll work like a charm!

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## pocomoonskyeyes

Well I was thinking since you are in the process of making a buckskin dress for the Mrs. You could use it for trim. Any of the projects mentioned would be good though.

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## skunkkiller

you could make real nice hat.

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## trax

Hood trim for jackets.

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## NCO

something to sit on.

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## trax

> something to sit on.


Definitely want to get those teeth out first, though :EEK!:

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## NCO

No, no, no.. You want to be able to scrach your butt with something...

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## RCKCRWLER

> Boil the head and the teeth will fall out readily. I know this to be fact from boiling deer heads to produce my desert mounts! It'll work like a charm!


If you want the teeth to fall out then definitely boil it.  If you want to save the skull the DO NOT Boil it.  Boiling it causes the bones to swell and start to split apart at the "plates".  If you want to save the skull the best thing to do is clean all the meat off of it, eyes, brains, tongue, etc. and then put it in a plastic canister of water. (It's called maceration if you want to research it more) 
When that water gets dirty change the water, make sure to get the air out of the brain cavity, refill, when it gets dirty, change it again. repeat etc.  This will ultimately give you a really nice clean skull.    When the skull is clean and dry you can soak it in Acetone until the grease spots go away, let it dry, then soak it in peroxide and you will end up with a beautiful skull.  Or find someone with Dermestid beetles and let those guys do the work!

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## Mischief

They make great *** rags.
Just saying

Mischief

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## your_comforting_company

Thanks guys, those are some great ideas. Now I have too many choices hahaha. I've got it salt-curing out now and will acidify, brain and smoke it in a few days.

I didnt get the posts in time to boil the skull. I tried pliers and being careful, and saved only 2 of the 4 canines. next time I will boil it for sure. Not sure what I'd save the skull for other than stuffing but the lower jaws would make a nifty hand saw...
It's a beautiful pelt and I'll definately be doing more IF I find some. I dont hunt them, and only got this one as a roadkill, so it's kind of a rarity for such a nice one, mask and all, and was gonna use the canines for buttons on the wife's dress. I may use some of it for trim on that as well.

these are all great ideas, glad you guys shared with me. thanks everyone. I like the idea of using scraps from whatever I make to use as silencers  :Big Grin:  I'll be sure to take pics of whatever I do for you guys.
thanks again!

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## crashdive123

Try knapping a small blade and using a jawbone for the handle.

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## RangerXanatos

Though it's too late but something else you could have considered is close to FCKCRWLER idea.  Place the skull around a nest of fire ants and come back in a few days.  They should remove all of the "edible" parts.

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## your_comforting_company

I do use ants regularly for cleaning deer skull-caps for those big bucks that my family wants mounted. thanks for mentioning that.

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## zippywoop1

> They make great *** rags.
> Just saying
> 
> Mischief


I agree with this one, they do make very nice *** rags.

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