Skinning animals with compressed air - Page 1

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Skinning animals with compressed air

Posted: 9/1/2010 12:02:33 PM EDT

I happened to be watching Swamp People for some reason last night and I saw something really neat. One of the gentlemen on the show was skinning a gator and used compressed air to seperate the skin from the muscle.

So I immediately wondered if this would work on deer as well. I've heard of people using a golf ball and noose tied to a pick up truck hitch to skin them like pulling off a sock, but that compressed air trick looked like the cat's meow.

Posted: 9/1/2010 12:13:54 PM EDT

[#1]

I'd be interested to know what type nozzle they were using and what PSI they were running............

Posted: 9/1/2010 12:15:29 PM EDT

[#2]

Quoted:
I'd be interested to know what type nozzle they were using and what PSI they were running............

From what I saw, just a snip in the lower shank, insert a blow tip and pinch it off with your fingers. 90 psi from an air compressor is fairly powerful. Remember, over just 10 sq. inches, that's 900 lbs of force. I'm sure that's all you need.

Posted: 9/1/2010 12:17:15 PM EDT

[#3]

I saw this on Dirty Jobs once, Mike was at a rendering plant and they were "preparing" a cow. The guy warned him to go slow, because there could be a blowout if you go too fast...

Posted: 9/1/2010 12:18:58 PM EDT

[#4]

Sure does...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEJfBZAbtPU

Posted: 9/1/2010 12:19:17 PM EDT

[#5]

They must have read Swiss Family Robinson.

Posted: 9/1/2010 12:19:59 PM EDT

[#6]

Saw this done in Palestine to remove a sheep's pelt. Small cut in rear leg, insert hose, "seal" by holding hand over the leg cut, and squeeze trigger so skin inflates off subcutaneous muscle. Since the throat had also been cut, the pressure front just moved along until the air escaped out the throat cut.

Posted: 9/1/2010 12:22:13 PM EDT

[#7]

I just realized a deer will have bullet hole in the skin, so it probably won't work. Probably even less effective if it's been field dressed as well.

With a .22 to the back of the head on those gators, I guess it works better.

Posted: 9/1/2010 12:22:53 PM EDT

[#8]

Weird

Posted: 9/1/2010 12:23:43 PM EDT

[#9]

Somehow I doubt hooking the air hose up and sticking the hose up their butt would not have the appropriate effect

We have used a truck with rope and stone in the hide method to skin deer for a lot of years. It stretches the hide a little but then again deer hids have not been worth enough to really worry about for quite a while. Just have to go slow with the truck while someone else keeps cutting anything that gets caught.

Posted: 9/1/2010 12:24:24 PM EDT

[#10]

Quoted:
I saw this on Dirty Jobs once, Mike was at a rendering plant and they were "preparing" a cow. The guy warned him to go slow, because there could be a blowout if you go too fast...

Exactly what I was going to post.

It seemed a matter of routine with cattle a few days old. No reason I can see that it wouldn't work on a deer.

Posted: 9/1/2010 12:33:06 PM EDT

[#11]

Quoted:
Sure does...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEJfBZAbtPU

In the amount of time she screwed around with that we could have had both of those deer skinned and likely a third one too.

TRUCK >>> AIR POWER!

Posted: 9/1/2010 12:33:52 PM EDT

[#12]

i've done it with a coon before. cut a slit on the rear leg, inserted nozzle and blew that fucker up like a football. i was damned surprised how much pressure it actually held...

Posted: 9/1/2010 12:38:43 PM EDT

[#13]

Quoted:
Somehow I doubt hooking the air hose up and sticking the hose up their butt would not have the appropriate effect

We have used a truck with rope and stone in the hide method to skin deer for a lot of years. It stretches the hide a little but then again deer hids have not been worth enough to really worry about for quite a while. Just have to go slow with the truck while someone else keeps cutting anything that gets caught.

This, we use a tracor bucket. Just hang the deer, tie evrything up and lower the bucket.

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Posted: 9/1/2010 1:17:21 PM EDT

[#14]

Quoted:
I just realized a deer will have bullet hole in the skin, so it probably won't work..

Duct tape?

Posted: 9/1/2010 1:20:11 PM EDT

[#15]

Chefs do this in some restaurants to separate chicken skin from the meat so they can stuff herbs and spices under the skin. I've also seen them do it on Iron Chef.

Posted: 9/1/2010 1:26:29 PM EDT

[#16]

Quoted:
I just realized a deer will have bullet hole in the skin, so it probably won't work. Probably even less effective if it's been field dressed as well.

With a .22 to the back of the head on those gators, I guess it works better.

You could use the bullet hole to insert the hose into.

Posted: 9/1/2010 1:35:18 PM EDT

[#17]

Pretty common way to skin lambs for butchering.

Posted: 9/1/2010 1:39:28 PM EDT

[#18]

Quoted:
Somehow I doubt hooking the air hose up and sticking the hose up their butt would not have the appropriate effect

We have used a truck with rope and stone in the hide method to skin deer for a lot of years. It stretches the hide a little but then again deer hids have not been worth enough to really worry about for quite a while. Just have to go slow with the truck while someone else keeps cutting anything that gets caught.

Same here ; 'cept we use a four wheeler & golf ball.

Posted: 9/1/2010 2:04:28 PM EDT

[#19]

Been a very educational thread. I'll have to try it on the next gator and deer. Learn something new each day.

Posted: 9/1/2010 2:17:29 PM EDT

[#20]

IIRC, on a program about butchers, in the slaughterhouse they inject air into sides of beef to seperate the tissue between major muscle groups.

Posted: 9/1/2010 2:18:00 PM EDT

[#21]

I am looking forward to some great videos!

Posted: 9/1/2010 2:18:41 PM EDT

[#22]

The firs time I made a monkey fist (golf ball/rock method) the guys I was with just stood around withtheir mouths open, dumbfounded. I guess they'd never seen it before.

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Posted: 9/1/2010 2:20:50 PM EDT

[#23]

I saw a show on butchering animals, they even shot air around the bone and muscles to make them easier to cut apart.

I'm gonna give a whirl, maybe use a basketball inflation needle.

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Skinning animals with compressed air

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