Pressure Washing Hides

quest · Jun 6, 2009

I don't know where I found out about using a pressure washer to clean hides but I decided to buy one and try it. I purchased a 3000 max PSI----2.7 max CPM gas operated washer. I love it! I did my own deer and it came out really clean(skin side). I used a turbo wand to clean all the meat and fat off of the green hide. I only pressure washed from below the ears and on down past the shoulders. I then took it over to our local taxidermist who is a friend and asked if he wanted to try it. He did 3 deer 1 buffalo and 1 elk in 6 hrs. One thing I'd have to say is, if your hide is borderline, I wouldn't use the washer to clean the meat and fat off. Otherwise you could run into some problems with slippage. Has anyone else ever had success using a pressure washer?

deerbedead · Jun 6, 2009

I tried it back about 10 years ago. I was tanning my own hides at the time. It seemed to work pretty well at first, but I found I wasn't getting the hides as thin as a fleshing wheel. I was just blasting off the meat, fat and the membrane, but not a layer of skin to thin the hide. I also blew holes in stuff on a regular basis. That and the cold winter weather convinced me I didn't want to pressure wash them.

I think it may have it's use, and maybe the pressure wands and nozzles are more advanced now that they were then. I just thought that a fleshing wheel produced more desirable results for me.

If it works for you, produces the results you want, and saves time, then why not use it.

DBD