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Feather Heart CreationsSo a customer sent me a coat & they said it was mink, but its Alaskan seal.
I've worked with mink, rabbit, beaver and other long real furs before but not seal. Does anyone have any tips? All I could fine in my books was that it works for 7" to 15" bears. I'm planning to do at least a 15" bear because the leather seams thicker than most furs.
Little Bear GuyI"ve worked with it before and it works up nicely, you can make a 12" bear with it, but if you want to make a larger one it will work out nicely. I remember taking a coat into our furrier here and she said it was Alaskan Seal, but from what she explained it wasn't really seal it was something that is sheared not truly seal. I just can't remember what it was, once I find out I will post and let you know. It's a beautiful though very soft.
best of luck
Hugs
I have also made bears from seal. Just be sure you check the nap as it usually runs up from the bottom of the coat which is the opposite to most of the other natural furs. It makes gorgeous bears!!!!
Hugs
Gail
Feather Heart CreationsI"ve worked with it before and it works up nicely, you can make a 12" bear with it, but if you want to make a larger one it will work out nicely. I remember taking a coat into our furrier here and she said it was Alaskan Seal, but from what she explained it wasn't really seal it was something that is sheared not truly seal. I just can't remember what it was, once I find out I will post and let you know. It's a beautiful though very soft.
best of luck
Hugs
I think you might be talking about Mouton which is sheep made to look like seal. I thought that's what this was at first but after removing the lining it's stamped seal. But its stamped Alaskan seal so maybe its the same? Odd but I don't know why Mouton would be marked like that. Anyway thanks for the tips 
Feather Heart CreationsI have also made bears from seal. Just be sure you check the nap as it usually runs up from the bottom of the coat which is the opposite to most of the other natural furs. It makes gorgeous bears!!!!
Hugs
Gail
Thanks so much for pointing that out! I would not have noticed sense the fur is short.
I've also worked with seal. I made 3 bears one 15", and 2 x 12" bears. The fur is great to work with.
Is it the soft black fur that you have with the nap running in an abnormal direction from bottom of the coat up ? I agree with Shane, I recall being told that this is sheared muskrat not actual seal. Regardless it should will work nicely for a 15" bear. I made some 12" from that fur. The pelts are a little thicker than mink or rabbit so just leave large openings. It should be easier to work with than beaver actually. Just use it the same as any other fur.
I was given a real seal coat once and the fur was very pretty but very coarse with a really thick pelt. I never did make anything with it as the fur just didn't seem teddy bear friendly
Good luck with your bear !
Fort Worth, TexasSheared muskrat was marketed as "Hudson Seal" from the 1940's on, from what I've read. It's powdery-soft and wonderful for bears!!! I have a coat made from it that I keep putting off turning into a bear because it's so cuddly to wear - even if it is a bit old-fashioned in cut.
Sue
Little Bear GuyThank you Tammy I could not for the life of me remember what fur it was. It is sheared Muskrat, but it gets dyed to look like seal. It's very hard to tell the difference, you will find this on a lot of older coats. Not so say what you have isn't real seal I was just commenting that a lot of coats are not actually seal when they call them Alaskan Seal.
enjoy the bears will work up very nicely I am sure.
big hugs
Shane
Feather Heart CreationsWow thanks for all the help everyone! Each pelt on this coat is very large and stamped Alaskan seal US govermemt and then some writing I cant read. The fur is short, very soft and dark brown. I was thinking that muskrat pelts would be smaller but i've never worked with muskrat, so not sure of the size. The leather is thick and the coat is super heavy, which is why I was thinking it was mouton.
Little Bear GuyIf the fur is really soft I would say it's not mouton, Alaskan seal (the real seal) does have a thick skin so if it's marked and is nice and soft then it very well could be the real deal.
You are right as well Sue that it was known as Hudson Seal , but the funny thing was there were never any seals in Hudsons Bay. So I've never figured out why they called it that. lol
big hugs
Kran-Beary'sLarge soft pelts stamped by US gov't will be Alaskan Seal. And it'll be real seal. Nice to work with. Nap will run from the bottom of the coat upwards. Over 80 steps in the tanning process, and if it's been dyed, it can be slightly more fragile than if it hasn't been dyed. Be sure to line your teddy.
hugs,
nt
