Turtle shell Question?

[Captchee]

the ones i used to make were much smaller .
 thy made great ball bags . .
 i would make a small leather bag that would fit inside the shell .
 then cut  a short section of the  front half of the breast plate off . about even whith here the  front legs come out .
 i drilled 3  holes across that section and thre matching holes in the belly plate .  using strips of leather i would tie the front  section back on to the belly plate so as it made a door .
 then taking a smaller drill , i drill holls around the  edge of the shell and that door . basicly sewing the back onto the shell .
 now what happens with that section hindged  is that when you load the bag with lead balls , it pulls the  door closed . but when you tip it , the door opens to let the balls fall out

[Spotted Bull]

that's pretty ingenious.....I'd like to see ona them

[Captchee]

not sure i still have one around RB . i would put them on the shoot blankets

[Spotted Bull]

cool...maybe I can make one...gotta find a turtle lookin to sell out first.....

[Captchee]

legal shells can be purchase at most  places that buy and sell furs .
 these come from mainly  places that raise make turtles for  soups  and such .
 At Pow Wows I normal can pick them up  cleaned and boiled for 2-5 bucks for one  about 6 inches across and 6 inches long . Not just the half shell but the  whole shell with breast plate still attached .
unlike the big snapper shells which normaly have no breast  plate


Many times the outer skin of the shell is still on and the colors are  hazy . Pealing the shell brings the colors right back out

[Spotted Bull]

definitely gonna be lookin for some to work with.

Thanks a bunch.

[jasontn]

i used to find some shells along fence rows at my mommas. the turtles would get stuck in the bottom of the wire and sometimes thered be some good shells there. you may also ask your local pond owners if theyd let you trap or fish for them to get them out of the ponds. round here they arent much wanted in fishing ponds.

[Spotted Bull]

Thanks Jason................gotta little pond down the road

[tg]

Check with your local taxidermist there is a powdered agent that can be put in with shells and deer heads and such tha aids in the dissolving/removal of the flesh, it takes a lot less time with this stuff, I cannot recall the name it has been a decade since I used it, it should be available from a taxidermist or taxidermy supply house, they use it to hurry the process of cleanig the skulls on animals they are goind to do Euro mounts on.

[Spotted Bull]

cool.......got one down the road apiece

[jbullard1]

I have this shell if anyone is interested in it for a project
I'm not sure exactly what it is, terrapin I think but it has been picked clean inside and out by insects. I found it close to a pond last fall already cleaned out

[Spotted Bull]

whatcha want fer it Jerry?

[jbullard1]

I want 6 pounds of nothing and cup full of sailboat fuel
You want it?

[Spotted Bull]

you bet.....need my addy again?

[IronDawg]

Cowboy,

Thats an american snapping turtle. I fish for em around here during the summer (ol summer time kick back from growing up in Louisiana) Unlike Jerrys streaked head turtle shell you just can't clean out a snappers shell and it be OK.

They're shells are sort of like a gators skull. Lotsa pieces jammed together like a jigsaw puzzle. Only thing is there's alot of cartilage and even some muscle fibers running through and beneath the scales that make up a turtle shell.

In other words......... a snappers shell will fall to pieces and need to be reglued back together.

I think there's some sort of professional method in curing them that keeps this from happening. But everyone I've ever boiled (takes a BIG POT!) or cleaned and left out to dry, has just fell to pieces.

BTW thats some extremely delicate and good eatin you got there as well.