Technical Manual
ranch mink
North American Ranch Mink TYPES (a) mahogany (b) demi (c) pale (d) lavender (f) pearl buff pastel (g) white (h) black (i) blue iris (j) sapphire (k) violet Common pelt colours of ranch mink Whole pelts North American Mink are simply unlike any other mink in the world. They generally have more dense, more compact underwool, and range in nap from X SHORT to LONG. Sizes 5x0 Over 101cm 4x0 95 101 cm 000 89 95 cm 00 83 89 cm 0 77 83 cm 1 71 77 cm 2 65 71 cm 3 59 65 cm 4 53 59 cm 5 47 53 cm 6 Under 47 cm Technical Manual : 2016 5
Colours by Major Mink Variety BLACK MINK BLK XXD XD DK MAHOGANY XXD XD DK MED DEMI/WILD TYPE XXD XD DK MED PL XP Clarities: PASTEL XD DK MED PL XP XXP 3XPL (MOYLEBUFF) SILVERBLUE XXD XD DK MED PL XP PEARL MED PL XP XXP 3XP 4XP X Extra Clear 1 Clear, Blue 2 Slight Off 3 Off 4 Red Grades Grade NAFA GOLD/5 STAR NAFA SILVER/4 STAR NAFA BRONZE/3 STAR SPRINKLERS (GD) VERY SLIGHT DAMAGE Definition Complete, fully prime pelts. Dense, deep underfur and good, even guard hair coverage. Smooth appearance and silky texture. Complete, prime pelts. Adequate underfur and coverage, uneven appearance with a lesser degree of silkiness. Complete pelts with weaker underfur, adequate coverage, and coarse texture. Numerous white guard hairs all over pelt or concentrated in one area (GLD & SLV quality pelts.) Prime pelts with very slight damage amounting to no more than 2cm on the main body of the pelt. Weight HEAVY A Very dense, very deep FULL B Very dense, deep SEMI C Moderate LIGHT D Shallow naps EXTRA SHORT NAP XSN 0 SHORT NAP OPEN SNO 1X SHORT NAP SN 1 SHORT-MEDIUM OPEN SMO 2X SHORT-MEDIUM NAP SMN 2 MEDIUM NAP MN 3 MEDIUM LONG NAP MLN 4 LONG NAP LN 5 Extra Short Nap Short Nap Open Short Nap Short Medium Nap Medium Nap Medium Long Nap Short Medium Open Long Nap 6 North American Fur Auctions
PRE-SORT Overview Pre-sort is the first step in a long process that will produce large collections of fur which are sold at auction. In order to be as effective and efficient as possible, it is important that all pre-sort technicians strive to work at a pace that promotes high production rate as well as a high quality product. Pre-sort was created to maximize the time and expertise of veteran technicians by removing all pelts with apparent damage. If done correctly, pre-sort allows for senior technicians to focus on grading the quality of the skin rather than finding imperfections. If done incorrectly, pre-sort has the potential to affect the entire warehouse in a negative way: Slow production impedes the entire warehouse, and inaccurate production delays technicians down the line. Goals To increase the rate of production To produce a consistent product Presort technicians identify imperfections or defects and categorize the mink according to the type and amount of damage acceptable in each grade. At NAFA mink are pre-sorted into three main sections: 1. Labeled 2. Very Slight Damage (VSL) 3. Section III. It is important to understand that pre-sort is the first technical process that a mink will go through, meaning that each mink will be handled several more times before it is lotted for auction. Pre-sort is the first line of defense and identifies the obvious imperfections. Note: If you notice that a certain imperfection become increasingly common please make sure to inform your supervisor. Your supervisor will then take the required steps to document a common imperfection within a certain group. Technical Manual : 2016 7
PRE-SORT BREAKS LABELED Labeled mink are pelts that do not contain any imperfections. They must be complete, clean skins with no defects. Do not scrutinize every skin; scouring for damage will slow you down. If it is damaged you will notice. Skins with small, shallow surface mats or a light stain on belly can remain in the Labeled goods. It can be no greater that the size of this circle. VERY SLIGHT DAMAGE (VSL) Mink that contain slight imperfections which do not exceed 5% of the total skin. When making a decision it is important to consider which types and quantities of damage are acceptable in VSL. Remember that not all damages are the same. SECTION III Any pelts with damages that exceed 10% of the skin's total area. Included in this section are lowgrades, pieces, taints, excessive holes, pronounced rips and pieces. TYPES OF DAMAGE MATS AND STAINS MATS A Mat is clumped, knotted under wool caused by dirt, grease, blood, wet feed, or feces There are Two Types of Mats : Deep Mat the mat extends to the skin of the pelt and is very solid Surface Mat the mat is very loose and it does not extend to the actual skin of the pelt. STAINS Stains are an imperfection of the fur caused by urine, blood, feed, or feces. Breeder stains are the result of old age. The more pronounced the stain, the older the mink. Breeders are a category of mink that are graded separately. CLIPS AND CHEWS clips Surface damage on the pelt where a chunk of guard hair is missing chews Chews are a deep clip that penetrates into the underfur 8 North American Fur Auctions
slips, CLAMP DAMAGE AND TAINTS slips A spot on a pelt where fur is falling out and exposing the skin, a bald spot Damaged caused by handling/processing clamp DAMAGE A slip that is caused during the pelt processing procedure Located on the skirt or by the tail of the pelt Will have the appearance of a clip in that area Damage caused by handling / processing TAINTS Loss of hair due to environmental factors. Taints can bleed into large bald spots holes, TEARS, AND PIECES holes Missing areas of both fur and skin TEARS Tears are rips in the leather of the mink pelt. Missing tails are common PIECES Pelts with a mass amount of skin missing BITES AND BOILS BITES Bumps or scars from insects/bugs Considered leather damage BOILS Infections that can fester and become pronounced with scars and/or scabs Technical Manual : 2016 9
discolouration cotton Skins with all underfur a pronounced white due to poor health sprinkler AND COBALTs Sprinklers have white guard hairs due to illness Cobalts have the appearance of a sprinkler in their underfur whitemarks Discolored patches of hair as the result of genetics causing lack of pigment lowgrades A Summer Skin is a mink that has died before coming to prime Timing of death will dictate the grade - lowgrades range from II to V These skins are very flat These skins tend to be very rough in appearance The leather of the pelt is blue/black Summer skins trump all damages excluding excessive tainting 10 North American Fur Auctions
BREEDERS PRESORT Breeder pre-sort is based on the back of the pelt. Matting, stains and small damages on the belly are ignored. Similar to the regular goods, breeders are presorted into Labelled, VSL and Section III. GRADING BR1 BR2 BR3 BR-VSL Back is clear of defects and has a slight stain down the belly. Back is clear of defects and has slight matting and a pronounced stain on the belly. Back is clear of defects and the entire belly is matted and stained. These skins are categorized according to breeder belly stains as detailed above, as well as any defects on the back. Only small damaged up to 10% are permissible in BR-VSL; anything exceeding 10% of the back must be put into Section III. Section III This is the most complicated grading that we do. It is essentially broken into two categories 1) Damaged, seasonable skins 2) Low grades and pieces Damages can range in cause and appearance but are evaluated by their severity and size. Below is a table of commonly encountered types of damage and descriptions of their underlying cause. DAMAGES AND THEIR CAUSES DAMAGES TAINTS CAUSES Overheating during the harvesting process; the internal temperature once deceased MATS Wet food, poor bedding conditions, wet environment LEATHER DAMAGE Scars from fighting or bug bites, boils in the neck or head (abscesses which require draining) or stale/oxidized pelts CLIPS & CHEWS Playing, fighting, feeding or breeding process HOLES, RIPS & TEARS Pelting process COTTONS & SPRINKLERS Indication of a sick mink WHITE MARKS Genetics for hair pigmentation (positive trait in female but not males) SINGE Literal burning from a heat source or the result of environmental conditions (very hot and windy) CLAMP DAMAGE Hair loss/shedding near the legs or tail due to clamps used during the drying process Technical Manual : 2016 11
This is a simplified visual representation SECTION III of the III section grading process II CLP 1 MAT 1 CTN DG 1 SEASONABLE CLP 2 CLP 3 MAT 2 CTN 1 DG 2 DG 3 CLP 4 III CTN 2 DG 4 LOW GRADE IV VPC V H&T SECTION III PRESORT The Section III grading process starts with a simplified pre-grade break down. Mink are sorted into the following categories: MATS Seasonable skins Mats only, no other damage CLIPS Seasonable skins No leather exposure Clips only, no other damage DAMAGES Seasonable Rips, holes, sews, taints Clips/ mats + other damages Clips exposing leather Pieces LOW GRADES Summer skins ( III, IV, V) Clean and VSL skins Black leather HEADS AND TAILS Heads, tails and scraps 12 North American Fur Auctions
NAPPING Napping is required in some of the grades and will vary in separation according to type. Black Mink XSN X-SHORT on its own SN-SMN SHORT and SHORT-MEDIUM together MN-LN MEDIUM and LONG Mahogany & Demi Mink XSN-SN X-SHORT and SHORT together SMN SHORT-MEDIUM on its own MN-LN MEDIUM-LONG and LONG together Note: Some Mutations will be napped depending on quantity. COLOURING Black and Mahogany mink will be coloured in some grades depending on quantity. Black Mink BLK-XXD XD-DK Mahogany XXD-XD DK-MED Note: Some mutations will be coloured depending on quantity. GRADING SEASONABLE SKINS These are all prime skins with varying types and degrees of damage. Low grade skins are not permitted in the following categories. II CTN These skins will not be as good as fully primed skins because they did not reach maturity. The leather should be slightly blue and somewhat board-y. The look of the fur will not be as silky but there are weaker varieties still. This pelt must be clear of defects. COTTONS Seasonable skins, of good to average quality, that are free of defects. Will have white under wool due to poor health, often an indication of Aleutian disease. CTN 1 Seasonable cottons and sprinklers with SLT DGD or DG-1 level defects. Mats and stains are okay to include. If damage exceeds 25% pelt becomes DG3 - DG4 or VPC. CTN 2 Low grade cottons and sprinklers (II & III), free of defects. Mats & stains may be included. If there are any defects pelt becomes DG3 - DG4 or VPC. Technical Manual : 2016 13
MAT 1 MATS Gold and silver quality skins which are damaged exclusively by matting. Mats cannot be deep hard knots and may amount to no more that 10-25% of the skin. Clip damage not allowed. If mats are deep and hard pelt drops to DG 2. MAT 2 Gold and silver quality skins with up to 26-70% of skin matted. Mats must be loose and shallow. No clip damage allowed. If mats are deep and hard pelt drops to DG 2 or 3. DGD-1 damages (SLT DGD) Good quality skins 5-10% of skin damage. Allowable defects include rips, small holes, small clips, and small sew jobs. No taints, mats or stains allowed. If skin is not seasonable (III or IV) drop down to DG3-DG4. DGD-2 (GOOD DGD) Good to average quality skins, some woolly, with 11-25% of skin damaged. Allowable defects include tears, holes, mats, stains, clips, sew jobs and small taints. If skin is not seasonable (III or IV) drop down to DG3-DG4. DGD-3 (POOR DGD) 26-50% of skin damaged. Acceptable defects include tears, cuts, holes, clips, deep mats, stains, large sew jobs and taints. If skin is not seasonable (III or IV) drop down to DG4. 14 North American Fur Auctions
CLIP DAMAGE CLIP 1 (SLT DGD) Gold and silver quality skins with 5-10% of the skin being damaged by clips. No other defects allowed. Note: Previously lotted with SLT DGD but now separate for shearing. CLIP 2 (GOOD DGD) Good quality, clean skins with 11-25% of skin damaged by clips. No other defects allowed. CLIP 3 (POOR DGD) Good quality, clean skins with 26-50% of skin damaged by clips. No other defects allowed.note: if clips are deep enough to expose leather pelt drops down to DG3- DG4. CLIP 4 (VERY POOR DGD) Good quality, clean skins with over 50% of skin damaged by clips. No other defects allowed on the back or belly. Note: if clips are deep enough to expose leather pelt drops down to DG3- DG4. III lowgrades AND PieCES The leather on these skins will be darker blue than the II, or black. They will also be weaker and flatter, but there will still be some under wool. The pelt must be clear of defects. IV Clean skin, no defects. Small stains or loose mats allowed. Leather is mostly black. Pelt is very flat with very little under wool. If damaged drop down to DG3-DG4. V Clean to VSL, some mats and stains allowable. Leather is very black. Pelt is very flat with no under wool and very coarse hair. Technical Manual : 2016 15
DGD-4 (VERY POOR DGD/PIECES) Good to average quality skins, some woolly. More than 50% of skin damaged (back and belly). Defects include holes, rips, tears, stains, mats, big taints, very large sew jobs. Can be considered pieces, but it is still a full length pelt. VPC Pelt with no commercial value. Very, very poor damage, damaged IV and V, bad taints, low grade, and pieces. HEADS & TAILS Pieces divided into large and small sizes. 16 North American Fur Auctions
BITES/CLIPS Scars from fighting and mating appear as dark or red blemishes or holes on leather. fur terminology NAP The extension of the guard hair beyond the underwool ( Long, medium or short ). BREEDEr BURNT COARSE COVERAGE a mink that has been kept for breeding purposes beyond the primary stage. These skins are generally poorer quality, particularly in colour and the belly may often be browner, poorer, or stained. i ) The skin may have been dried too quickly. In which case the skin will have a glazed appearance. ii ) The skin may not have been washed properly; and then this phenomenon is due to the blood. a burnt skin will crack easily at touch; and may quite well fall to pieces during the dressing process. Guard hair is rough and stiff; wiry to the touch. density of guard hairs per square inch. Good coverage occurs when the underfur/underwool is not visible through the guard hair. DENSITY Concentration of underwool per square inch ; thickness of underwool. FLANKS The sides, toward belly of a pelt. FLAT Guard hair and underwool lying instead of standing ; pelt lacks underwool support. FLOW GREASY GROTZEn an important word which plays a large part in the grading of fur. If you move your finger or hand from the tail towards the head, against the lie of the guard hair you can move the guard hairs in the direction of the motion. Should the guard hair spring sharply back into position again, then there is strength in the pelt, and it is said to flow. A weak pelts guard hair will lie where it has been pressed. Pelted poorly, incompletely scraped ; excess fat on leather and fur. a stripe of darker-coloured guard hair running down the centre of the back on some species or colour phases. PRIME SILKY SINGE SHEDDERS & TAINTED SLIGHT SPRINGY STALE SUMMER SKIN TAINTEd Word used to describe an animal that has been taken when at the peak of its condition. At other seasons it may be too early or too late ( early prime or over prime ). Smooth, soft guard hair This condition can be recognized by a close examination of the guard hair, which will exhibit a distinct curling of the tips, resulting in a singed appearance. Shedders are pelts which exhibit loss of hair when being examined possibly because of poor handling, a degree of decomposition or too close fleshing. Tainted skins already exhibit a degree of hairslip evidenced by a patch of bald leather, usually as a result of decomposition before pelts, or bad handling. Slight Damaged; small holes or scars, small areas missing fur ; small bullet holes ; faint trap marks. leather is stiff, dry, veiny, hard neck ; fur is usually broken and is starting to shed, loose underfur ; over prime. Pelt older than current season ; yellow, orangey leather colour caused by oxidation ; fur is dull looking. A pelt from an animal which died or was taken in the summer ; the pelt is flat and of poor quality. usually caused by the effect of body heat soon after death especially if left in a pile, but also occurring due to disease or poor handling. a tainted skin fur comes away from the pelt. GUARD HAIR HAIRSLIP LOOSE MATTS METALLIC HAIR MOTTLEd Technical Manual : 2016 The longer and sturdier of two hair types in a pelt; extends above underfur. a term applied when the fur of a mink comes away during the dressing process. This could result from a tainted skin, or over-close fleshing. Wool lacks resistance, not tight ; underwool lacks density. Clumped, knotted underwool caused by dirt, grease or blood, or tree sap. Sometimes appear as gray spots on leather. This condition occurs in dark mink and is characterized by a silvery appearance of the top hair when observed from head to tail. This can cover a relatively small area or extend over the whole pelt. describing dark blotches which sometimes occur in the pastel mink. TRAP MARK Will show as a slightly curved mark across the pelt, usually across the rump or sometimes at the head end. The extent will vary ; but some degree of damage will almost certainly have occurred to the fur. UNDERFur also called wool or underwool ; shorter, thinner hair type that supports guard hair. UNDERWOOL Also called wool or underfur ; shorter, thinner hair type that supports guard hair. WEAK WEIGHT WOOLLY Pelt that lacks density ; loose depth of underfur. Pelt missing guard hair having areas of exposed underwool. 17
Copyright, 2016 Published by NAFA. No part of this document may be reproduced without expressed permission. Illustrations Source : Wild Furbearer Management and Conservation in North America, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources. Copyright : 2002 Queens Printer Ontario NAFA 65 Skyway Ave Toronto, ON M9W 6C7 Canada www.nafa.ca 18 North American Fur Auctions
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