A while ago I found a dead rabbit, and thought I might have a go at doing something with the hide. So I skinned it, scraped it (perhaps too much!), pinned it to a board and salted it. Problem was this was winter, so even though it was in the shed it pretty much stayed as moist as it was when I pinned it up. I had expected it to decay disgustingly - no loss there - or dry. So I pretty much decided it was a gonner and left it there.
Found it again today - and it was dry! A bit mouldy, perhaps, but the fur side is still in good condition. It has a few holes, but there is an untouched patch in the middle. Due to my overenthusiastic scraping it's pretty thin in places also.
It's not pretty, but you can see the mould (and some rust from the nails!) here.
So now what? Do I have to work it back and forth? I am afraid it will break. Wondering also if I can clean up the fur side and sugar soap the inside. Just wondering what I can salvage. Even if I don't use it it will be a good experiment.
Cheers.
Found it again today - and it was dry! A bit mouldy, perhaps, but the fur side is still in good condition. It has a few holes, but there is an untouched patch in the middle. Due to my overenthusiastic scraping it's pretty thin in places also.
It's not pretty, but you can see the mould (and some rust from the nails!) here.
So now what? Do I have to work it back and forth? I am afraid it will break. Wondering also if I can clean up the fur side and sugar soap the inside. Just wondering what I can salvage. Even if I don't use it it will be a good experiment.
Cheers.