Tanning advice needed

[micah]

I've decided to have a go at tanning and I have a rabbit skin to practice on. Now I know that you can use brains to tan the skin but unfortunately these were blown out! What else can I use and where could I get hold of it?

Thanks
Micah

 

[torjusg]

You can substitute the brains with eggs.

 

[boisdevie]

I've tanned a few rabbit skins. Use about 7 pints of water, 1kg salt and a cup of battery acid. Mix ingredients at about 70 degrees and then plonk in the skin. Leave for about 4 weeks. Rinse and then pick/scrape off all the flesh and then dry out. Finally rub over the edge of a table or between your fingers to soften it up. Works a treat. I'm in the middle of making a rabbit skin hat with the fur.

 

[dommyracer]

^^^Is it easier to do the fleshing after the tanning? I want to make a rabbit fur hat as well, I've got the skins in the freezer at home waiting

 

[anthonyyy]

^^^Is it easier to do the fleshing after the tanning? I want to make a rabbit fur hat as well, I've got the skins in the freezer at home waiting

Its best to do it first.

 

[micah]

If you were to use eggs do you still need to mix it with water? How long do you leave the eggs on for?

 

[bambodoggy]

You could try the traditional way of using oak acorns soaked in water to tan it.....they are full of tannin and I believe where the term "tanning" comes from

Failing that I know a guy who swears by a mixture of bicarbonate of soda and diesel.

I de-flesh before I tan.

Cheers,

Bam.

 

[Silverback]

I've decided to have a go at tanning and I have a rabbit skin to practice on. Now I know that you can use brains to tan the skin but unfortunately these were blown out!

 

[torjusg]

If you were to use eggs do you still need to mix it with water? How long do you leave the eggs on for?

You just soak the whole skin in it, that is how I have done it. But since I assume you are speaking of a pelt here, you may have to just bash them and smear them on the flesh side.

Otherwise it is said to be possible to soften thin pelts without the use of anything if you do it while it is fresh. When they are softened you can smoke them and they are supposed to stay that way. Haven't tried it myself yet though.

 

[micah]

Thanks for the replies. I've gone for the egg method simply cos that's what I have in the house. Will let you know the results.
Micah

 

[British Red]

You can substitute the brains with eggs.

That explains some of the people I have trained!

 

[w00dsmoke]

Well I was fortunate as a lad to have the guidance of an old taxidermist who worked in all the big museums in Scotland. This is how he showed me to do it.

If it is a pelt that you are after

Stretch out the skin and dry on a board or frame (use map pins)
Once dry use a paint scraper with the edges rounded off to scrape ALL meat and FAT-this is the hard bit because if you don't your pelt will stink and rot. Finnish off with sandpaper if you can't scrape any off.
Soak your pelt in BORAX over night (a mixture of borax and water)-this will clean it
Then rub pottassium nitrate (Saltpeter-you may be able to get some at your local waterworks as they use it to filter/clean water) into the skin, this will preserve it.

Dry it out by pegging again. It will go stiff as a board. Once it is stiff all you need to do is find a a washing pole or tree and rub it back and forward like a fan belt and it will soften up eventually-you can add lanolin (I've used vasoline at times) to help the process (essentially mechanical chewing!)

This will work as I made a pair of welly boot liners once out of them.

 

[Exbomz]

You can substitute the brains with eggs.

Egg yolks, not the whites surely?

 

[torjusg]

Egg yolks, not the whites surely?

I just mix both. But I think it is the yolk that does the trick.

 

[Bearclaw]

Allum salt, works very well, and gives a lovely soft skin.

 

[w00dsmoke]

Allum salt, works very well, and gives a lovely soft skin.

Allum is saltpeter

 

[anthonyyy]

Allum is saltpeter

Alum is an aluminium salt: (aluminium potassium suphate) and is used in tanning.

I presume aLLum is a typo.

 

[Bearclaw]

No anthonYYY you presume wrong, it's bad spelling.


Thats it, take the p*ss out of the new bloke, just cos i cant spell, it's like being back at school.

back then i could have sorted it out like this :twak:
or this :AR15firin
or even this

 

[ESpy]

And saltpeter/saltpetre is potassium nitrate, not potassium aluminium sulphate.
(Or potassium aluminum sulfate )

 

[w00dsmoke]

Thanks for correcting that guy who obviously hasn't used it before or knew what it was for!