How do you guys preserve skins?

[Toby_2008]

Hi,

I was just wandering how you guys preserve your skins?

I have only done rabbit so far, one has been finished and one is in the process as I type. my process is to skin and then briefly soak the pelt in methylated spirits and then place in a plastic freezer bag, tie the top and leave it for 2 weeks. then remove, leave to dry, then wash in clean water and stretch and work the skin as it dries.

This process seems to work quite well but the skin does seem to be quite cardboardy?!

Also, this time I have put the tail and two back feet in. do you think they will work?

Cheers,

Toby

 

[Bushwhacker]

One method I know is to peg/nail it out tight on a board rub salt in to get out the moisture and when dry give it a light brush with a fine wire brush (maybe a suede brush or something) and rub in some moisturising lotion.

 

[Toby_2008]

One method I know is to peg/nail it out tight on a board rub salt in to get out the moisture and when dry give it a light brush with a fine wire brush (maybe a suede brush or something) and rub in some moisturising lotion.

cheers, nice to get to know different peoples methods!

 

[Toadflax]

Originally Posted by Toddy

I know I've mentioned this before but it's possible to diy a deerskin relatively easily using the washing machine.

1) Scrape off the visceral tissues from the flesh side of the skin.

2) wash using biological washing liquid on cold in the washing machine.

3) Wash again, on cold, with no soap but a very healthy dose of fabric conditioner.

4) Pull out skin and stretch over a frame and put it somewhere cool but airy to begin drying......a cloudly breezy day is ideal.

5) As it dries begin to rub in masses of hand cream on the flesh side. The more you rub, and the more you rub in, the better the skin will be.

6) Ta ra, one diy modern equivalent of a braintanned skin

The first one I did like this, nearly ten years ago now, is still sound and has kept it's pelt.

copied from modern Inuit, whose people have to be among some of the most capable hunters mankind has ever produced.

cheers,
Toddy

p.s. it works on rabbit too

Not my method, but I found this on another thread.

I've only ever done one deerskin, by the full bucking and brain (or egg) tanning method.


Geoff

 

[Toby_2008]

Not my method, but I found this on another thread.

I've only ever done one deerskin, by the full bucking and brain (or egg) tanning method.


Geoff

thanks, I hadnt seen, that! another interesting method, where do you guys get your deerskins etc from?

My two rabbits have been roadkill, the first one was slightly damaged but the one that is in the meths at the moment is in perfect condition, the rabbits scull was almost non-existent though.

Cheers,

Toby

 

[Toadflax]

where do you guys get your deerskins etc from?

I got mine from a friend who shoots. There may be one or two folk on here who'd send you one if you covered their postage if you posted a request.

You could try a local butcher if they get venison. One of the butchers in our local market gets quite a number of deer around Christmas time. If you ask them nicely they might be prepared to skin them a bit more carefully and let you have /buy the hide.

I probably wouldn't do another muntjac buckskin (other than to learn /improve on technique), too much work for what you get out at the end. I'm tempted to try Toddy's method on the one that is in my freezer.


Geoff

 

[Toby_2008]

I got mine from a friend who shoots. There may be one or two folk on here who'd send you one if you covered their postage if you posted a request.

You could try a local butcher if they get venison. One of the butchers in our local market gets quite a number of deer around Christmas time. If you ask them nicely they might be prepared to skin them a bit more carefully and let you have /buy the hide.

I probably wouldn't do another muntjac buckskin (other than to learn /improve on technique), too much work for what you get out at the end. I'm tempted to try Toddy's method on the one that is in my freezer.


Geoff

cheers, I did ring allot of butchers when i was looking for rabbit skins but most of them say that they either get their meat skinless or arent allowed to give/sell it.

I cant imagine being sent a skin, it would be all manky by the time it got here, unless they cured it and that takes some of the point away.

Cheers,
Toby

 

[Bushwhacker]

Air rifle.

 

[Toby_2008]

Air rifle.

You cant use an air rifle on Deer.

 

[Bushwhacker]

You cant use an air rifle on Deer.

Oh, I thought you were still on about rabbit skins. My bad.

 

[Toby_2008]

Oh, I thought you were still on about rabbit skins. My bad.

oh, sorry my misunderstanding!

I haven't got any shooting permission and so far I'm not a good enough shot to garentee a clean kill.

Good thought tho, thanks!

 

[Chris the Cat]

Any one here able to vouch for the above washing machine method!?
(Good qestion Toby!)
Cheers.
C da C.

 

[Toadflax]

Any one here able to vouch for the above washing machine method!.

If Toddy says it works, then it most probably does work.


Geoff

 

[Le Loup]

I have not needed to tan any skins for a long time now, and in the past I have tried various methods. Finally I settled on BRAIN TANNING because it is the one method you can count on being able to use in a wilderness situation. I first tried brain tanning when I was up in the mountains above Guyra with no other sources for tanning. I built myself a cabin up there for winter and was able to peg the skins to the cabin walls.
There are enough brains they say in each animal to tan its own skin, however you can add the liver to the brain mix if you wish.
Le Loup.

 

[Chris the Cat]

Thanks Le Loup,
Chris.

 

[Cyclingrelf]

See this thread for my efforts at brain tanning rabbit furs
http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=35579&highlight=brain+tanning+rabbit
Joe knows what he's talking about - working the skin using a taut bit of nylon rope helped enormously. I ended up with a lovely soft pelt It is hard work, though.
I took some photos of the process I went through to get a decent pelt.
http://www.susannahrelf.co.uk/Bushcraft/tanning.html

 

[Le Loup]

I brain tan my skins unless I am using it for rawhide, in which case I scrape clean and peg out to dry.
Regards, Le Loup.