Tanning a fox skin

[Abbe Osram]

Hi Guys,
its time for me now to skin the red fox I got from my neighbor and make something nice out of his fur. I know how to skin him and how to dry the skin. But all the people I ask tell me that after the drying of the skin I have to send the fur to a tanner to fix the rest. Is there no way I can do it myself?

Well, I would like to do that job myself. Does anyone from you know how I can get the fur soft and the hair so it will not fall out later. What do I have to do after the skin has dried? I hope I make myself clear that I need to get knowhow in how to make the skin soft and the fur long lasting.

thanks for all the help, info or links on the net I can get

cheers
Abbe

 

[hootchi]

I have no experience with anything like this but I found this a while ago while looking into rabbit skins and if you type "tanning fox" into google you get a bit.

Tanning deer hides and small fur skins

Google:
Basic tanning

This one is quite good with pictures!

Sorry I can't be more help.

Cheers

 

[innocent bystander]

Abbe, i think this guy has done a few already....

http://www.primitiveways.com/foxtan/Tanafox.htm

martin

 

[innocent bystander]

makes mental note to read all of the post next time....

 

[rapidboy]

I got a little tanning kit from Snowdonia Taxidermy supplies (i think i got kit CP3).
http://freespace.virgin.net/sts.northwales/intro.htm
Just mix it up with water and it will last for years in an air tight container.
Clean the skin and chuck it in the solution over night and it's done.
A quick rinse and let it dry.
Really easy and effective.
I have used mine for loads of rabbit skins and even an otter pelt that turned out really beautiful.

 

[hootchi]

Rapid is that link in the links section? It a gud 'un. :super:

 

[Abbe Osram]

Hi Guys
:You_Rock_ again.

Rapidboy that sounds like the stuff I need.
The temperatures here are rising and my fox, before hard as a piece of wood starts to get soft, so I am a bit in a hurry.

I am going to read now through the info and links, thanks guys.

cheers
Abbe

 

[rapidboy]

Rapid is that link in the links section? It a gud 'un. :super:

I didn't know there was a links section :roll:


I met them at the Midland Game Fair a couple of years ago and they are nice friendly people to deal with and very helpful.

 

[hootchi]

I didn't know there was a links section :roll:


I met them at the Midland Game Fair a couple of years ago and they are nice friendly people to deal with and very helpful.

Here it is:

http://www.bushcraftuk.net/community/links/

The drop down TOOLS bar above, then LINKS DIRECTORY.

Cheers

 

[Toddy]

Nice link rapidboy, thanks. :super:
I did a deer skin skin using the Inuit washing machine/handcream method a few years ago and the pelt is as good as new even yet.....a bit like brain tanning for the C21st I suppose, but this sounds virtually fuss free,
Toddy

 

[Abbe Osram]

Nice link rapidboy, thanks. :super:
I did a deer skin skin using the Inuit washing machine/handcream method a few years ago and the pelt is as good as new even yet.....a bit like brain tanning for the C21st I suppose, but this sounds virtually fuss free,
Toddy

Hi Toddy
could you please dwell a little on that method. Would be nice if you could teach me the machine/handcream method the only one I know is the brain tanning one.

thanks
Abbe
:chill:

 

[Toddy]

I was doing some research into modern Inuit tanning methods (I was having a go at making boots....there's a wonderful Canadian book called "Our Boots", a bit anthropological rather than archaeo, but a very interesting read) and I came across this method.
Basically; Modern Inuit are just that, Inuit but with all of modern technology available to them, sooo tanning has progressed.

*Skin animal.

*Scrap off all visceral tissues adhering to the inner skin.

*Put skin into washing machine, wash lukewarm with biological washing liquid/powder.

*Wash again, lukewarm, but on 'rinse', and use 3 times the usual quantity of fabric conditioner.

*Stretch skin out on a frame

*Apply and rub in hand cream to the back of the skin (I used 3 x 100g tubes for a Roe deer pelt)

*Check daily as the skin dries, apply more cream as necessary.

*Remove from frame before just fully dry and start to manipulate the hide to create flexibility in it. This needs quite a lot of work, I used the back of a chair and 'pulled' the hide backwards and forwards over it.

The deer hide I prepared is still soft and flexible, it hasn't shed it's pelt and it's still glossy and beautiful.

I made the boots, but I used cow instead, the deerskin was too good to cut up :roll:

Good luck, post some pics when you're done?
Toddy

 

[Abbe Osram]

Hi Toddy,

sounds very interesting. I am only worried about the fox fur, are you sure it will survive the washing? Here the natives (Sami) put their reindeer hides into water to get them to loosen the hair off the skin to make hides.
I want to get a very nice fur which hopefully survives some years around my anorak.

Sure I will show you some pictures

thanks
Abbe

 

[Toddy]

Hi Abbe,
If you value the fur why not play safe and use a method you've used before with good results or buy the commercial tanning stuff, or listen to your Sami neighbours

But, this washing machine method worked on the deer skin, and it has kept it's pelt. A Canadian colleague at Uni used this method on a black bear skin and she said it worked really well on that too.
I don't see how water helps the hair to come out, do they soak the hides for long?.....we used *boiling* water to get the hair out of pigskin.....do they put anything into the water?

Toddy

 

[Abbe Osram]

Hi Abbe,
If you value the fur why not play safe and use a method you've used before with good results or buy the commercial tanning stuff, or listen to your Sami neighbours

But, this washing machine method worked on the deer skin, and it has kept it's pelt. A Canadian colleague at Uni used this method on a black bear skin and she said it worked really well on that too.
I don't see how water helps the hair to come out, do they soak the hides for long?.....we used *boiling* water to get the hair out of pigskin.....do they put anything into the water?

Toddy

It will be my first fur, I haven't done any before as I was a town dweller before I moved out here to the north last summer. :yikes:
My neighbor is Sami and she told me that they put the skins in the lakes for some time but I haven't seen it yet myself. All the people I know send off their hides to a company tanning the skins and furs for them but it is to expensive for me, and no learning involved.
I will tell you how it turned out.

cheers
Abbe

 

[Toddy]

.....and no learning involved.

I know what you mean, nothing gained and money spent

In that case I think I'd have a good look at the link Rapidboy sent; I'd had a 'little' experience before I used the washing machine method, and it's very easy to scrape too deeply and damage the tissues that hold the hair folicles. You could always put the fox fur into the freezer and try the different methods out on something like rabbit skins first then you'd be assured of a decent quality skin when you were finished with the fox.

:cup:
Toddy

 

[Buckshot]

Winter fur seams to moult more than a summer coat, at least that's the case with UK deer anyway.
Don't know about fox's though, never tried it.

Mark

 

[tenbears10]

Abbe, I don't know if you have seen this brain tanning sitebut they seen to have a lot of info and looks like quite a few people still use brain tanning to preserve skins. Every animal has enough brain to tan it's own hide apparently.

Bill

 

[Toddy]

Winter fur seams to moult more than a summer coat, at least that's the case with UK deer anyway.

I didn't know that; the one I did was shot in late October and I found the pelt in a black binbag on the back doorstep. From a friend of a friend, and he couldnae butcher for toffee! It cleaned up very well though. Might explain why a couple done by a colleague, one the washing machine/handcream method and one done the brains method, seem to be forever casting while mine is stable.
Does the age of the beast matter much? They don't live long enough to get wrinkles like humans
Toddy

 

[Buckshot]

:rolmao: Can't say I've noticed wrinkles on any wild animal.

I don't know about age. I would think health would have more of a bearing on the condition of the fur. Poorly nourished animal usually equals poor coat which may mean it would shed. :?:

I guess very young or old animals would shed easier only because the skin is still developing in the young and both are susceptible to illness more than others - again a health thing really...

The deer I've taken have been 9+ months old to 5-6 years. All are in the middle age bracket in terms of this question, not what I would call extremes anyway.

Cheers

Mark