Tanning a skin????

[sparra_gump]

Hi guys i was wondering if there was a way i could tan a skin with stuff i have at home or for a low cost?.

Thanks, SG.

[Puk]

A friend of mine has tanned everything from rabbits to a cow hide with a paste made from bi-carb soda and kerosene. It leaves the skin smelling nice and makes a fine white leather. He makes a paste of them and paints it on, when it all dissolves in, he repeats the process, over and over for at least 3 days.

I recently saw a pure white fox skin that he did 20 years ago, and it is still in great condition.
Puk.

[Wellsy]

Puk, do you not what mixture? (50/50...runny, dry etc)

Wellsy

[Puk]

He said to me that it should just basically make a paste, but i am seeing him at my 30th birthday party tonight, so i can ask him more for you.

(He also said that he didn't salt his fox skin first, just washed it in petrol to get the oil and fat off it)

Puk

[tracker]

This ones pretty cheap and actually tans the skin to leather unlike the kero/bicarb which preserves but doesn't tan.

Collect a 9L bucket full - packed as tight as you can - of wattle bark... fresh juicy stuff not dry peeling stuff. Scrape it off with a knife.

Pour 20L of boiling water over the bark in a container and let it steep for 24 hours. Pour this solution off, it is your "strong" solution.

Pour another 20 litres of boiling water over the same bark and let it steep for another 24 hours. This is your "weak" solution.

Start your skins off in the weak solution for a few days and check the penetration of the tan by nicking the edge to see if it is tanning all the way thru. Then give it a few days in the strong solution to finish it off.

Peg it out to dry and use neatsfoot oil or the kero/bicarb to "break" the hide after it's dry.

The leather will change colour to a sort of rich burgundy/red shade depending on the type of wattle bark you use.

Works really well on thin skinned animals like goat, fox, rabbit etc.

Good hunting matey.

Mick.

[fallowhunter]

(He also said that he didn't salt his fox skin first, just washed it in petrol to get the oil and fat off it)

Puk, I think sparra-gump was looking for a low cost solution :D

[Puk]

:lol: :lol: :lol:

Ah, it was back in the good old days obviously..... :lol:

Puk

[E-man]

Why not "brain-tan" it, and just use the animals brains?

[Luke]

I've heard about brain tanning heaps over the years but never been told how to do it...don't spose you know Eman?

It would easily be one of the grossest methods that's for sure :oops:

8)

[E-man]

I've never done it myself, but there's heaps of web-sites which describe it.
here's one of many.
http://www.braintan.com/articles/furs/george1.html

[Piggy]

Tracker, The neatsfoot oil ? do you still have to manually break the hides grain? By applying the oil does that break the hide and make it soft.

I have tanned many skins over the years by I loath breaking the hide and I have some Dingo and Chittal skins in my freezer which I was going to send off to be tanned for that reason.

If there is a product avaliable to save the hard work I would love to know and if anyone has first hand experiance with its use.

Cheers

Paul

[Noakesy]

mate if you can get some alum, it makes a thing called greenhide its good for belt pouches etc. but i only use my leather to plat and make archery stuff out of. not for pretty keeps :roll: lol.

[Marlin44]

I've seen "Leder" tanning kits in some shops in Brissy - looks like the old Leidreiter stuff - tanning formula, leather lube and utilty knife.

[tracker]

Tracker, The neatsfoot oil ? do you still have to manually break the hides grain? By applying the oil does that break the hide and make it soft.

No such luck Paul.. :cry: It's still the bedpost or the back of a chair I'm afraid. :roll:

The old bloke who I shoot roos with told me he used to put 'em in a cement mixer with a few big round river stones but they are never as good as doing them by hand.

I pegged out 10,000+ green fox skins over the winter and was very thankful that none needed breaking as well. :lol:

Good hunting.

Mick.

[Mozza]

you can get the leeder tanning kits from here
www.fmb.com.au

[Mozza]

look under the 'around the farm' heading and they are under leatherwork and tanning :)
hope that helps

[ado250]

I can get my hands on some cheap kits, around 30 posted to your house, will do about 5kg of skins and includes tanning solution, degreaser and leathe lube.

Aussie made stuff.

If anyone is interested, send me a PM and I'll give you the details.

Ado

[Piggy]

I have a leder tanning kit and have used them on skins before but the still require breaking of the grain.
I often start with the orbital sander and sand away until I have a nice smooth skin then work the remainder until nice and soft just hard work.

[Noakesy]

whats breaking the grain? i normally just work it to plaiting or wotever straight away and have never done this but what is it and how do you do it?

[220swift]

i use the kero bicarb mix all the time on all types of skins rabbit ,fox ,cat,sheep, goat, pig, deer.and reptiles .simple process.

fresh skin wash in lux soap squeze dry in hand, peg out remove all meat fat, apply a paste of bicarb/kero about 1/4 inch thick over the whole hide leave 24 hours, shake of all excess reapply and simply leave till hide is totally dry, up to three weeks unpeg. a good brush, a quick rub over with a coarse bit of sand paper, job done. we have sheep skins over 30 years old that have been through the washing machine hung out to dry and are back on the floor.larger skins will need the lips and nose to be sliced to help get the mix in and i fill the ear holes before i peg the skin to make sure i get the ears.

happy hunting.