skins/hides

[Matt]

do you guys make anything from the fur/skins of animals you have trapped??? if so what have you made ? or whats the best/easiest method of treating the hide,s

 

[Bushcraft Rob]

you can use salt which i have done many moons ago, on a rabbit skin, made a ring up to strech it as well. Also i read and have heard that you can use the brains of the animal in question on the skin/fur ta cure it.

 

[HillBill]

Brain tanning is the most economical method as you are using parts of the animal you wouldn't normally use.

I've made boot liners and a hat liner from rabbit hides in the past. I keep meaning to try making a pair of gloves. But ive not got round to it yet.

Some info here for you on how to do it
.Using brains to tan your hide - Vanguard News Network Forum

 

[stephenjames213]

for those that don't have a lot of time on your hands stick with the salt ,, but if you have have time make up some brain tan and go for it, very simple to mix up what you need and alot less working the hide ..

 

[megga]

I have read that you use skill, salt it as soon as you skin it. Ofteh thought about doing it my self. Also thought about stuffing birds, be great to decoy other birds.

 

[Scorny]

I am currently attempting to cure some rabbit pelts and a muntjack hide using the salt/acid recipe as found on the attached link:HOW TO TAN RABBIT HIDES
I have soaked the skins in the solution for two days as instructed, and I began fleshing them this afternoon. I hadn't anticipated it being such hard work but I'll persevere.
So far, the hair is dropping out of the muntjack hide in large clumps. I'll continue to flesh them tomorrow to get them done and ready for the next stage.
I guess there's no easy way to do it but for to practice. I'd be interested to hear other people's experiences.

 

[Buzzard]

if you dont want to use the brains and salt leaves a parchment like skin I've found, simply use egg yolks and rub them in to the fleshed skin.

 

[snowleopard]

Thanks for all this great advice. It is going to be very useful, as I have my first rabbits skin in the freezer!

 

[Scorny]

Finished tanning my rabbit pelts today. They are looking good. I plan to make a couple of pouches out of the muntjack skin (minus fur). I have finally found a use for my 25 litre drum of sulphuric acid.

 

[Scorny]

I'm finding it slow and hard progress to soften the pelts that I've tanned. Any ideas are welcomed. I am currently re-wetting enough to make them flexible, and then I'm stretching them to break the fibres but it is incredibly slow and labour intensive.

 

[leon1968]

I'm finding it slow and hard progress to soften the pelts that I've tanned. Any ideas are welcomed. I am currently re-wetting enough to make them flexible, and then I'm stretching them to break the fibres but it is incredibly slow and labour intensive.

You may wish to do a search for buckskinning. Buckskins were nice and pliable due to the method of tanning and how they were produced, I am not gonna say that it isn't labour intensive.

There are various different methods of tanning and each produces a different product. Traditionally brain tanned was pliable, veg or Oak bark tanned was heavier and not as pliable. Brain tanned is the old equivalent of Chrome tanned, which they tend to use for upholstery or clothing leathers. Veg tanned / oak bark tanned tends to get used for hard pouches and soles of shoes.

When you dry leather fast it will harden considerably, salt is Hygroscopic and will draw moisture away from the hide quite rapidly drying it quickly. For it to soften you would need to move it continuously throughout the drying process.