Do it yourself tanning.

LuckyB

LuckyB

New member
I finished my first hide tanning this morning. I practiced on a squirrel. I didn't want to ruin a fox or coyote on the first attempt. Cased the squirrel like I'd do a fox or coyote. For the first time I'd give myself a B+. The ears slipped. Guess I didn't get the cartilage out. How do you's get all the cartilage out of their ears? The nose is a little stiff but it is getting more pliable as I work the neats foot oil in.

I think I'll try another squirrel or coon before I attempt a fox or coyote. Practice make perfect.....perfect practice make perfection.

All in all, for the first time with getting all the equipment, tools, and supplies around, it went a lot easier than I thought it was going to be. It took me about a week and a half.
 
I too would like to tan my own stuff. It can get pricey when you spend $125 for each cat you get. Where did you get your kit? Is it real time consuming?
Thanks,
JImbo
 
I didn't get a kit. I have a book entitled "Taxidermy Step by Step", by Waddy F. McFall.

No it didn't take a lot of time, just 10 or 15 minutes a day or less. I probably took longer than it should have because I haven't done this method before....so I may have been a little an*l about it.

As for the equipment I made the fleshing board out of 1X4, and I took an old farriers rasp and the bench grinder to make a fleshing tool/knife.

Canning salt and Aluminum Sulfate and water for the brine, laundry powder for the final wash, and neat's-foot oil for the finishing.

It sure was cheaper than $125. You can do like I did and practice the technique on something you don't care if you ruin it or not.

Good luck
 
the ears always slip first because they are the thinnest point and warm up the fastest.Slip is caused by bacteria.next time while you're skinning or messing with the hide take a little spray bottle and fill it with rubbing alcohol and spray the ears every once in a while,it will stop this from happening.there is also a product you can buy from taxidermy supply places called stop slip and it is even better.
 
I really want to stop paying the big bucks to have my animals tanned too. How much would you say it cost to get going?
 
Ten bucks. 5 for salt and 5 for Aluminum Sulfate. The rest of the "tools" I just had laying around the farm here. A board for fleshing, an old rasp for a fleshing tool, a piece of pvc pipe for finishing etc.. I know I made much more out of it than it turned out to be, since I had never done it before.

I have a client that has the same book that I have and he tanned a deer hide this year using the acid method. He told me that it was stupidly easy and that he was all nervous and scared for a lack of a better word, but in the end it turned great and was truly quite easy.
 
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ive been tanning all of the coyotes that weve killed this year i just ordered the kit from vandyks. it comes with the acid for the pickle and the tanning agent. its not easy but the pelts ive done have come out pretty nice its only like 16 dollars and you can do about four with it. its definatly an experiance just make sure that you turn the ears and clean most of the meat and fat off.
 
I have tanned fur and it turned out very good using dry powdered oxalic acid I obtained from a scientific supply store and salt. I understand that this is garment tanning. By putting the ingredients together your self it is cheap.
Harvey7
 
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Originally Posted By: mike4ive been tanning all of the coyotes that weve killed this year i just ordered the kit from vandyks. it comes with the acid for the pickle and the tanning agent. its not easy but the pelts ive done have come out pretty nice its only like 16 dollars and you can do about four with it. its definatly an experiance just make sure that you turn the ears and clean most of the meat and fat off.

are you guys skinning these hides cased and stretching them ?
or skinning open and then proceeding right to tanning ?
 
i case them then flesh and salt for 24 hours then pickle i then tan them and put them on the stretcher and work the pelt while it dries ill try to get some pics of the ones i have done
 
i say try a coyote i think it will be alot easier than a rabbit or squirell because of the thickness tried to do a rabbit and it didnt work too good
 


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