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I just tanned a otter pelt and am doing a bobcat as well. I fleshed stretched and dried them to sell at action. Well got my wires crossed on last pick up date and all my furs ended back in the freezer for this december. I rehydrated the otter in a salt and water brine a thrid salt to water just till it was workable. I then wrung it and hung it to dry a bit the threw it on a sheet of plywood and salted the crap out of it. I rubbed and worked it in real good then hang it by the nose. This is case skinned goingbto be a wall hanger at my pals cabin. Would make a good quiver as well but that another project. After working salt and hanging a few time a day for a couple days. I turned it fur out and degreased it in good warm water an pinesole solution. I then wrung it good and hung it to dry. While it was drying i gather some of the darkest red oqk acorns i could find and smashed them up. Put them in a pot with enough water to cover and brought them to a rapid boil and the simmered till the water took on a good dark look. Then i placed the pelet fur side in on a wooden stretcher and used a paint brush to apply the brine. Several coats over a few day. The hide took on a nice pretty brown color and really looks nice. The thing with the colored brine is you can see the spots that dosnt take the brine. Those are the spot that didn't get fleshed good or is still oily. A little salt rubbed in let set and hit with a piece of fairly coarse sand paper and treat those spots again and move on. This is called acorn tanning and is just one of many way to tan a hide. Im now working down some cedar beeries for the oil to treat as a moth and insect repellant plus i love the smell of cedar. It is a natural insct repellant and is used for many things good for yah. I do have pics of the process if i new how to post them as well as some great links to tons of awsome info and how too for the home tanner. Heck im just having fun probablly would have been easier and cheaper to buy a chemical solution. This is the green time though and natural tanned sounds so much better for marketing my hides.