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Old 05-19-2004 | 10:02 PM
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coyote caller
 
Joined: May 2003
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Default general tanning

To tan any hide or cape the following steps are:
After caping, and or skinning you flesh down the skin. Remove all red meat and fat. Then salt down for 24hrs. shake off old salt, flesh down again to remove membrane, always use fresh salt when salting the second time. Then salt down again. Never roll up a skin when salting, this prevents the moisture from draining. Fold the skin then lay this on a slant or angle to allow moisture to escape. Dry the skin until it's rock hard. Depending on the humitity in your area this can take from a week to 2 weeks. If possible dry skin around a dehumitifier. This will help in the drying process.
After the skin is fully dried it needs to be rehydrated. When skin is soft again, if it needs to be washed, now is the time to do this. Now it need to be put into a pickle bath. Always check the PH of your pickle, 1.5 to 2.0 is what your looking for in a pickle bath. After 1 day in the pickle, pull out skin and shave down, and degrease the skin. Then return to pickle for another 2 days.
Now you need to neutralize the skin. After the skin is neutralized, proceed to the tanning. After the skin is tanned you need to oil the skin. After the oiling is complete you can dry out the skin, If the "fur" has oil on it, you can remove this by tumbling it in hardwood sawdust with a little ordorless mineral spirits.

Hope this give you some insight on what your looking for. Good Luck.

Coyote Caller
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