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First squirrel in years, tanning advice?
I went dove hunting on the back side of my property but couldn't pass up a big gray squirrel behind me. I always try to use every part of the animals I get so I saved the hide. I've got it salted and tacked to a board in my shed and I was wondering how you guys tan your squirrel hides? I used eggs one time and it worked pretty good. This one is kind of special because it's the first time I actually got the whole tail section split without it breaking off or cutting it in half.
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RE: First squirrel in years, tanning advice?
ever tried brain tanning lol....i bought a little kit from a taxidermy supply that used household stuff. it was only 20 bucks and it works really good.
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RE: First squirrel in years, tanning advice?
Maybe some Borax? Don't know if that would work or not...
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RE: First squirrel in years, tanning advice?
At the hardware store you can buy ALUM I think thats how it's spelled and I've seen that used that to tan hides. You mix with water, soak, and then you have to oil it.
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RE: First squirrel in years, tanning advice?
"triple mule team borax" I think is the name. mix with water until it is pasty, smear it on and scrape it off when it dries....do this several times...I don't remember how much....eventually it should be scraped so it is smooth and fully dried!
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RE: First squirrel in years, tanning advice?
ORIGINAL: Wiggy I went dove hunting on the back side of my property but couldn't pass up a big gray squirrel behind me. I always try to use every part of the animals I get so I saved the hide. I've got it salted and tacked to a board in my shed and I was wondering how you guys tan your squirrel hides? I used eggs one time and it worked pretty good. This one is kind of special because it's the first time I actually got the whole tail section split without it breaking off or cutting it in half. Maybe the students would do it for free. Just an idea |
RE: First squirrel in years, tanning advice?
Well, I got it tanned. I read a lot online about tanning, and most of the stuff was pretty confusing. My hardware store didn't have alum either, so I stuck with what has worked for me in the past.
First I salted the hide, then after it was dry I scraped the hide with a sharp knife to get all the salt and membrane off and buffed it with fine sand paper. Then I cracked an egg and poured it on the hide. I rubbed it in until all that was left was a yolky, sticky, slurry type stuff and the hide was soaked. Then I picked up the hide and squeezed all the extra egg out of it. After that I just worked it around in my hands and rubbed it over the edge of a piece of wood until it was dry. That part took about three hours, it takes a long time for a hide to go from soaking wet to totally dry. If you work it the whole time, it'll come out soft, dry, and the flesh side willbe white. Some bits of fur on the tail were stuck together from the egg, but a brush took care of that. A few of the holes in the hide opened up a bit more while I was working it, but it still looks good. It doesn't look like it was done by a pro, but it's still just as soft as what you buy in the store. Next I'll have to put it over the smoke from a small fire to get that nice "buckskin" brown color, and that should make it water resistant too. Then I'll shampoo it to get rid of the smokey, squirrely smell, and work it dry again. When I'm done with that I'll post some pictures of how it turned out. Now, any ideas on what to do with a squirrel hide? |
RE: First squirrel in years, tanning advice?
ORIGINAL: Wiggy Well, I got it tanned. I read a lot online about tanning, and most of the stuff was pretty confusing. My hardware store didn't have alum either, so I stuck with what has worked for me in the past. First I salted the hide, then after it was dry I scraped the hide with a sharp knife to get all the salt and membrane off and buffed it with fine sand paper. Then I cracked an egg and poured it on the hide. I rubbed it in until all that was left was a yolky, sticky, slurry type stuff and the hide was soaked. Then I picked up the hide and squeezed all the extra egg out of it. After that I just worked it around in my hands and rubbed it over the edge of a piece of wood until it was dry. That part took about three hours, it takes a long time for a hide to go from soaking wet to totally dry. If you work it the whole time, it'll come out soft, dry, and the flesh side willbe white. Some bits of fur on the tail were stuck together from the egg, but a brush took care of that. A few of the holes in the hide opened up a bit more while I was working it, but it still looks good. It doesn't look like it was done by a pro, but it's still just as soft as what you buy in the store. Next I'll have to put it over the smoke from a small fire to get that nice "buckskin" brown color, and that should make it water resistant too. Then I'll shampoo it to get rid of the smokey, squirrely smell, and work it dry again. When I'm done with that I'll post some pictures of how it turned out. Now, any ideas on what to do with a squirrel hide? I think that would be cool. A dream catcher with a squirrel hide streched out in the middle. Where you can see the shape of the squirrel. JMHO |
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