3/7/2023 0 Comments Tan rabbit hides![]() Take breaks whenever needed, but continue to stretch until dry. Pull the pelt down over it, stretching and buffing over the full length of the pelt. The back of an old wooden chair works well for this. The following morning uncover and begin to stretch your hide (see photo). Now cover with a very warm and wet towel and let it set overnight. Buff the surface again and apply the second coat. Thicker pelts require more brain and more applications but most raccoons can be done in just two coatings. Go ahead ladies, it’ll make your skin soft. Apply the lukewarm mixture and rub it in by hand. This will be divided into two equal amounts.īuff up the pelts surface with some sandpaper, sandstone, or granite rock. Then mash, mix or blend into an oily liquid. Remove the brain from the raccoon’s skull and mix with about 1-1/2 cups of water. Every critter has enough brains to tan it’s own hide, except buffaloes (and some people I know). When the animals life is taken it gives you a complete tanning package as a bonus. This leaves you with a pelt that is soft, light, fluffy and very natural feeling. The fine oil that is used is the reason for this. Pelts and skins used for brain tanning require a thorough fleshing job. You’ve finished the first step referred to as fleshing. Fortunately they’re so fluffy they can be sewn back together without a sign of the disaster. ![]() Clean them well (soap and water?) but go gently, they can break fairly easily. The tails generally have a lot of fat on them. Of course if the animal was struck by a car and has Good Year stamped in the facial fur, you may want to cut the mask off entirely. The membrane on the head or mask is the toughest to get off, so take your time. Just move on to the next area and keep scraping. This is usually from animals killed during the summer or early fall. Sometimes hair will pull back through the underside of the skin. Remove all the fat, meat and membrane until you begin to see the pores of the skin. I also use the same scraper used on buffalo.įleshing a pelt, tacked out on a plywood board Definitely not a good beginners project! You can use a fairly crescent shaped knife held at a 90 degree angle to the pelt. Buffaloes I stake out right on the ground. (Sorry, it’s an old butchers saying.) Now, throw it over a very smooth log or tack it out flat on a piece of plywood (see photo). To simplify your first project, slice the hide open all the way up the belly to the hair of the chinny-chin-chin. Also very warm as socks though usually the fur is short lived. They’re great for bags and pouches to flip over a belt. Pelts taken off in this manner are referred to as cased. Cut through the cartilage beneath the nose and ears. It will sometimes want to pull off with the pelt. Always leave as much of the fat and meat on the carcass as possible. However, if the carcass is cold, this stuff acts like rubber cement and must be cut carefully, particularly at the head, neck and tail. If the raccoon is a fairly fresh kill and still warm, the membrane and pelt will pull away easily. Only use your knife if absolutely necessary. Using the knife gently, begin pulling the pelt up away from the leg and cut the film or membrane that holds the skin to the meat.Īs much as possible pull the pelt off the carcass. Next cut the tail on the underside from the vent to it’s tip. With knife or sharp stone in hand make an incision from the hock to the vent (see diagram 1). To remove the pelt from the body or carcass, tie both back legs to a tree limb about head high. The process is an easy one and will start you on the way to using all of the animal when you take it’s life. But whether from the trap or the road, each animal comes with a complete tanning package - no chemicals are needed. It was a large, fluffy road kill raccoon I named Ricky. My hat is made from the first pelt I ever tanned. Nonetheless, a pair of rubber gloves are recommended when handling these critters from the wild. Many of these pelts are in perfect condition.
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