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Tanned Critters
Chief RID:
Will charcoal ashes work for making raw hide?
---GUTSHOT--->:
--- Quote from: Chief RID on December 02, 2016, 06:08:49 am ---Will charcoal ashes work for making raw hide?
--- End quote ---
I don't think so. I use hard wood ash. It's the lye in it that releases the hair. But remember when doing this method your taking your hide to the edge of rotting it, to get the hair to slip. Warmer the weather the better this works. I'm going to dry scrape my next few hides to see how I like that process. It has to be cleaner. Good luck!
bjrogg:
Gutshot thanks for the pickling advice. My 1st two attempts at tanning Red Fox both slipped around the ears and tail. I couldn't figure out what I did wrong. Last summer I was watching some YouTube videos from a taxidermy supply company and they talked about different products they had a what they where used for. If I remember right they basically had a strong degreaser for greasy hides to remove oils. They had a product to set the hair to stop slip and then product to put tanning oils back in the hide to preserve and soften hide. If I remember right they said if you dry you skins like I do on stretchers that this would also set the hair to prevent slipping. I have a few red fox, mink, coon and muskrat that I kept over from last season. One of my cousins stopped in last night and gave me 2 beavers. All these hides where put up really good with all the fat removed. I'm thinking even though they look really good the beaver and coon could probably use the degreaser. I still have that a bottle of that stuff osage showed. It's same product I used on 1st two Red Fox that I had fur slip on. Do I need to pickle these dry year old hides? Thanks
Bjrogg
Outbackbob48:
bjrogg, your red fox hair slippage around ears is caused by moisture around ears because of cartilage in the ears drys really slow put some borax powder in areas that tend to dry slow and the hair won't slip. Just my .02 worth. Bob
bjrogg:
Bob I know what your saying around the ears. I actually had split the ears and removed the cartilage on the second attempt. the instructions on the bottle said for green fresh hides to put salt on roll up and then remove any fat or membrane from hide then repeat that step then put in salt water bath for I think if I remember right maybe 24hours. Then remove and rinse. That is when fur slipped. My first attempt it just slipped everywhere I handled it the second time it started to do the same and then I just hung it to dry more then fur seemed to set. I'm not sure maybe I should have taken out of salt bath sooner, somewhere I saw that the thin hide of Red Fox doesn't need to be in bath as long. Appreciate any advice because I do have a bunch of stuff I want to tan this winter. If any one wants to PM me what supplies they use and where they get them I would appreciate it. Right now I'm thinking of getting them from this taxidermy supply place. Thanks again
Bjrogg
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