curing hides with sulfuric acid

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I am in a rural town, and 50% of the people here would not care, of the group that would care maybe 5% would complain, but boy o boy, those 5% will have a fit!! You would think I was in the midst of a satanic ritual, threatening the fate of civilization as we know it...
 
Great thread. I am so looking forward to trying this. I'm in the same boat as you though, live in town and the neighbors will freak if they see hides hanging around. We also only have one shower, so I'm trying to figure out what to do there. Probably try to set up some clothes lines in the garage.
the thing I'm curious about is the smell. are there offensive fumes coming off of them while they are drying? If I dry them in the gargae I don't want to "gas" my rabbits, but I don't want fumes in the house to "gas" us, you know?

for those of you needing 5 gal buckets, I saw some at walmart near the paint aisle for $2 each.
 
They smell like wet dog. The acid has been completely removed, is dilute to begin with--while they were in the "pickle" they sat next to the heater in the living room in a bucket with a lid, and didn't smell at all. The lid was important to prevent spills and keep the cats out of it. I have a clumsy family.

The hides really only need to drip over the shower for one night, after that they don't drip anymore, so you could hang them anywhere you could hang a damp towel--Not grandma's heirloom rocker, or anything with an unstable finish/upholstery, but a curtain rod, walk in closet, the garage, etc.
 
oh oh oh oh!!! i've been trying to get into brain-tan for a couple years. tried a deer hide, i didnt soften it so its just a rawhide... :( this looks much much much easier! i am so stoked to get rabbits and have plenty of meat and furs :D

ETA: ooooh! i wonder if this would work for a couple of goat skins...? ;)
 
Hi eco2pia,

we want to tan our hides too- next trip to town I'll hit the auto parts store and Costco! We have 2 goat wethers that were born July 5th that are 1/2 Angora and 1/2 Nigerian Dwarf so they have wool (and are so dang cute)- we are going to butcher them and tan the pelts too. We haven't ever eaten goat, so it will be interesting to see if we like it. Hopefully I'll have practiced on some bunny pelts first and will be fairly proficient by then.

Please keep us updated on your progress!

Annette
 
I have not tanned with sulfuric acid but for the tans I've used I've been able to drip dry a lot at once by placing broomsticks across the bathtub and hanging the hides over them 2-3 to a stick.
 

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