Rabbit Tanning (FINAL)

[OneAcreFarm]

The stretching process seems to be the hardest part of the entire thing. It seems the pelts have to be JUST right in order for them to be stretched properly. Can't be too dry but can't be too wet. Thanks for the tip about spraying them with a bit of water, that seems to help.

The reason I didn't use the mother earth way was because of this.
http://www.taxidermy.net/forums/TanningArticles/05/e/05AE925E56.html
The story that no one wants to tell or admit it basic chemistry involved. All alums contain sulfates. Though the tan is exceptional initially with its color and stretch with little liklihood of slippage because of its astringent characteristics, it has a finite lifespan.

The alum tan deposits the sulfates (SO4) into the cell structure of the hide and it is retained there. Over the years humidity comes into play. Humidity (H20) is also introduced into the hide and the chemical compositions in combination with each other for H2SO4 or sulfuric acid. This formation ultimately destroys the hide (remember all those old paintings and fabrics are stored in ACID FREE containers? That's what acid does to the hides as well as old books, paintings and fabrics.)

Many argue they don't care as it gives them the product they desire and the customer won't live long enough to see it happen anyway. The great works in the Smithsonian Institute have disintegrated because alum was one of the first tans used. Its results are now being seen. I don't know of any work done by Hornaday that still exists because it was all done with alum (Maybe Stephen Rogers or John Janelli would know.) The tanned hides from antiquity have survived and they used brain tans and vegetable tans.
So the choice is yours, but chemistry can't be refuted in this case.

I just didn't want to take the chance.

Seems you could just neutralize it like the other did, I mean, that one uses ACID....

 

[3mina]

CnB, google 'tannin'. It's in oak for sure, possibly other trees and tea has tannin as well.
The substance got its name from being used in tanning and I believe its what makes leather brown.

 

[Secuono]

Bark tanning takes a carp load of material, plus, tannins is still an acid...So you're still stuck with the 'acid eating away over the years' thing.

 

[skysthelimit]

Yeah pretty much nothing I make is going to be an heirloom or anything, it's all gonna wind up in the garbage when I pass, so 20 years of use is about all I expect to get out of them anyway. So I opted for the quick and dirty method. It also seemed like the one that would do the least harm if at any point in the process the dogs tried to eat my pelts.

 

[Secuono]

Hm, a lifetime is definitely a lot better than tossed right at butcher.

My Alum came in 2 days early!

Oh, mystang89, hoping for pictures when you're done!
I read somewhere that if you pull the hide, it turns white, but then turns dark really fast, then the hide was scraped too thin.

 

[mystang89]

I think they are just about done, I just wanted to make sure they were completely done drying out first. Out of 4 that I did, 2 came out ok, 1 came out real nice and the last is test material for whatever I want to use it on.

I'd say for my first time I learned lots and over all I'm happy with the way they turned out. I don't know how long to know if I have any slippage but I'll find out since I need a bunch more before I make a blanket for my newborn.

 

[Lastfling]

Most times slippage is going to occur while still undergoing the pickling / tanning process. You reach into the pickle for your hide and grab a fistful of hair. :shock: Once the hide has been tanned and drys the hair tends to lock in.

__________ Thu Jan 10, 2013 8:33 pm __________

 

[Secuono]

I read that salt makes the hide hold the hair, true?

Yay, they look great!

 

[Lastfling]

That is true also. One of the benefits of salting a hide prior to starting the tanning process, is that it helps lock the hair in.

 

[mystang89]

As has been said, salt does help hold the hair in. I bought a 50lb bag of salt for tanning but I'm not sure if I'll be salting the hides and letting them drain before the pickle just because of the time it takes.
Then again, the hide that ended up coming out the best was the adult hide that had been salted. Maybe I'll salt one of three hides tomorrow and have the others just be frozen, then keep an eye on the salted one and see how it comes out at the end of the process.

 

[AnnClaire]

Mystang, are you saying you are going to thaw a hide and then salt it for this round of tanning? I have all my hides in the freezer right now ... butchering in 100+ heat I simply could not tan at that time! And I didn't think salting would hold them then, but have since found that salting then freezing is acceptable, so will do that next summer. I am really, really, really wanting to get the hides processed so I can get them finished before time to plant the garden

 

[mystang89]

Mystang, are you saying you are going to thaw a hide and then salt it for this round of tanning? I have all my hides in the freezer right now ... butchering in 100+ heat I simply could not tan at that time! And I didn't think salting would hold them then, but have since found that salting then freezing is acceptable, so will do that next summer. I am really, really, really wanting to get the hides processed so I can get them finished before time to plant the garden

Yeah. I have 3 frozen hides that need tanning. This time I am going to unthaw one and salt it. When it is ready for the pickling I will unthaw the others and proceed in the same way I did the others, hopefully making a few less mistakes and changing what I've said at the bottom of the OP.

The salted hide I just tanned held up great in 100f weather. I was honestly surprised. I skinned and salted in the beginning of June and just now got to the tanning process.

That said I still think the freezer is definitely where they are going after I case them. It takes up a lot of room salting them, a lot of time and a lot of salt. This is an exert from the tanning site I use:

Apply a heavy layer of salt to the flesh side. Rub the salt into the flesh, making sure that it reaches into tight areas such as the ears. Then, fold it flesh-to-flesh, roll it up and place it on an inclined surface for several hours.

When drained, open the hide up and shake out the excess salt. Re-apply another layer of clean salt and hang the hide up to dry. If you desire a very hard-dried hide, or the humidity is high, a fan placed in front of the hide will turn it rock-hard in no time.

2. RELAXING

When you are ready to pickle your skins, you'll need to relax them in a brine solution, as they will be stiff from salting. Or, you can just mix 2 lbs. of salt to every 1 gallon of cool water. Salt-dried skins usually relax easy (all my deer capes I simply relax in a salt and water solution) Watch your hides to see how well they are relaxing. A deer cape usually relaxes in 8-10 hours, with thinner skinned animals taking less time and thicker ones could take 24 hours or more.

 

[AnnClaire]

Thanks ... now to get the materials assembled

 

[mystang89]

I went ahead and got one of the pelts out and put some salt on it. I'm not going to document each step like I did on the first one but I'll post any difference I notice.

 

[Zab]

Salting hides IS one way of preserving them Some people use only salt instead of alum or acids and it's the old way of doing it. It seems to take more effort since you need to flesh them differently.. then either oiling them or smoking them to keep them soft.

I have yet to tan a hide, I guess I'll try in 4 months or so
I'm thinking of partially cover one of my black coats with black rabbit pelts to make it more winter-friendly.. but I'm also afraid to get it ruined by AR activists that doesn't know (or care) that my rabbits has been well treated and not skinned alive like many imported furs (like the dog fur on jacket hoods etc).
A friend of mine has this really cool, long black rabbit coat that's 70 years old or so. I think it's from Rex-skin.. it's awesome. Doesn't look like real fur untill you feel it either, so I think she's safe.

 

[mystang89]

I wouldn't base my actions around what other people could possible think about something that in their mind, may or may not be real or faux. You can go to your local hobby store and they sell faux fur pelts there or at least mine do.

PITA are nothing more than pains in the behinds. The aren't the police and we have done nothing morally or legally wrong by skinning rabbits that we've used for meat. If anything we have shown the animal more respect by using everything we can from it rather than tossing what we don't need. (Not that there is anything wrong with that, I'm just giving an argument against PITA.

 

[Zab]

I wouldn't base my actions around what other people could possible think about something that in their mind, may or may not be real or faux. You can go to your local hobby store and they sell faux fur pelts there or at least mine do.

PITA are nothing more than pains in the behinds. The aren't the police and we have done nothing morally or legally wrong by skinning rabbits that we've used for meat. If anything we have shown the animal more respect by using everything we can from it rather than tossing what we don't need. (Not that there is anything wrong with that, I'm just giving an argument against PITA.

I don't have to agree with them to fear that they'll use some spray cans to ruin it like they have before with others :3 If they just start yelling at me I have good reasons for using the fur.

 

[mystang89]

Argg! I'm having the worst time on this second go around. One pelt looks like I took a shotgun to it, (felt like doing that,) and the other pelts have holes in them too from where the flesh went too deep. I didn't even scrape it. I just started peeling it and it tore it down the middle.

Then I go and pick one up out of the pickle for the neutralizing bath and it falls apart in my hand. Disintegrates. Like watching money just burn up in front of you and you can't do anything about it. I don't know if the pH was too acidic or what. I checked it and it looked like where it was supposed to be and I left it in the pickle for the right amount of time. Only thing I did differently on this one was have 3 pelts in the pickle instead of 4. Maybe only having 3 in was too little for the amount of acid. I can only think the 4th pelt helped to absorb some of the acid or something.