Aluminum sulfate/pickling salt tan for fur on hides

[bjrogg]

Looks great Ed. Just curious if you ever put them on a stretcher for drying and breaking? I usually case skin mine and put them on stretchers while drying. It seems as they dry and shrink it helps break hide. I still take them off stretchers for additional breaking but it seems to help. Would be harder to do with belly split though.
Bjrogg

[BowEd]

BJ...I've tanned cased skins this same way too before but never put them on a stretcher to dry.I can see how it could work for you though.Without any hand work done to them I don't think just putting them on a stretcher softens them.Actually for me they are easier to soften opened up split.
Well I checked back when I started this hide from a raw or green state.Exactly a week and it's done.I soften them breaking and stretching wise as it dries every half hour or so.


Some clumsy skinning holes I fix with a baseball stitch while wet before stretching.You cannot see the stitch line from the hair side.

Well that's it.It is'nt a tan that gets as soft as my brain tan I don't think but it definitely will serve the purpose for a number projects.

[Morgan]

Awesome! Thanks for sharing

[DV IN MN]

Ed
Great thread, wish I had started reading this earlier. Just boarded a coon couple of days ago. I assume this will work with beaver as well?
Prices are such that finding different things to do with the fur and the cost of a failure at this time doesn't cost much. I have blankets and some kits in the freezer skinned not fleshed. I think this would be a fun test trying to tan some of those hides. Any ideas that might be different for a beaver would be appreciated.

Thanks.

[DV IN MN]

Ed,

Can a person do more than one hide at a time in the same water/solution at the same time? Would you recommend that or is the work load such that you would only be able to stay up with one hide at a time?
How does it work on Mink? Price on them is such that it would be a good use for some good mink. Do the percentages of ingredients change according to the size of the hides? I think I should probably find the book and purchase it for some good reading.
Thanks

[BowEd]

DV IN MN....Beaver will be even thicker yet than coon but it is doable.Flesh them really well while skinning if you can.Otherwise you'll need to flesh it too.
There's no reason not to tan more than one hide at a time if you got em.Your thinner hides will get done first allowing time for you to get them all done.Mink work well too.They'll get done first.
1 pound of aluminum sulfate & 2 pounds of salt will do a deer or a couple of coon in less than a week.For beaver I'd use 2 pounds of aluminum sulfate & 4 pounds of pickling salt to be done in a week.
Do the sliver test to see.

[DV IN MN]

Thanks Ed. Yea I plan to flesh all the hides regardless. Well maybe would have sold the beavers green. Price difference this year kind makes the extra work to flesh and board the beaver less then break even. Did you tan the otter in the other post same way as the coon?
Is there any issue with how long a hide is in the freezer, provided you fold it properly and avoid freezer burn? I have a hold over that I was looking at sending away to be tanned. Very large otter.

[bjrogg]

Great thread Ed and nice hide. I agree just putting hides on stretchers without further hand work won't soften them. I put them on wooden stretchers with belly stick and back stick stretching as much as I can while their wet. Then as they dry I "poke" hide with my thumb and see if it turns white. When it's ready I poke with thumb or hammer handle all over doing a good amount of softening right on stretchers. Works great for muskrats and mink and fox. Coon need some extra work back of neck but it still helps most areas.
DV IN MN like Ed said Beaver are more work if you want a really soft hide but not impossible. I've done quite a few mink using similar method to Ed's and they work well also fox and muskrat. For mink I always remove "saddle" while pelt is green yet. This really helps make softening hide easier.
Bjrogg

[BowEd]

DV IN MN....A hide rolled up flesh side to flesh side in a plastic bag should keep for a number of years without freezer burn.I've found that out before.I did tan the otter to the same way.Seems fur prices are down because fur is a luxury/bad relations with Russia and China etc. the reasons why.Economies bad in Russia etc. too.Seems China bought a lot of the otter/Russia a lot of the coon in the past.Oh well anyway I enjoy making stuff out of them.Have fun with your hides.Sounds like good projects to look forward to.Those beaver are nice but a lot of work all around from trapping them  to tanning them.I used to just hoop them after tanning bringing them with me to rendezvous's.Just an idea.It takes a good 13' willow to make a hoop big enough to hold a blanket beaver.

BJ....I enjoyed your bear hide tanning post.I used to use wire stretchers for my coon and wood with belly wedge for coyote and fox but went to wood on the coon too.It made them feel and look thicker overall.After all presentation is the key to good prices.I just went ahead and made my own wood stretchers for the coon too.Never regretted it.I never was much of a trapper.My Dad was.I mostly hunted.

[bjrogg]

I've enjoyed this post to Ed.  I much prefer wood stretchers to wire although I do use wire for rats. It is all about presenting a hide and with wood you can skin slightly different and pin more fur on back. I usually just use belly board for air dried hides but for softening tanned hide I like to stretch them as much as I can before they dry and then a little more as they do.
Love your Beaver hoop I don't have any around my trapping area. Probably a good thing. I've always wanted to do the hoop thing with a huge rat. Their not nearly as much work.
Bjrogg

[DV IN MN]

Ed,

Love the displays. Thanks for the info. We will see time permitting, I will get a new selfbow made this summer and a couple of hides tanned. Probably should work on some opossum first to get the hang of it. Thin skinned critters shouldn't take long for them.

[Mounter]

Very nice job!! Thanks for. Sharing.

I trap a few beaver every year for local farmers... this year I'm on number 6 with a few weeks of season yet... darn things ate about a 1/2 acre of corn in one river bottom field. I make them into hoops like yours to give or trade.. I usually just flesh , cream tan then stretch till dry. They are a tad stiff but works good for hoops. Also have a few muskrats and will probably get more before it's over. Might try making a hat?

[bjrogg]

Love to see a hat build along 
Bjrogg

[BowEd]

Sometime I will BJ.Not a whole lot to it though.A couple of 4" bands of hide fur the go around your head comfortably.Then an egg shaped top the same circumference.Face and tail optional.Mounty style ear flaps optional too....Ha Ha Ha.Just a lot of hand sewing is all.Takes me 4 to 5 hours.About the length of an average snow storm...Ha Ha Ha.
At one time I had a surging sewing machine for fur sewing.Then the hat would only take 45 minutes to make.Sold the machine though.Just got a slave sweat shop singer from a band suit making factory that'll sew 5 to 6 layers of canvas easily now.A little heavier duty is all that means.Kinda cool machine though.It's got it's own oil pan that circulates oil through the machine.No need to oil it by hand any.
I've got a nice Viking zig zag sewing machine for sale here too that I don't need any more.

[Mounter]

I was thinking the same bjrogg.  We're not in any hurry Bow...we'll maybe I don't know ? I hate searching the webs".".........