Curing & Tanning Hides Pelts

[johnlewis]

Found this years ago in an old book.

Curing & Tanning Hides & Pelts

Handling Pelts

Large pelts are called hides, medium pelts are kips and small pelts are called skins. They classified into groups know as (1) packer and (2) country hides and skins. Futher clasification is based on sex of the animal, the weight, brand and the locality in which it originated. The grades are No1, No2 and glue stock.

The ultimate destination of all pelts is the tannery. The condition of the pelt and the directness of the marketing affect the price recieved by the farmer. Packers have a decided advantage in the fact (1) they deal direct with tannery buyer, (2) thier hides have a good take off with minimumvof cuts and scores, and (3) they have large quantities of the different classes and grades with which to attract large buyers.

Since the hides is the most valuable by product of the cattle the livestock producer should consider the hide as well as the flesh in his livestock management program. Lice, ticks, grubs, fleas, mange, scabies, pox, riing worm and worts most of which can be controlled by dipping, sorely lower the value of the hides for leather; like wise the branding iron, thorn and wire grashes or horn and nail scores.

A man who deliberately allows large hard clumps of dung to adhere to the hide: who fails to remove dew claws, sinews, lean, fat, lips, ears and the tail bone; who uses dirty salt and allows the hide to freeze and thaw, aman who binds up the hide with steel wire(leaving a rust stain)- he is the man who makes country hide prices what they are.

Hide Characteristics and Curing Practices

Hides consist mainly of the protein Keratin(hair and epidermis) and collagen(body of the hide). Acide destroy collagen and alkalies destroy Keratin(the reversr is true, but not to the same degree). Hides and wooled pelts are therefore dehaired or dewooled by use of the alkali lime.

Approximately 62% of a green hide is water.

In farm practice, 1/4 lb of fine sack salt for each pound of hide is sufficient. During the curing process, 100 lbs of green hide will lose as much as 35 lbs of water and gain up to 6 lbs of salt.

Home Tanning

Trimming -Ears, shanks and the tails removed.

Fleshing -Adhering fat, flesh and menbranes are removed . The person doing this home tanning should use a sharp, flexable bladed knife.

Fatliquoring- In order to prevent the cohesion of the leather it

is nessesary to rub or stuff the damp leather with a fat or oil. This keeps the leather from drying out hard and still. Neats foot oil and glycering are recomended for home tanning.

Staking Flexing the tanned hide or skin over a round bar set in the end of a block of wood(3ft high) fastened to the floor id known as hand stacking. This is an important operation because it streches and flexes the leathers fibres and makes them pliable.

Salt Alum Tanning - The salted sheepskin is soaked in water until soft. It is then placed on a table or beam where it is to be trimmed and fleshed. Washing can be done either in a tub or on a table. Any good soap powder (pure soap not deterrgent) will do. The water needs to be warm (125 degrees F). Rub and rinse repeatedly until clean and then extract the water by hand. The pelt is then placed on the table fleece side down and given a though rubbing with a mixture of 1 part powdered alum to 2 parts common salt(4oz of Alum and 8oz of salt will tan the average sheep pelt). The pelt is left in this position overnight but the next morning is hung over a rail, skin side up. The following morning the skin is sponged to remove the unabsorbed salt and 1 or 2 onces of neats foot oil or glycerine is rubbed into the damp soft skin. As the skin drys during the next 2 days it must be staked several times to keep it from drying out hard. When drying the skin is buffed, using a coarse grade of glass paper fastened over a block of wood. The wool is carded using the ordinary wool card and the pelt is ready to use.

I also have a alum tanning process if anyone wants me to put it up which is for fur skins( I have never done this one so don't know how well it works)

Edited November 3, 2013 by johnlewis