Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Baking Soda-Kerosene Method
Although we've never used the baking soda-kerosene method, it sounds good
and comes from Paula's friend and longtime veterinarian Dr. Salsbury. It uses
two items that are generally readily available, no matter where you live. Mix
baking soda and kerosene until you have a paste that's about the consistency
of cake batter before you pour it into the baking pan. This mix takes about 10
pounds (4.5 kg) of baking soda to 1 gallon (3.8 L) of kerosene, which is about
enough for one skin.
Apply the paste evenly, about ¼ inch (0.6 cm) thick. Cover the whole pelt,
including the edges, well. Leave it alone until the paste has dried completely
(1 to 3 weeks, depending on weather). According to Dr. Salsbury, the end
result of the process is that the water and kerosene evaporate, and the oils
from the skin are absorbed by the baking soda.
Scrape the paste off the pelt. If any areas still appear greasy, reapply some
paste to those areas and let it dry out again.
Drying and Softening the Pelt
Tack the pelt out fl at, fl esh-side up. If you used the salt-acid method, the pelt
is wet; if the baking soda-kerosene method was used, it's dry. With either
method the pelt is now cured, but when it's dried, it's quite stiff. (In fact, the
phrase “stiff as a board” comes to mind. Ken always jokes that this is where
I'm supposed to jump in and chew the hide, but there are easier ways to end
up with a nice soft pelt.)
1.
Apply a thin coat of neat's-foot oil (a product that's used for waterproofi ng
boots and is available in most hardware stores) to the fl esh side. While the
oil is soaking in, which takes from 8 to 10 hours in a warm room, you can
dry out the wool side if necessary, using a fan or hair dryer. Then apply a
thin coat of tanning oil or leather dressing on the fl esh side.
2.
When the tanning oil has soaked in, allow the pelt to dry until it starts
showing light-colored places. Remove it from the frame and start the soft-
ening process. Stretch the skin in all directions and, fl esh-side down, work
it over the board to soften the skin as it fi nishes drying.
3.
You can sandpaper the fl esh side when dry to make it smooth. Comb out
the wool with the coarse teeth of a metal dog comb and fi nish with fi ner
teeth. If the wool seems too fuzzy and dried out, you can rub a hair dress-
ing (such as a hot-oil-treatment conditioning product) on your hands, rub
them lightly through the wool, and brush it gently. Repeat if necessary.
