Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Your rabbit skins are now ready for tanning.
Salt alum tanning
One way to tan your skins is by using salt alum. Here is the recipe for this solution:
Step 1. Dissolve 1 pound of ammonium aluminum sulfate or potassium aluminum sulfate
(alum) in 1 gallon of water.
Step 2. Dissolve 4 ounces of sodium carbonate and 8 ounces of sodium chloride (salt) in ½
gallon of water.
Step 3. Slowly add the soda and salt solution to the alum solution and stir vigorously.
Step4.Mixflourwiththecombinedsolutionstoformathinpaste;mixtheflourwithalittle
water first to aid in preventing lumps from forming.
After your rabbit skins are prepared and ready for tanning, they should be tacked to a flat sur-
face. Use the paste made from this salt alum recipe to coat the skins with a layer of paste
about 1 / 8 -inch thick. Cover the skins lightly with a cloth or paper. Let the skins set for about
24 hours. Remove the paste with a cloth and apply a second coat for another 24 hours. For
thick skins, another coat may be necessary. The last coating should stay on the skins for three
to four days.
When you remove the last coat, you should wash the skins in a solution of borax and bicar-
bonate of soda (1 ounce per gallon of water). Gently squeeze out the excess solution, then
rinse out the skins in plain water and squeeze out the excess water. Do not wring the skins.
Stretch the skins on the hangers or stretchers again. When they are almost dry, you should
work on the skin by rubbing and pulling on the skins over a table edge to soften it. This will
stretch and soften the skin. If the skin is still rough, you can use a block of sandpaper to make
it softer. You can add Neat's foot oil, leather conditioner, or glycerin to make the skin softer
and more pliable.
The salt alum method is usually considered a better tanning method than the salt acid method,
but the rabbit skin may still be slightly tough and hard when it is finished, so you may need to
work more to get the skins softened. You may have to resoak the skins or repeat the rubbing
procedures to make the skins softer.
You should be able to tan three or four rabbit skins with this recipe.
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