here is a simple, sort of, method of tanning rabbit hides.
Rabbits: Tanning Your Hides
Because I raise bunnies as part of my food supply I always have a good supply of rabbit pelts. If you have a few that need to be tanned here's a method that's been floating around since I first started raising bunnies in the mid-70s. It does work although not necessarily as easy as the author seems to say.
I'll be posting several more How-To articles on different methods of tanning your bunny hides over the next few months. Have fun.
Quote:
Tanning
Copyright © 1995-2003 All rights reserved
Island Gems Rabbitry
I've been tanning rabbit hides for about 15 years and have tried nearly every method. Most produced very stiff, unsatisfactory hides and involved a great deal of effort. However, the method I use now produces a very soft hide with little work involved. It does require the use of a potentially dangerous chemical (acid) so **I don't recommend that kids use this method.**
1. After dressing the rabbit, toss the raw hide (split down the belly, not cased) into a ziploc bag and put into the freezer. DO NOT SALT or DRY OUT, don't even try to flesh them out either! When you have 4 or more, you'll have enough to make it worth your while to tan.
2. Thaw out the frozen hides, run under warm water to remove ice. DO NOT put hides in hot water as this will ruin them.
3. Wash hides with a mild dish detergent to remove blood & dirt. Rinse well and squeeze out excess water - DO NOT WRING THEM!
4. You will need:
1 plastic 5 gallon bucket
2 lbs. rock salt (or any cheap salt)
8 oz. battery acid (from auto-supply store)
stick or wooden spoon for stirring
a scrubbed brick or rock
5. Run 1 gallon of hot water into the bucket, add salt and stir to dissolve. Add 1 gallon of cool water (not cold). Water temp. should be about 70 degrees.
6. Slowly add acid by tipping the bucket toward you and allowing the acid to dribble down the inside into the water. Be careful not to splash liquid and stir carefully with a non-metallic spoon or stick till blended. You may want to wear rubber gloves for this.
7. Lower the completely thawed hides one at a time into the bucket. Submerge in liquid with the stick and slide brick or rock down the inside of the bucket while tipping the bucket toward you. Set the bucket upright and allow the rock or brick to settle on top to the hides. At this stage the acid is not strong enough to do any real damage to your skin but you DO NOT want to splash it into your eyes!
8. Put a piece of plywood on top of the bucket and stash away in the garage or a closet where no one will disturb it or get into it. Make sure that wherever you put it, it will stay at approx. 70 degrees. Too hot and the hides will be damaged, too cold and the tanning process will be delayed.
9. Leave the bucket alone for 1 week. Put your rubber gloves on then gently remove hides from the acid solution with the stick. Allow them to drip to over bucket then squeeze to remove excess liquid. DO NOT throw out the acid mixture!! Toss the hides into a dish pan and take to the sink. Run under cool water and add dish detergent to remove remaining acid mixture. Rinse and squeeze out.
10. At this point the flesh on the under side of the hide should be thickened and somewhat separated from the hide. Grasp a piece on the edge and you should be able to simply peel the flesh off, often all in one piece. Be very careful with junior hides as they tend to be very thin and easy to tear. If the flesh is very tight on the hide, it isn't "prime" yet and should be returned to the acid solution for a few more days.
11. After fleshing, return the hides to the acid solution and leave for another week (can be safely left for up to a year, if you haven't got the time to fool with them).
12. After at least a week, remove the pelts and wash as described earlier. Squeeze as much water out as possible. Now lay pelts over the porch railing, back step, wherever to dry. At the first sign of drying (white patches on the flesh side), work the hides gently over the back of a chair, pulling the pelt back and forth and then pull gently till the flesh side turns white all over. Pelts can be thrown in a very cool clothes dryer and tumbled for a while to help the drying/softening process.
13. Once the hides are worked till soft and completely dry - you're done! If you have allowed the pelts to dry stiff without working them, toss them in a pan of water to soften and then start over with the drying/working process. It doesn't take more than a few minutes each to work the hides to a nice suede like softness. Rub the fur side over the back of a chair also to make the fur soft and natural looking. Good luck!!!
Copyright © 1995-2003 All rights reserved
Island Gems Rabbitry
Here's a fresh hide from one of my bunnies.
Wash your hide in a mild detergent.
Throughly rinse your hide.
Squeeze your hide to get the water out.
Do not wring.
It's time to mix your solution.
Mix 2 pounds of salt into one gallon of hot water.
Stir until your salt is fully dissolved.
Add one gallon of cool water.
Get your battery acid at any auto parts store.
Slowly add acid by tipping the bucket toward you and allowing the acid to dribble down the inside into the water.
Be careful not to splash liquid and stir carefully with a non-metallic spoon or stick till blended.
You may want to wear rubber gloves for this.
Place your hides in your bucket.
Hold your hides under the solution with a weight.
I used a plate held down with a stone.
I pulled them out after a week or so.
One hide was ready to flesh, the other 2 hides needed an extra couple of weeks.
Gentle squeeze the solution from your hide.
Gently wash your hide
and squeeze dry.
Lay it out and begin to flesh your hide.
Grab hold of the flesh and pull away from your hide.
Here's the hide with a big hunk of the flesh missing.
Keep at it until all the flesh has been removed.
One piece at a time.
Until it's all removed.
Back in the bucket for another week or so.
I got real busy so I left mine in the bucket for a couple of months.
Gently wash it clean once again.
And set it outside to begin to dry.
Two other hides that I fleshed at the same time.
A little stand to work my hide over.
Simple.
As your hide begins to dry you need to begin working it.
This hide is now soft and easily pliable.
Two hides that I tanned are on the left and the right.
A professionally tanned bunny hide in the middle.
The other side.
Done.
and here is the link to the site.
http://www.frugalsquirrels.com/vb/sh...d.php?t=214239
you have to register for membership but its free, and there are plenty of good folks there a lot of them are members here.
dean
~*~Erin~*~
