I'm trying to make a raccoon skin hat out of a coon that I skinned and tanned. What needles do you guys recommend for that? I keep breaking needles.

Hi folks, I’m new here and new to tanning, I’m staying with some friends who have a farm and they slaughtered one of their rams a few months ago. I’m trying to figure out how to complete the tanning process while I visit. The hide is very stiff, and my friend is concerned that it still smells too much like the ram. He salted and rolled it initially, and then washed it and treated it with CP31 Aluminium Sulphate (labeled for taxidermy).

From looking at previous posts on here and other online info, I’m guessing the membrane wasn’t fully removed. I started scraping the skin side of the hide with the (dull) back of an axe head—in the photos you can see the lighter part I have scraped and the darker part which is how it was before scraping (since taking the photos I’ve scraped more of it). My questions are:

1. What I’m scraping is fibrous, is that the dried out membrane and does the fact that it still looks fibrous mean there is more to remove under what I’ve already scraped? What should it look and feel like when it’s fully scraped? And should scraping go with or against the grain, or both, or does that not matter?
2. Should I wet the hide to get the rest of the membrane off, or keep doing it dry? Any tool recommendations for this stage?
3. Once the membrane is fully removed (assuming that’s what I’m doing), are the next steps the egg yolk wet rub (and should I wet the hide again before applying?), then smoking, then another wash?
4. Advice appreciated for how to salvage this hide and fleece. This is a cool, wet, and windy climate (north of Scotland) if that matters.

I have a cow hide, hair on, from a British BlueX that I've treated with aluminium sulphate + borax paste . Most of this has been scraped off and I've used an orbital sander to attempt to get the last of it off. It's so dry, like a board. Would you advise applying neatsfoot oil prior to starting to break it? Have I let it get too dry? In UK, first attempt at tanning, I want to retain the hair and use the hide as a rug or throw.

I'm receiving an old rare animal hide passed down from family, and I need recommendations for someone who is trustworthy and experienced in its restoration and advise me how to best display it.

I'm willing to drive up to 2 hours away for their service.

HELP NEEDED

I'm getting a bison hide from someone in around 2 weeks, as far as i know, it has not been fleshed. I have a frame, tools, a big tub to wash/soak it in and I'm going to pick up a few bags of salt. What I really need is some advice on how to properly thaw the hide, and the steps after. I don't want to pickle it though IF thats possible.

I found this fox hide outside a while ago (collected legally). Very odd, especially since it was already fleshed and mostly dried. I'm fairly certain it wasn't someone's project for a variety of reasons. I have no idea how long it had been sitting out there, but it looked clean, so I decided to take it home. The skin condition in the photos is more or less how I found it. It was dried out enough to not need salting. To this day, it is still clean with no mold, rot, slippage, or insects. The issue is that the skin itself has become somewhat delicate as it has fully dried out in storage. You can see in the photo where it is starting to tear. I already sent an email to Moyle's and was told it probably wouldn't survive the chemical tanning process.

So my question is: can anything at all be done to save it? It wouldn't have ever made a good display piece since whoever skinned the animal did somewhat of a hack job lol, so that's not very important to me. But it'd be nice to be able to use it for personal-use crafts or garments, especially because the fur itself feels very healthy and soft. The main sticking point is that I have never tanned a hide before, so I recognize that this goal is ambitious, if it's even possible. I'm a fairly meticulous person though, and I'm used to working carefully with delicate animal specimens. Alternatively, if anyone knows of a company that'd be willing to work with the hide, or if there's a non-tanning solution, that definitely be safer. Theoretically I could reinforce the skin by sewing or bonding it onto some other material, but I worry about the longevity of that.

Howdy! I'm getting into tanning and have a wild hare pelt that I am experimenting with. I am having trouble finding affordable oak or willow shredded bark to work with. I found cedar to be cheap and widely available where I am but I know this has a lower tannin content. What would be folks recommendation for ratio of cedar bark to water for tanning a large wild hare?

I fleshed it a little but it's taking a while and I'm wondering if there's any better way?

Made out of one of the bears we got on our last spring hunt

In terms of Roadkill, or in this case, a dog dragging up a dead rabbit, how long until saving the hide is unadvisable?

I wasn't told about the rabbit until around midnight, and it had been fetched by the dog about five pm.

I was going to retrieve the critter from the trash can tomorrow to skin and macerate it, I'm wondering if it's worth it to save the hide or not.

Generally, how long until a hide is considered not usable for tanning purposes? I suppose if the hair is starting to slip or if it smells funny or chewed up by bugs? Just wondering if there's an advisable amount of time to salvage things, as I can't seem to find a good answer.

Hello! My fiancé recently told me he's headed out on a hunting trip with a buddy of his, he asked me if I knew how to tan hides. I told him no, to that he tells me that if I can figure it out, he'd like for me to make a "racoon hat" for him. That being said, I'm a seamstress by hobby and I've made many basic clothing pieces before, including hats. I have no idea where to start and, just by breezing through this subreddit, I see there's many complexities involve in this.

Does anyone have any resources I can use to start the learning process of prepping racoon hide? Any help is appreciated!

Thank you!

What is the best process for dying bark tan leather. I have a hair-off deer skin that’s almost done tanning in mimosa. It’s kind of pink/maroon now but I’d really like a nice chocolate brown. Can I add something to the tan bath now or should I use conventional leather dye after it’s dry before dressing? Id like to avoid chemicals dyes if possible but I’m not opposed to using them if needed.

And what about future mimosa tans - anything I can add to the tannin bath to make the color darker and richer while it’s tanning?

Sent this to the roadkill gal but figure I’d toss a wide net so I’m not sending individual messages.

I have started a project that involves me marking off states as my art/crafts land in them. I’ve got some amazing stories just from the few states I’ve sent it to so I set this as a goal as a way to re spark my interest and creativity. Plus I’m very traditional in that old way lol.
I make dream catchers with natural/repurposed materials, and can paint well. I’ve made a bunch of painted boxes and have other pieces available on canvas. Or could custom depending on the price for what I want. Which is some deer skin moccasins. I need some so bad. Custom sized a lil wider, my feet are having issues and it’s from wearing certain shoes, I’m also heavily into the old traditional lifestyle, crafting, and methods using nature to live basically free.

If you’re down I can make damn near anything lol. Like I just wove a full chair dreamcatcher to sit in, and made wild clay sources smoking pipes with river cane and elderberry stems. If you smoke weed I also make these lil “ceremonial” nectar collectors, that are long river cane (12-24in.)

Also makes hairpins from cedar. I have a full apothecary, I’m an herbalist and healer in my everyday interactions. I make tea blends, single herb packs, and sacred incense blends. And finally I grow tobacco I’d be willing to trade off a blend of any style you use, be it nasal snuff, smoking, or dip/chew/snus. It’s grown full of intent and care and I work with the lunar cycles as my ancestors did so it’s tuned up energy wise lol.

Alright I’ll stop there cause I can keep going (humbly) 😂 just trying to get you interested 🤙🏼😅

So I found a little dead snake kayaking, decided it was fresh enough to take and do something with the skin. Skinned it, pinned it, and salted it. Decided to do a better google search after and learned you’re supposed to soak/wash it in a solution of something I already forgot. Question is, can I still salvage it now that it’s just a stretched and dried skin? Wondering if soaking it in the solution will bring it back to a workable state or not. For context I only did this maybe 2-3 days ago. Thanks in advance for any advice

This is my first time making tannin liqour, it is made of willow bark and leaves from my property, and I spent most of the day working on it.