Post by krebsie on Nov 26, 2008 22:04:22 GMT -5
Preserving a hide, whether it be a bird or a hair bearing critter is actually very simple. You will need an old piece of plywood preferably 3/4" and it needs to be several inches larger than your skin. Some small nails say about a 4 penny and a hammer. Salt or Borax, either will work and enough to cover the hide about 3/4" to 1" thick two times.
1). Skin out the critter and remove all the flesh and or fat that you can from the hide. Especially any big chunks that can be cut or scraped off. These will take way to long to dry out. No need to worry about the thin stuff right on the pelt. Although the cleaner the hide the quicker it will dry and the longer it will last. 2). Lay out the hide, flesh side up, on the plywood, being careful to keep the feathers or hair laying natural. If there out of order they will be that way permanently. Drive a nail through the hide about 1/4" to 3/16" in from the edge leaning the nail away from the hide. The hide will shrink considerable as it dries and if your nail is straight up and down it will pull out. Go to the opposite side of the pelt and repeat. Stretch the hide snug but not tight or it will pull off the nails as it dries. Continue all the way around the hide in this manner with nails about 1" to 1 1/4" apart. Yep that's a lot of nails but it takes em. 3). Cover the entire pelt with a layer of Salt or Borax about 3/4" to 1" thick so that you can't see any part of the pelt. Store in a warm, not hot, DRY place for several days. Drying time depends on the thickness of the pelt and the amount of fat left on. The Salt/Borax will form a crust in a couple of days,on top, it's doing it's job, drawing the moisture out. After several days brush off the salt and clean the pelt with a light brush. Repeat step 3. It's finished when you remove the salt/Borax and there is no greasy residue left. You can't over salt and the salt could be left on indefinitely without hurting anything. Pull the nails and clean the pelt with a soft brush and several good shakes to remove all the salt. It would probably be a good idea to store your first try in a ziplock bag just in case you don't get it dry enough. If in doubt salt it again. The finished product will have a slight smell but nothing that will keep it out of the house and will be hard and a little brittle. But if it's done right it will last a long time.
Have fun
Krebsie
1). Skin out the critter and remove all the flesh and or fat that you can from the hide. Especially any big chunks that can be cut or scraped off. These will take way to long to dry out. No need to worry about the thin stuff right on the pelt. Although the cleaner the hide the quicker it will dry and the longer it will last. 2). Lay out the hide, flesh side up, on the plywood, being careful to keep the feathers or hair laying natural. If there out of order they will be that way permanently. Drive a nail through the hide about 1/4" to 3/16" in from the edge leaning the nail away from the hide. The hide will shrink considerable as it dries and if your nail is straight up and down it will pull out. Go to the opposite side of the pelt and repeat. Stretch the hide snug but not tight or it will pull off the nails as it dries. Continue all the way around the hide in this manner with nails about 1" to 1 1/4" apart. Yep that's a lot of nails but it takes em. 3). Cover the entire pelt with a layer of Salt or Borax about 3/4" to 1" thick so that you can't see any part of the pelt. Store in a warm, not hot, DRY place for several days. Drying time depends on the thickness of the pelt and the amount of fat left on. The Salt/Borax will form a crust in a couple of days,on top, it's doing it's job, drawing the moisture out. After several days brush off the salt and clean the pelt with a light brush. Repeat step 3. It's finished when you remove the salt/Borax and there is no greasy residue left. You can't over salt and the salt could be left on indefinitely without hurting anything. Pull the nails and clean the pelt with a soft brush and several good shakes to remove all the salt. It would probably be a good idea to store your first try in a ziplock bag just in case you don't get it dry enough. If in doubt salt it again. The finished product will have a slight smell but nothing that will keep it out of the house and will be hard and a little brittle. But if it's done right it will last a long time.
Have fun
Krebsie