Tanning

Neighbor kid caught his first red fox and asked me if I would help him tan it for a wall hanger, I told him we could practice on small beaver first, do I have ears and lips trimmed enough for tanning ?

He ordered a TruBond kit, thought that would be a good place to start, I read bocos post in archive and we may try to buy some of those materials if this works.

That should tan just fine.pelt looks nice and clean.

Thanks Boco.

Fox came out good, I’ve got a few creases in my beaver but it’s not all dry yet, did I try to work it to soon? I nailed it back out to try and get creases out.

My buddy took his otter out of the pickle along with a small beaver, they look pretty good, we’re learning.

Looks like you're doing a great job and (hopefully) having fun in the process. I don't want to assume anything but as you didn't mention it I wanted to remind you to neutralize the hides after the pickling solution. The hides will burn and hair will fall out if you don't.

If I am tanning a hide that I plan to hang on the wall or helping my students do the same I generally tumble the fur after the hide has had a day or so to soak up the tanning formula. Following that I put them back on the stretcher and brush them out to dry. They won't come out garment soft that way but they will have a nice shape for the wall. If you don't have a tumbler one can tumble by hand with corncob grit in a plastic back and just toss it around for a bit. For small furs one can use two heavy plastic trash bags and then stitch that into a canvas outer bag to toss in the regular dryer without heat.

One can also trim a plastic pop bottle to insert into the ears to give them some support and shape as they dry.

These are just a few thoughts and suggestions. I don't mean to suggest you're doing anything wrong. When it comes down to it, what really matters is that you're pleased with the outcome. Keep at it. I find it's rewarding to tan my own furs and make something out of it.

Wanbli, Thank you we did nutralize the hides for 30-40 min with baking soda.we put the otter on the stretcher to try to shape it for the wall, we were thinking that not so soft would be better for the wall.

Little beaver came out nice, sanded lightly with 100 grit paper before I took it off the board. Girls say it smells like a swamp , what do you guys put on them to make them smell nice?

Close up of the leather.

Looks great. A job to be proud of. I have tried the different deodorizers one can buy from taxidermy suppliers and they work pretty well. You can also get cedar oil from taxidermy suppliers that deodorizes as well as keeps the bugs at bay. You can buy some aromatic cedar chips and roll the hide up in a bag for a week with the cedar chips. Melby's Fur Conditioner can be sprayed on for combing out the fur or used in the tumbler and has a nice aroma as well. Just a few ideas.

Wanbli, Thank You!!!

looks good what did you use ?

looks good what did you use ?

Trapper dahlgren we used trubond tanning kit, I'm thinking that the oil is all you need, the other ingredients can be gotten much cheaper, citric acid, baking soda, dawn dish soap for degreaser, we followed the instructions provided in the trubond kit, they kinda provided a recipe.