Then with a length of pipe on each end two people could bend it into a "U" shape narrow enough to fit in the hide. To make the stretcher we would file a notch in the spring steel to snap off a pice a little longer than twice the length of the hides. To stretch and dry them we used cable wire from the Tacoma Narrows Bridge. When I skinned them I basically had a slightly tapered tube with the fur on the inside. My experience was in the 1950's with giant chinchilla furred rabbits. Maybe tumbling them in a front loading dryer with wooden balls might work. I suppose that is too labor intensive for modern day. I think you are supposed to chew on them after they are dried to get them supple. I would worry about damaging the fur/pelts by putting solid objects in with them, though.Īgain, I'm still learning as I go, but since no "experts" have chimed in yet. I do remember someone saying that tumbling in a cool dryer with short pieces of wood to work the hide would make it pliable.Ī few articles I read (including the one above) also mentioned placing them into a dryer with no heat. They used battery acid instead of alum - perhaps that breaks the hide down more? On the other hand, this post by Rise and Shine Rabbitry says that it's quicker. ![]() They're still stiff, but fortunately I don't need them to be soft for my purposes. ![]() I did it for about an hour total on the last four skins I was tanning, then decided that it wasn't worth the effort. You work them over with your hands to rub the skin this way and that - carefully so that you don't tear or stretch the hide - over and over again as it dries. I hope someone with more experience chimes in, but so far I have found it to be very time and labor intensive to make the hides soft. Joe Camarena wrote:I've also identified a market that would purchase them if they are soft and subtle.
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