Thread: Tanning, what do I do?

First thing is get it salted! not only does the salt stop hairslip and keep all the bugs away, it starts the tanning process. Use plain salt, not iodised, about 2-4kg for the first salting, rub it in all over, in to every little fold and leave all the surplus all over the skin, dont shake it off. Fold it skin to skin, then make it kinda tidy so you can roll it up with no skin showing and either tie it up in a neat bundle or put it in a cloth bag or pillowcase and hang it out of the sun for a week to drain. Then take it down, unroll it, shake it out and repeat the process with clean salt, 2 kg will be heaps for the second salting. Then you can roll it up and leave it hanging for months, until you have the time to tan it.
If you do each process nicely as you go it doesnt become a chore, starting with skinning it, make it as clean and neat as you can, dont leave flesh on it. If you do leave some flesh on it, the salting makes it so much easier to flesh it out later, but definitely not big thick bits etc.
Then salt it correctly and later fleshing is much much easier. I use a half round post placed with one end on a waist high post, and the other end on the ground, and used the Leders 2 handed fleshing tool. Put the skin over the post, some hanging down the waist high post, lean in to it to hold it in place and push the fleshing tool away from you, keep going until its all clean.

And if you do salt it correctly,I've had a tahr skin hanging for 2 years before I tanned it.

I have used a number of tanning solutions, but Leders is probably the best for product and instructions. Follow the instructions to the letter and you will come out with a really nice pliable skin.
It is best to have your skin stretched on to a frame, easily made from 4 lumps of 100x25, slightly bigger than your skin. Hammer in a small flat head nail every 100 mm around the outside, make your self a heap of straps, old leather is good, but inner tube works well too. Punch them full of holes and get some brass gas welding rods and make an S hook for in the end of each one. DONT use steel or galvanised metal anywhere near your tanning solution! On the frame is ok.

Once you've soaked and stirred your skin in the tanning solution for a week or so, lay it out flat on the ground, and place the frame over it. Start stretching it out on the centre, then the legs and so forth. Using the straps with various holes you can make a nice job of centring the skin and squaring it up.

Lean it against a fence for an hour or 2 to drain off excess tanning solution, then weigh the whole thing, frame and all. Then deduct the weight of the frame and a wee bit for the straps. You will need this weight to get the right amount of leather lube later.

Then put it away in the shed or behind the shed or somewhere where the sun wont get it, or the dogs. And leave it for a week or 2. The reason a frame is better is cos the skin dries better, and stays softer and more flexible, and its much easier to sand the skin at the end to make it soft.

When you decide its ready, the Leders instructions will tell you, then apply the right amount of leather lube with an old paint brush, work it in well, all over. Then let it dry again for a few days.

Now comes the part that makes it nice and white and soft. While its still in the frame, leaning against a fence use a Cintride sanding disc in your drill, one of those coppery metal ones with a rubber backing wheel behind it, coarse. Sand it all over, keep going until your happy with the appearance. Cos its hanging in the frame its easy, and safe, and very difficult to cut or damage the skin. If its on a board or on the ground its very easy to cut the skin.

When finished, take a Stanley knife and cut the skin from the skin side so you dont cut hair, and carefully cut it right around the outside just in from the hooks.Again, cos its in the frame it makes a really tidy job. And your left with the thin strip of the edge which doesn't usually tan up too well.

Have fun, its simple and easy, doesn't take long at all.