Hobbies And Interests
Things You'll Need
Instructions
Remove the skin from the animal's body and immediately allow it to begin cooling. To cool the skin, you may place it on concrete or another cool surface. Allow the skin to become cold to the touch before continuing.
Cover the side of the skin that was against the animal flesh with plain salt. Make sure the salt is uniodized. Thoroughly spread the salt all over the skin. Thoroughly salting a skin can sometimes take several pounds of salt. After salting, move the skin to somewhere that it can lie flat and not be bothered while it dries.
Lie skin completely flat on a flat surface and allow to air-dry. The skin needs to be of a crispy texture when it is dry.
Place the crispy air-dried skin into fresh water and make sure it is completely covered. Allow to soak for several hours before continuing.
Boil three gallons of water. Take 2 lbs. of plain bran flakes and pour the water over them in a large trash can. Allow to sit for at least one hour. After one hour, strain the mixture to remove the bran flakes. Do not throw away the water, which may now have a brown appearance from the bran flakes. You may throw away the bran flakes.
Take 16 cups of non-iodized salt and place it in another large trash can.
Boil four gallons of water and pour into the trash can that has the salt in it. Allow the salt to completely dissolve in the water. Combine this solution with the leftover water from the bran flakes that you strained in Step 5.
Put gloves on your hands. Choose gloves that go up your arms, or wear a long sleeved shirt. Combine battery acid with the salt and water solution when it becomes only lukewarm. Stir the solution, being very careful to not allow the battery acid to spill out or splash onto you. Remove the dried inner skin and add the hide to this solution. Continue stirring until your hide has become fully saturated. Allow the hide to soak for approximately 40 minutes.
Fill a different trash can with lukewarm water. After your hide has finished soaking in the solution used in Step 8, place it in this trash can full of water. Stir the skin around in this water solution. When the water becomes dirty, be sure to change it and replace with clean, lukewarm water. Rinse and stir for about five minutes. To remove excess acid from the skin, add one box of baking soda to the water and stir.
Remove the skin from the rinsing water solution and hang over something supportive to drain. After draining the skin, use a sponge or rag to add one ounce of Neat's foot oil to the skin. Nail the skin to a stretcher, while pulling tightly to create tension. Leave the skin somewhere cool to dry. This process may take a few days. Leave it until it is dry to the touch, but flexible as well.
Take the skin down from where you have it hanging. Lay on a flat surface, skin side up. Use a wire bristle brush to comb until the skin softens.