Post by joanne2 on Nov 20, 2008 8:34:22 GMT -5
I'm having fun with the alum and the furs. It seems a helluva lot easier to me to get some oils into the plumped up skins rather than trying to go the braintan fur route.. AND.. the alum works to tighten up the hair as well so this what could become a problem very easily can be avoided or made into much more of a long shot. I like the odds better ;D
I soaked this coyote skin for like two days(give or take a half a day) in a five gallon bucket that I'd swished my hand around in about 5 cups of salt and some hot water to dissolve.. or try to dissolve.. dissolving salt is easier said then done..so I just try to get the majority made into salt water..and then I think I used 2 or 3 cups or so of the Aluminum Sulfate that I found at the flour mill. It's a gardeners product used for changing the soil alkalinity for hydrangeas? and other flowering bushes, azaleas,etc. anyway, after adding the alum, stirring that up well and then adding cooler water..Just enough to cover the skins well in a 5 gallon pail I soaked this coyote skin for a couple of days.. until it seemed good and white and 'struck through', I just guessed and didn't bother to cut the skin anywhere to see if the skin was total white.. clear through.
After soaking for what I felt was sufficient time I then added some baking soda.. I didn't measure.. I did slosh the frothy mix around and let it set for a good half an hour or so..then I put this and a coon skin I had in another bucket neutralizing together in the washing machine and added some soap for clothes.. , warm water, I'm just liking to get the alum off the fur here.. so I prefer not to allow the skins to agitate much if at all.. so then I stop the washer, drain it and I ran them right through the rinse cycle.. mostly because I have a life besides furs, hides, and using the power washer.. oh yeah and I did indeed powerflesh both of these skins with my pw'er, btw.. I like the skins Clean to begin with .. I like to remove the ear cartilage and any stuff around the whiskers.. LIKE thick muscle.. by hand..well mostly with a scissors, scalpel..whatever works to rid the skins of any excess meat, flesh, cartilage.. you have to get it down to just skin hair and hair roots.. you want to save those otherwise the hair could come out!.. not good.. so anyway here is the before and after.. I set Chuck Burrows knife in the picture just cause I was messing with it before I took the picture..well it does look nice, (I think) with the coyote.. so there ya have it! Easy almost coyote tawing.. Since the alum and salt can wash out.. smoking these kinds of skins well is a very good idea.. oh.. and btw.. I used WD-40 to soften these coyote.. never used that before.. not sure what the petroleum product can do to the skin fibers.. it could possibly eat them up!! Certainly can make them anti flame retardant..I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.. I just haven't yet ordered PROTAL.. suppose you could use brains.. But My guess is that Protal from the taxidermy supply works better than BRAINS for being there and helping then brains..JMHO there. I think when I do order the Protal from Van Dykes Taxidermy supply I'm going to want it by the gallon cause fur tanning is pretty neat.. I would have to as I do it quite often.. anyway Protal might indeed make this alum tawing furs easier yet.
This was a 3 legged female coyote.
Amazing strength she had as she was not at all thin or feeling like she was underfed. Anyway I tried to preserve her skin best I could, regardless of any imperfections. Despite the fact that she was missing a paw, I think she was really a big beautiful coyote.. that just happens to feed on plenty of other things the coyote hunters like to hunt.. so all the killing of coyotes is sad true but guess it's a human wildlife management thing. Preserving the skins to exhibit the pretty pretty furs just seems like the right thing to do.
I soaked this coyote skin for like two days(give or take a half a day) in a five gallon bucket that I'd swished my hand around in about 5 cups of salt and some hot water to dissolve.. or try to dissolve.. dissolving salt is easier said then done..so I just try to get the majority made into salt water..and then I think I used 2 or 3 cups or so of the Aluminum Sulfate that I found at the flour mill. It's a gardeners product used for changing the soil alkalinity for hydrangeas? and other flowering bushes, azaleas,etc. anyway, after adding the alum, stirring that up well and then adding cooler water..Just enough to cover the skins well in a 5 gallon pail I soaked this coyote skin for a couple of days.. until it seemed good and white and 'struck through', I just guessed and didn't bother to cut the skin anywhere to see if the skin was total white.. clear through.
After soaking for what I felt was sufficient time I then added some baking soda.. I didn't measure.. I did slosh the frothy mix around and let it set for a good half an hour or so..then I put this and a coon skin I had in another bucket neutralizing together in the washing machine and added some soap for clothes.. , warm water, I'm just liking to get the alum off the fur here.. so I prefer not to allow the skins to agitate much if at all.. so then I stop the washer, drain it and I ran them right through the rinse cycle.. mostly because I have a life besides furs, hides, and using the power washer.. oh yeah and I did indeed powerflesh both of these skins with my pw'er, btw.. I like the skins Clean to begin with .. I like to remove the ear cartilage and any stuff around the whiskers.. LIKE thick muscle.. by hand..well mostly with a scissors, scalpel..whatever works to rid the skins of any excess meat, flesh, cartilage.. you have to get it down to just skin hair and hair roots.. you want to save those otherwise the hair could come out!.. not good.. so anyway here is the before and after.. I set Chuck Burrows knife in the picture just cause I was messing with it before I took the picture..well it does look nice, (I think) with the coyote.. so there ya have it! Easy almost coyote tawing.. Since the alum and salt can wash out.. smoking these kinds of skins well is a very good idea.. oh.. and btw.. I used WD-40 to soften these coyote.. never used that before.. not sure what the petroleum product can do to the skin fibers.. it could possibly eat them up!! Certainly can make them anti flame retardant..I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.. I just haven't yet ordered PROTAL.. suppose you could use brains.. But My guess is that Protal from the taxidermy supply works better than BRAINS for being there and helping then brains..JMHO there. I think when I do order the Protal from Van Dykes Taxidermy supply I'm going to want it by the gallon cause fur tanning is pretty neat.. I would have to as I do it quite often.. anyway Protal might indeed make this alum tawing furs easier yet.
This was a 3 legged female coyote.
Amazing strength she had as she was not at all thin or feeling like she was underfed. Anyway I tried to preserve her skin best I could, regardless of any imperfections. Despite the fact that she was missing a paw, I think she was really a big beautiful coyote.. that just happens to feed on plenty of other things the coyote hunters like to hunt.. so all the killing of coyotes is sad true but guess it's a human wildlife management thing. Preserving the skins to exhibit the pretty pretty furs just seems like the right thing to do.