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Tanning a Cow Hide.

 

 

How to tan a cow hide.


Wash the hide of all blood in cold water, or if dry skins are to be cured, soak them in water with a little borax added, until soft and pliable.
Flesh the skin.

   

 Shave off all membrane and fat. This will take 8 to 12 hours.

 Use a Drawknife or Butchers Knife. Drape the Skin over a stay post or something similar.

 

Put down a sheet of plastic 4 metres X 6 metres on the ground.


This is for half under the skin and half folded over the skin.

 

 

Lay down 4 strong planks 150mm X 50mm leaving a min of 300 mm all round, Bolt the corners.

 

 

 

 

 

Cut 500 hooks out of 12g hi tensile wire or use bale hooks.

 

Stretch the hide on a frame using high tensile hooks and strong cord.

 Keep damp with borax and water while stretching the skin. do not let it dry out at this stage.

 After the skin is stretched on the frame, put a layer of fine salt on it while it is laid flat.

(Salt is available from your local stock firm.)

 Leave for 3 days but spread it evenly every day.

 

Cover the Skin with the plastic sheet folded over, to keep the moisture in as soon as you have finished stretching it.

 Leave it on unless you are working on the skin.

 

Optional: but not for Children. At this stage you can pour on a solution of formic acid , 1 cup to 4 litres water, to make the skin more pliable.

 ( Dangerous, wear rubber gloves and glasses. Wash afterwards.)

After 3 days sprinkle on Alum powder. Leave for a couple of weeks. Spread the mixture around every day.

(Alum is available from your local swimming pool supplies store.)

You can use chrome alum to make your skin washable. Just mix up a weak solution to start with ( 4oz to 5 litres warm water ) and gradually strengthen it over a period of a week. Dangerous wear rubber gloves

You may have to tighten the chords around the skin every so often.

Scrape off the excess salt and alum, and put in a plastic container

Wash the skin. The run off kills grass and rusts metal.

Oil the skin with a mixture of heated  lanolin and min turps or kerosine.

As the skin dries work it and break the fibres with the right angled piece of a tyre lever.

Sand the skin with very coarse sandpaper then wire brush. Sprinkle on Talcuum powder while wire brushng the skin. You can use scented powder if you like.

 

  Some dangerous chemicals are used in tanning skins, take care and use rubber gloves and protective glasses. Do not get the solutions on your own skin. Use this recipe at your own risk.

Tanning skins consist of the following processes:

1. Washing and soaking in cold water with borax. 5. Draining and washing.
2. Fleshing. 6. Stretching, oiling and drying.
3. Soak in Formic Acid (Dangerous - use rubber gloves and glasses.) and Salt. 7. Beaming and breaking the fibres.
4. Immersion in tanning solution. Alum, Chrome Alum + water. 8. Sanding, trimming, cleaning hair.
 

Wash the hide of all blood, or if dry skins are to be cured, soak them in water with a little borax added, until soft and pliable. 

Flesh the skin on a 4" x 2" board with rounded corners, using a carpenters draw knife, until all fat and membrane is off. 

Soak in half a cup of Formic Acid  (dangerous) per 5 litres of water plus 1lb of salt per 5 litres for 12hr to 48hrs depending on the thickness of the skin. This stops the skin shrinking too much during the process.

Now mix up the following solution in a non-metallic container:-

RATIO ONLY,- 1 gallon warm water, l lb Alum, l lb Salt, 4oz Chrome Alum (Dangerous - use rubber gloves and glasses.).
e.g:- 1 gallon minimum for Rabbits. Oppossums etc.
5 gallons minimum for Chamois, Goat.
10 gallons minimum for Sheepskin.
20 gallons minimum for Cow Hides, Bull Thar.


Put the hide in the solution and leave for two weeks or more until the hide is of even colour throughout. (Test by cutting a small cross Section). Stir the hide in the solution and stretch out the wrinkles every two days.

 Drain the skin, then wash in detergent and water, then in petrol.

 Stretch the skin on a frame. Paint a thin coat of., 1 part, Lanoline (sheep grease) - to 9 Parts Kerosene. Melt the lannoline- before mixing in the kerosine, making a very thin warm liquid. Dilute it with kerosene if necessary. 

When the skin is nearly dry. scrape with grubber, tyre lever or blunt instrument, to break up the fibres. Work the skin while it is drying until it is dry. First sprinkle with french chalk ballroom powder, fine sawdust or some similar substance, then sand with very coarse sandpaper or wire brush. 

The hair can be cleaned by a brisk rubbing with turpentine on a rag.

 

Talcuum Powder


Draw knife for thick skins only.
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Contact Clive Seddon at: Springfield NEW ZEALAND.

Phone: 64 3 3030775

Mobile:0212164222 Website: http://www.wildlifesculptures.co.nz/