Storing skins for tanning

**Tiny** · 18th January 10, 08:27 PM

I may have access to a beaver pelt soon. the hubby to one of the women I work with is doing some trapping this year and has prommised me a pelt if he traps a few this season. I'm trying to figure out how to have him store it before he gets it to me. originaly I said to glove the beaver and throw it in the freezer but I'm just wondering if there is anything more I need him to do till I can get around to tanning it.

**tyger** · 19th January 10, 04:57 AM

Flesh the skin, salt it to set the hair, wrap it in a thick bundle of newspaper, place into a plastic bag, then refrigerate or freeze it depending on when you plan to tan it. Remember that bacterial growth is what causes the hair to fall out. Refrigeration only SLOWS the growth of bacteria; freezing slows the growth even more.

**Tobus** · 19th January 10, 06:26 AM

I may have something similar in the works. A buddy is doing some trapping and may catch something I'd be interested in. He specifically said he wouldn't flesh the hide, though. Is there some way of preserving it long enough to ship it to me so I can do it? Is simply freezing it going to be good enough?

**Piper** · 19th January 10, 06:45 AM

I haven't done much tanning lately, but I used to do quite a bit of brain tanning, as well as some chemical (usually salt acid, or alum) tanning of deerskins for Rendezvous/reenactment use. Hides the size of deer eat up freezer space fast. I used to flesh them out, treat them with borax, and let them dry. Once dry I'd put them in a canvas bag with some bug repellent and store them where moisture wouldn't be a problem. I could keep them for over a year like that. They may have been good for longer, but I generally got caught up before the next season.

**tyger** · 19th January 10, 01:17 PM

Originally Posted by Tobus

I may have something similar in the works. A buddy is doing some trapping and may catch something I'd be interested in. He specifically said he wouldn't flesh the hide, though. Is there some way of preserving it long enough to ship it to me so I can do it? Is simply freezing it going to be good enough?

Freezing a raw hide, then shipping it, is OK; but it needs to stay frozen, and that generally does not happen. Dry ice is best. Usually what comes in the mail is a soggy oozing nasty mess.

Here is what you can do: (If you do not want blue hide, then use plain salt, not salt with iodine.)
Salt the skin, refrigerate it 24 hours. Take out of refrigerator, shake off the wet salt and squeeze out the water; re-salt it; and freeze it. Next day- wrap it in a lot of newspaper, overwrap it with an old towel, put it in a plastic bag, and ship it for either 1 or 2 day delivery.
Upon arrival, flesh the hide, then proceed with picke, tan, etc.

**Biggie** · 20th January 10, 05:14 AM

I know my pop-pop keeps all of his deer skins during hunting season and winter until April. He just lays them out in the barn in a neat pile with road salt on them. Then he sells them in spring to a tanner, they seem to keep well in the colder weather.

**Squeaky McMurdo** · 20th January 10, 09:20 AM

I've had no problem salting hides and saving them until later to deal with. I've never used a fridge or freezer.

My general protocol if I need to dry a hide fast for storage or shipping is to use salt with no iodide in it, let that sit over night, and the next day sprinkle a generous layer of kitty litter crystals on it and fold it up.

When ready to use, you can rehydrate in the bathtub or a large bucket and use a hairdryer and/or some patience to dry it back out enough to work with.

I did an entire moose hide a couple years ago using this method. I prefer to do the fleshing and things outside when it's warm so I saved it from hunting season until late spring.

--Chelsea McMurdo--