Here it goes Red,
Home Tanning using Alum/Salt method:
I always salt hides, forgot to mention this. The salt puckers the skin and set the hair. Unsalted hides risk slipping due to being an immersion tan. If air dried, rehydrate, salt flesh side for 24 hours, remove salt, and resalt for another12-24 hours.
What you'll need:
Large plastic tote
5 gallon bucket
Aluminum Sulfate (7.99 for 4 lbs at CountryMax garden section)
Super Washing Soda (3.79 at WalMart laundry isle)
Non Iodized salt, stock salt, or pickling salt (5.49 for 50lbs at Runnings or CountryMax)
Wooden stirring stick
Rubber gloves (we are making an acid so you need these)
Neatsfoot oil (9.49 at CountryMax or Tractor Supply in saddle section)
All these materials will tan (really tawing not tanning) about 15-20 fox/coyote.
First put 2 gallons of HOT water in the 5 gallon bucket. Add 2 1/2 pounds of salt(4 cups) and stir until dissolved. You cant use too much salt so don't worry if its a little over. It wont hurt anything.
To the Salt brine mix we just made, add 2/3 cups of washing soda and stir till dissolved. Hot water helps fully dissolve the salt and soda.
In the large tote, add one gallon HOT water and 2 pound of Aluminum Sulfate (4 cups) and stir till dissolved.
SLOWLY pour the 4 gallons of salt/soda brine into the Aluminum Sulfate solution in the tote. This will start to bubble very vigorously (chemistry is fun!) and will expand 2-3 times its original volume before settling back down. That's why the tote has to me considerably larger than the 5 gallon bucket. It also makes it easier to place hides without them bunch up in the pickle.
Congratulations, the pickle is complete. It will have a pH of 1-2 at these measurements. It is caustic, don't put your bare hands in it. It will burn if you have an open cut.
Preparing the hide:
Flesh the hide as normal if frozen or green.
If the hide has been stretched and dried, it will need to be rehydrated. Put 1/4 cup borax, 1/4 cup salt into 3 gallons of water and soak the hide for 4-6 hours until it is fully rehydrated and feels like it just came off the critter. Don't leave in longer than necessary or you risk slippage.
Make sure to flesh the face. Otherwise you risk rock hard face and the lips will crack during the breaking process. Split the lips and turn the nose and ears. If you don't the ears will turn to cardboard and the hair will eventually slip, leading to bald ears and one ugly fox. The nose will shrivel and draw bugs because the acid will only penetrate about 1/8 inch of flesh/hide.
Turned ears
Split lips and turned nose
Cleaning the hide:
In the 5 gallon bucket, add 1/2 cup washing soda, 1/2 cup pet shampoo or laundry detergent, 1/4 cup borax. Wash the hide thoroughly. You would be surprised how much dirt and grease come off what looks to be a clean hide. You will notice an instant color change using this wash solution. This starts the tanning process by breaking down the initial layer of fat and membrane.
side by side before and after wash.
After the pickle has cooled add the hides, flesh side out. Stir with your stick and press all the air from the hide so they stay submerged. They will need some help to stay submerged. I use old flower pot bases, the terracotta allows the acid to move freely in contact with the hide. 2-3 times a day you will need to stir the hides to agitate the pickle solution and make sure the hide isn't folded on itself and preventing the acid from working. Fox will take 3-5 days in the current temps, shorter if its warmer.
Ill post the rest of the breaking, oiling process in about 2-3 days.