I saw a big raccoon roadkill yesterday, it had obviously just died. I had the idea to take it home and make a hat, much to my husband's amusement. Needless to say when my four boys got home from school, they stood and watched in amazement as their Mom skinned a raccoon in the backyard. I think I did pretty good with it, broke the tail, but I can resew it later on I am sure. Someone told me to put it in the freezer after I skinned it, so I did that. Now I am not sure of the next step. I searched on the net about tanning, it seems very complicated. Are there any nonchemical ways to tan? What sort of knife should I use for fleshing? I have no idea where to get some of the products named in my searches. I wore doubled up gloves during the skinning. Complete city girl here!
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Tanning actually isn't that hard, I've done it a lot. One way you can do it is make a tanning mix of alcohol and turpentine and leave the hide in soaking a week. Then after a week, rinse it with water and spread neatsfoot oil on it and leave it for a day.
Even easier, you can buy a tanning kit from McKenzie's or any other taxidermy supply company. They don't cost that much and they come with instructions. (and they don't smell nearly as bad!)
If you've got more questions you can email me.
I forgot to mention fleshing. Pretty much any knife seems to work, just be careful you don't tear the skin. You can also find tools that are specifically designed for fleshing.
Another thing I should mention is that raccoon skins have to be degreased because raccoons have a lot of fat in them. I degreased mine in a mix of dish-washer detergent and room-temperature water, and it worked fine.
Thanks Ellie for your assistance. This project is so far out of the norm for me.
Your welcome. I'm always glad to help!