Has any one out there tanned a hide from a Hair sheep? These are sheep that do not product wool but shed their winter coat. The hides are the hides frozen until I could find time to tan them. I am going to use the EZ-100 kit my husband bought me. But I'm not sure if I should treat like a normal sheep skin or like other fur hides. I would like the finished product to be washable. Any hints or tricks would be helpful.
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I tan Katahdins on a regular basis. I use Lutan-F to tan them which results in a non-washable hide. And with katahdins this is best. Their guard hair is more like a deer or antelope than anything, which with repeated washing(or Excessive Tumbling) will begin to break off. As far as the undercoat, it is alot like a wool sheep but not nearly as thick. When we tumble them we use the same sawdust as we do for furs and it doesnt stick at all. Katahdins do not need to be thinned much because they are often deep rooted, with some of the hair roots going all the way to the hypodermis. They also sometimes will have spots that open up to reveal the fiberous areas of the skin usually on or around the rump. If you leave theses spots alone they will not become weak and tear during streaching/staking. If your hides are winter hides they will take quite a bit cleaning but if they are the thin summer hides you should have no problem doing them in a home setting. They must be degreased like other sheep. White hides can be bleached, if you want.
If you have anymore questions feel free to email me.
Shelby
Promise Land Tannery
Try contacting Lone Star Tannery in NC. They might be able to steer you in the right direction. I know they do a fair amount of sheep tanning. They have a link, through the supplier/ tannery link above. Hope it helps