HI my name is urdin aka andy I am the secretary of the Michigan Vikings Guild and this is my first time tanning. Would first off like to thank all of you for the info on white tail tanning with fur on/ fur off. I became confused on lots of points; not being a taxiderist but a hunter. I did not know what to do with my pelts. you as a whole convinced me to try to cure my hides (I know that curing my not be the correct term nor may tanning.) I am trying to put together a presention for our living history reenactment group. You guys have help with out knowing but I must point one thing out the differance between tanning and tawing and pickling makes no differance to me. As I have researched the noric people (the vikings used skins as needed and processed them as quickly as possible) this maybe why so few skins are found in digs in short I have found that the process most likely used is salting and alum solutions. They may not last very long in modern times but for practical use they will suffice. I have found the more salt the better. example my first skin just cleaned in a dry scrap method produced a good raw hide loaded with oils and god bless those of us who wish to dry scrap (you fools) my second skin I presoaked and salted followed by an alum solution to set the hair and (tan)with brains (actully using an egg solution I found in michigan outdoors)this gave me a useable product but was not perfect. the third I salted to start, cleaned of all free matter resalted and then pickled using alum this gave me the product I wanted. A useable skin with fur that can be used for all my needs. I know it will not last more then a few years. But it gives me exactly what my viking forfathers would have had. I would appreciate any advice you could give me beyond this point. Thank you for all the infomation provided in this forum keep up the good work.
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Will you please e-mail me this egg soultion you used?
taxidermykid
that's all I have to say about that
Good to see the name Odin is not not strange to some. I'm more like Loki. Anyway, I think you might like www.braintan.com if you've not yet found it yet. Jeff F.