I want to make a squirrel "rug," acually one that would hang on the wall. I'm thinking that I will skin, flesh, soak in alchol, rehydrate, stretch, borax, then pin in stretched position. Once dry, I'll glue the hide to cardboard, and (before its totally hardened) insert a foam-carved head insert. How does this sound? Any tips/advice/experiences/suggestions would be appreciated. thanks
SeaBass
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right after tanning/dping it. you want the skin to be very flexible when you mount the head and it should be done first.
After you have the head mounted you can then stretch the hide like you said and let it dry. Make sure though you check the head a few times over the next several days to prevent shrinkage and pulling away of the skin around the lips and eyes.
Another thing on the alcohol and rehydrating. If you are just going to dp it why not flesh it, dp it and mount it? Or go ahead and invest a little more time and money and actually tan it with some Krowtan 2000. It would make for a lot nicer rug.
i am interested in creating a large squirrel rug by sewing together several hides and outlining it in the tails. however, i have no idea how to start this project. the squirrel hides are too tough to run a needle through. any suggestions?
Howdy doodly.