Can you use any household chemicals? Do you acctually need to fork out for tanning kits?
Please help, I am desperate to make something with the rabbit pelts after I've used the meat.
thanx
Adam
There's a big difference between "Curing and Tanning". Curing is usually referred to as initially preparing the skin for tanning by either fleshing and then air or salt drying it to set the fur or hair tight. Later you will have to rehydrate (soften) it, and then pickle and tan it.
I think what you were really referring to is "can you tan a skin using Drug Store chemicals" - not curing. Hopefully I'm right. And yes, you can tan skins by buying Alum (its the only one) at a Drug Store (its more expensive there than from a Supplier) , but you will also need to oil the skins, and unfortunately you will have to buy a good oil for your Alum tanned skins from a Supplier. Off the shelf oils simply do not work! They work good on the surface of shoes - but they are purposely made not to penetrate, but rather "condition" the leather surface.
My advice - Try a couple different Kits. Kits make it easy for that "first" try. Everything is there. Once you've used a Kit, and you obtain the results you're happy with - stick with that process. You can then buy the individual ingredients from your supplier.
To many times to many people have tried to short cut the things needed to do the work correctly.
This forums is full of those type of questions. Also this has lead to many mediochre taxidermist not being able to advance their quality. i.e. washing raw capes in laundry soap, wrong product, wrong pH etc.
Learn to do it right with a kit and you will be much happier as a result.