I've got three tanned sheep hides that I was told were bought in Turkey 20+ years ago.They need cleaned, but I'm not sure what to do with them.One of them is in very good shape,one is OK and one is pretty bad.They're long-haired and somewhat matted and dirty.The best one is very smooth on the flesh side, very soft and pliable.The worst one has scrape marks and a few dark,cracked places and "patches" where a piece of tanned hide has been sewn over holes.They are all soft and pliable, the leather is a bright white color, but seems fragile and easily torn.The hair is tightly set, no slipping.The inner leg and lower belly areas are hairless, but also pliable. Can I risk washing them or am I better off leaving them alone? Either way,I don't have much in them, so if I ruin the worst one experimenting I'm not out much. Or, I was thinking maybe someone could use 'em as a back drop or base exhibit. Any ideas? Ted P.S. Glen Conley.....I got some stuff for you, my computer has it hidden right now. We're playing hide-and-seek, as soon as I figure this thing out I'll send it to you. Sorry, I'm a computer dummy. Ted
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OK...I asked a simple question and was ignored. I guess not one person could possibly know how to treat a few old foriegn tanned hides.OK, I can accept that. And, yes, I used the "search" button.Awhile back I read some posts about helping beginners and how the "Pro's" donate their time and expertise.. I guess I'm guilty of not answering posts that I could help on, BUT.. I've needed help some times and found it through a lot of hours of research and hard work. Trial and error is a hard bitch , but a great teacher...Anyway if'n someone needs a sheep hide, I'll make you a deal.........Ted
Be a little patient! You probably werent being ignored - but sometimes people become tied up attending Shows, completing last minute work for customers, or simply havent had an opportunity to continually scan the Forums.
As for your Turkish tanned Sheepskins - first of all, its simply guess work trying to figure out the type of tan that was used. Plus from your information - they're very old (20 years)! Everything considered - they were probably treated with Alum. Again - its only a guess, but when you mention that they are now very weak, its a typical sign of age for Alum treated skins. Actually these have held up rather well considering its been 20 years. I can only speculate that they also were treated with Formaldehyde.
That said - I can only tell you that you should not subject the skins to any stress situation in the future, as they will continue to weaken. However, you may get some use from them as, like you say, you use them for back drops or an exhibit.
As for cleaning - there's only one answer - dry cleaning. The long wool and any matting of it, however, presents a problem. Normally the easy way to dry clean them would be to tumble them in a mixture of sawdust and a solvent. This is very similiar to what dry cleaners do. However, in your case, it could be disasterous, because the sawdust may become impossible to remove afterwards because of the wool. Soaking them in anything is not the answer! Soaking may hasten or accelerate their deterioration.
So - I really cant answer your question. In fact, the best I can do is give you my logical guess. If you do want to try the dry cleaning I can offer this suggestion. Use sawdust flour and not the grain type. Its smaller fine size will not snarl in the wool as easily. Try blowing it out with an air hose - and if you have to brush or comb - be very very gentle!
Thanks for your input.I believe I'll use em in some way without cleaning,I dont think sawdust flour will come out.I appreciate the advice. Ted
We dry clean hundreds of sheepskin a week. We could dry clean the skins for you. I just do not know how they will hold up. The skins could possibly be retanned in chrome, but I am unsure as to how they will dry up. Maybe they would be fine if they were retanned, extracted, and lightly toggled with no heat. They could then be hand staked and dry cleaned. Not sure if it is worth the effort.
Trophy Game Tanning, LLC
Sheboygan Falls, WI 53085
But I'm not gonna put a lot of time and$$$ in them. I do appreciate your response though. Ted