Fur Tip #4 (salting)

River Runner

New member
The process of salting a freshly skinned pelt accomplishes two things.
One, it kills off a great deal of any bacteria that has grown since the flesh side of the skin has been exposed.
Two, it dehydrates the flesh and virtually eliminates any further growth of bacteria. Bacteria needs moisture to live and spread.

Once you have the skin removed from the carcass, and the large pieces of meat and fat removed, the skin needs to be washed in luke warm water and a mild dish soap to remove any dirt and blood before salting it. Salt will set blood, so be sure to remove any signs of it durring the wash. Once the hide has been washed and rinsed well, it can be hung to drain until it becomes a damp stage.
Then go ahead and lay the skin out flat, flesh side up and cover the flesh completely with a fine ground salt. Rubbing the salt into the skin thoroughly and into every nook and cranny, paws, ear bases, nose, etc.
With the tail bone removed, I will run a stiff wire down into the tail skin until it punctures the tip of the tail and exits there. Pulling the wire back out now I can fill the tail skin with salt and as it removes the moisture it can drain out the tiny hole just made.
Fine ground salt can be found at almost any place that sells livestock feed. And non iodized is reccomended. An 80# bag costs as little as $6.00.
A good rule of thumb as to how much salt to use is two cups of salt for each pound of hide. Or one pound of salt to each pound of hide. Basically your going to want a good 1/8th of an inch of salt covering everything.
Once you feel you have the hide completely covered with salt you can roll it up, flesh side inward and lay it somewhere to drain. If you can rest it on an inclined board or something similiar, the drainage will stay away from the skin and fur.
Let the skin drain for at least 24 to 36 hours, and then unroll the skin, shake off the excess salt, and give it another good salt down using the same method just described, two cups per pound and rub it in good. Don't reuse salt that comes off the hide. The salt needs to be fresh and dry.
Salting like this should be done three times to completely dehydrate the skin. After the draining time for the third salting is complete you can unroll the skin, shake it off and hang it somewhere dry to finish drying. By now it should be fairly stiff and well on it's way. Keep in mind that if the hide is hung somewhere where it will be effected by the humidity outdoors it will draw moisture from the air and rehydrate itself, drawing flys and insects.
Hides preserved this way and kept away from insects, rodents and moisture, will keep for close to a year.

Salting is not something that absolutely has to be done but it is a sure fire way to prevent a lot of headaches and ruined skins. Everything that comes into my shop gets salt dried as the first step. Air dried pelts, I will rehydrate and salt dry agian using the above method.
Properly fleshed skins can be air dryed and stored for months. But the key here is (properly fleshed)
If you choose to freeze your hides rather then salting them do not salt them first. Salt will only prevent them from freezing in the freezer.
If you plan to ship your hides off somewhere for tanning or to be mounted, they can be wrapped in newspaper, and boxed up right after the the third salting is completed. Brushing of any remaining salt before hand will save a few pennys in shipping weight.

~River Runner~

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River Runner, I have a couple questions for you. First, could you explain the proper or preferred way to remove the tail bone. I have always just split the tail and removed it. Is that incorrect? Second when sending hides to the tannery do they needed to be split or are cased hides Ok to send?

Thanks,
Steve

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Safety 1st. Live with it.
 
Steve, both cases...just a matter of preference.
I like to use a tail stripper because it leaves the tail unsplit and looks more realistic when the hide is finished. Again, it's just preference, some prefer the opened look on tails you get when you split them. They are easier to salt and tan when they are split. I just don't care for the finished look.
As far as the pelt itself, again whatever the individual chooses. Split hides will have the appearance of a rug when layed or hung flat and tubed skins look like they just came off a stretcher.
Split skins are easier to salt because your able to lay them out flat and all the flesh is right there facing up, ready to deal with. Tubed skins...well not quite the same situation, but no big deal really. Rub in the salt, roll up the hide, just the same.
Tubed skins get tanned inside/out so there's no big drawbacks there either. I like the looks of tubed skins myself.
Here's a picture of me holding the type of tail stripper I use. You just close it around the tail bone that has been peeled back a little up by the base of the tail, hold it with two hands, one on each side of the tail, and swiftly, with one motion, sweep it downward. It strips the hide right off and leaves it whole.
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~River Runner~

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I have that same stripper and it works great. Little tip to anyone new to using one. Keep your mouth closed when using it. I was stripping a tail once and the tailbone popped loose from the skin. Blood and some other foul tasting liquid got flung into my open mouth. Yuck! Yuck!
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Mike,
Any place that has anything to do with trapping, or taxidermy will sell them.

Northwest Trappers Supply out of Owatonna, MN. has them in thier catalog. email= [url=mailto:trapper@clear.lakes.com
 
We've always just used two sticks. Or screw drivers, or whatever's handy. They need to be about 6 inches long, and however thick they have to be to be sturdy. Usually about 1/3 inch, but screw drivers can be much thinner. Hold them on both sides of the tail, clamp down, and swiftly glide it off. Walla! We still split our tails for drying, but it makes it much easier, and a far straiter seam.
 
I agree with the last post in that I like to keep constant pressure on the tail bone as it tapers, something that is difficult with the type shown. I use anything handy, such as a couple of combination wrenches or screwdrivers, gripping them tightly on both sides, and continuing the pressure as the hide strips from the bone. I put one boot on the butt, and pull upward with one quick motion. You have to relieve enough skin during the casing operation that there is no restraint.

As far as getting the salt into the "cased tail, I have always used a plastic soda straw. You insert it all the way to the end and pour salt down the other. When it is completely filled, you remove the straw, shaking and tamping it down as you slide it out, and adding more as needed. Very simple procedure. I have never punched a hole through the tip, but it sounds like a good idea?

RR, why is it that the taxidermist, to a man, are afraid to have the hunter salt the hide before they get it? Is it just a blood stain consideration?

Good hunting. LB
 
I've never heard a taxidermist ask the customer not to salt thier skins, Leonard.
I actually encourage it.
I can only think of two possible reasons.
One is... not all taxidermists actually tan thier skins, or send them out before they mount them. Some use these brush on tanning formulas to cure the skin until they can get it mounted and sealed. Salt may counter react with some of these.

The other is, the taxidermist needs to get accurate eye to nose and neck measurements while the hide is pliable so that a form can be ordered. Salt will temporarily shrink the skin as it dries.

~River Runner~

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[This message has been edited by River Runner (edited 09-22-2001).]
 
I am fairly new to taxidermy, and i never use to salt the skin before for preservation. I just read your post at the top and was wondering if i have already salted a skin and didn't get all the blood off due to time issues, how would you go about getting the blood off the hyde after i salted it?
 
Originally Posted By: TyBastianHey River!

How would you salt and fold a case skinned pelt for draining?

last time river posted something on here was like 13 years ago. you probably will not get a response.
 
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