i|B Jfurrter's Jfrienb J\.h6tger on Jressmg mxh banning of Jfur TH I R D EDITION COPYRiGMT 192 2 WRITTEN « PUBU'lSMEO BV No«TM Beach St. DAVTONA. - FUORfOA • 'f!-- J-W' ■' ■'■>■■■ 'V ../if ■^l -<-'■■. -■. e^*t^*t^*' DRESSING AND TANNING OF FUR SKINS AND HIDES f^* e,^ e then take the hides out, strain the bran through an old Burlap or screen, then stir in the liquor 2^2 pounds of sulphuric acid, stir all the time while adding the acid. Now place in your skins again and leave from four to ten days according to the thickness of the skins, for heavy hides twice the amount oi acid should be used, when tanned hang them in the shade to dry. It is best to wash the furs m several waters when you take them out the last time. When the skins are partly dry work them with your hands, stretching them every way, and work them over a beam until dry. Now lay on your working bench and wet down again with soap and wa.er, stretch well in all directions and tack on the table, let it dry, when dry take sandpaper and work off all surplus flesh; the Ind'ans use stone for this work. If the hide is not soft and pliable enough rub in some butter or Neat's-foot oil. This is a good tan for anything from a mink to a cougar. PROCESS NO. (3) To ten gallons of soft water, stir one bu-hel of wheat bran, one cake of laundry soap melted, 2 ounces pul- verized borax, 4 ounces sulphuric acid, one pound salt, soak hides in this until soft, take out and piace in the tanning liquor as follows: ten gallons water, V2 bushel of wheat bran, : et m a warm p'ace to fermjnt. Add 2^/^ pounds of su'phuric acid, stir all the t'me while addim,' the acid. Mukrats and similar small skins should be left in this tan five hours, heavy ?kins several days, take out, rinse in several waters, rub while drying. PROCESS NO. (4) This is the lightning hand tan. Always u e the same proportion whether making more or le.Ls 01 this liquor 6 pounds salt, 6 pounds alum, 13 ounces saltpeter, 8 ounces borax. Pulverize well and place in good strong vinegar, stir and it will soon dissolve, place in the skins and let them soak 1 V2 hours. Then hang up and let drain, repeat this operation until skins are tanned. A coit hide will tan in two days. When skins are tanned wash in tepid soft water and a few drops of ammonia, stretch out well after partly dry, and tack to the floor or on the bench. The stretching helps opsn the pores and does not give the glue a chance to set. When dry sandpaper it and use butter or oil if necessary. 3 PROCESS NO. (5) A good hand tan: To 1 gallon of soft water take 1 pound salt, 1 pound alum, i/4 pound borax and a f ew | drops of sulphuric acid, stir this all together in luke-| warm water.'* After your skins have been soaked and fleshed well, tack them to the floor and with a cloth spread the liquor over the skins once, every day or every time the skins dry- and it will tan in about three or five days. Take the tacks out and sand-paper the skin well. PROCESS NO. (6) Wash the skin thoroughly in rain water and good soap, rinse well in several waters, wring all the water you can get out and make a paste ^s follows: One pound salt, V2 pound alum, 1 V2 ounce borax, dissolve in hot water and right then mix with rye meal, make a thick paste, wipe the skin dry with a cloth, lay on the floor and apply a coat of paste on the flesh side with a brush or cloth, roll the skin up so the paste will not get on the fur and law away ten days, then unroll the skin and scrape the paste away. Wash in soft water and hang in the shade to dry. Watch and when dry spots come rub them and stretch them in every way and when nearly dry work them over a beam, heavy skins must be fleshed well and another application of the paste used and laid away for several days longer. For making cow and horse hides pliable and soft, I have worked bull hides for two days on my fleshing beam with a draw knife, and thinned it down so well it was as soft as a glove, it is also well to plan a way to stretch your heavy hides, for instance like an old fashion rope bed. This can be made out of a 2x4 eight feet long, nail together and make a square frame, with a ^-iiich bit bore holes every foot around the frame, place your hide in the frame, cut holes in the cide and string it up to the frame v/ith i/4-inch rope, first in the hide then to the frame, so on all around the hide. You can then string it up as tight as a drum head ■ and with your good sharp sleek you can thin the skin | so it will be evenly in thickness. An iron sleek is made 1 with a piece of saw blade 5 by 3 inches, one edge ground j square and set in a piece of pine board 8 by 4 inches :| smoothly worked off. One large horse or sow hide will ; make a coat, and you can get several pair of gloves and s mittens off from the edges of the hide after the coat j has been cut out. 1 PROCESS NO. (7) Soak hides in cold water for one night, heavy hides two or three days, but change water every 12 ,or 24 hours until perfectly soft, then remove all flesh and pickle in the following: 1 gallon soft water to 20 ounces salt and five ounces alum; heat this up to 100 or 110 degrees F. not more. Nov/ work into this pickle the skins for several minutes, then let it stand over night, next day hang the hides over a beam and let them drain; then shave them very thin (but heavy hides such as cow hides, put them in the same pickle for another night, drain again, then nail the hide to a board or on the floor). Oil over the pelt all it will take in of good Neats-foot oil. Now give a strong solution of Gum Gambler, 80 per cent, is a strong solution, take the Gum Gambler, say Vz lb. to 1 quart of water and boil until dissolved. Then dry, place in a drum v/ith a little moist sand to soften the pelt, then add fine sifted saw- dust to the drum and tumble. This will clean the hide. The main thing is to soak thoroughly to prevent any stiff places in the hide. If Gambler is not obtainable, leave it out. This is the best formula for a new beginner, and it is an absolute sure tan for all hides, and is given before detailed, is also very useful for small skins, to pickle. PROCESS NO. 8 Chrom Tanned Hides and Skins Skins worked out in this way will always keep soft no matter how often they get wet. The skins, when thoroughly soaked, fleshed and washed, are put in a strong solution of Alum and Salt; 2^2 pounds of Alum dissolved in 5 gallons of boiling water and then add 1 pound of salt. When the solution is cooled down to 100 degrees F., the skins are put in and stirred for about half hour and then let remain in it from 12 to 24 hours. Lift out, drain out, everything saved. Then add three pounds of saft and one quart of concentrated Chrom liquor. In the meantime shave the skins and put back in the alum liquor and work again. When the green color has gone through the thickest part of the skins they are tanned, but if not some more Chrom liquor should be added. When tanned a couple of ounces of bicar bonate of soda should be added to the liquor. Work again and let them remain in it for another day. Then wash in 5 Borax water, afterwards in clear water, drain and put in frame. When the excess of water is out, grease with grease paste. Dry and finish. (This grease paste is given later on.)"* Cotton seed oil may be used. Concen- trated Chrom liquor is made: Dissolve so much of Bichromate of Potash as boiling water will dissolve. PROCESS NO. 9 Tanning With Gambier, Alum, and Salt After the hides are pickled with process No. 7 and shaved, they are put in a Gambier solution of three de- grees by Baume for heavy fluid. Handle this until the strength is down to one degree, then strengthen up to six and handle every few hours until the hides are tanned through. After 24 hours wash a little, drain, frame and paste grease, or oiled. Making Skins Mothproof Add t othe tanning liquor per 600 grams of water: 10 grams Corrosive sublimate. 80 grams Carbolic acid. 10 grams Salicilic acid. Skins handled in Process 7 are moth proof. Sheep and Goat Skins When dry they should be soaked one night in cold water, beamed in length and width. Then wash like Polar bears, but soda may be used in the soap suds. Rinse in warm water and pickle as in No. 7, and when it is to be dyed, black, can be taken in the Chrom bath and dyed as given later. But if it is to be kept white when dried, dampen lightly with clear water. Next morning beam and clean in Drum with white sand and whiting or talcum. Goat skins need no washing otherwise than in the same treatment, but if they are to be natural clean them in hardwood sifted sawdust. The wet beaming and the after beaming has to be well done to make the skins soft and pliable. The pelt can be cleaned by an emery wheel, sand or pumis stone. The process to clean and bleach bear skins is given later. Tanning Snakes, Eel and Alligator Skins The skins like others have to be soaked in water until soft, then fleshed and put back in the water for a few hours. Then put in a solution of 1 gallon of water, 13 ounces salt and 1 ounce sulphuric acid for 6 or 8 hours. 6 Then put in alum and salt solution of equal parts about 12 to 15 degrees Baume and left there for 24 hours or longer, according to the size. They are then dried slowly and run m the turning tub with moist sawdust until all the scales come off; then stretch out dried and finished. If the scales have to remain on tti.m handle with care; when dry just moisten with soap wa^er; let lie for a while and stretch, if you want a bright shiny finish use casein or shellac; for dull finish flaxseed gum or gum tragacanth. Ciean the pelt with sandpaper or pumice stone. Tanning With Salt, Alum and Gambier Skins are soaked until soft; stretching by hand quick- ens this process. Flesh, wash and put in the lime vat for 4 or 5 days until the outer scales can be easily re- moved. Wa^h in bran-water until clean; wash again and pickle in alum and salt as above for 3 days, 1 part alum and 2 parts salt, sufficient water to co-zer. After this start to pickle with gambier of 3 degrees Baume and strengthen every day 1 degree until 6 degrees are reached. Skins have to be taken out every morning, th 1 degree added and put back again. When tanned wash and grease paste and dry. When nearly dry stretch. Clean the pelt and finish as above given, bright or dull. Dressing Fur Skins Furs are not tanned but dressed or prepared for the manufacture. Fur skins are mostly dry, and if green dry first. This is done by stretching them on a board and putting strips of newspaper in tiie legs. Then put skins on the beam and with beaming knife push off the greasy skin, starting at the head. This is called scrap- ing and recommended to trappers. A nicely scraped skin brings more money. Skins for dressing have to be brushed with salt water, a full handfuU in about 10 quarts of water Use cold in summer and warm in win- ter. Then thoroughly wet soft wood sawdust with some water. Squeeze a handful and v/hen a few drops come out it is right. Save this sawdust for next use. Then when the skins are open, put them on the ground with the fur down, throw the west sav/dust on it. If the pelt skins are cased up sawdust first on the ground and then cover the skin with it all over well. So continue if you have more furs to soak. Open skins, first skin then sawdust, then skin again. See that heads and sides are well covered as bare places will not soak. Let skins lay until next morning, then take out of the soak. Take small hides on the blunt knife on the bench and push all f the flesh off, starting at the rump or tail. If there is ' thick skin on-M^he head shave it off and wet again if it has not the needed stretch. Larger skins take on the beam and work with the beaming knife in lenghth and width. Then shave all hard spots and wet again or put in the sawdust if needed. Pull also the skin on the bench in length and width. This is very necessary and to be observed as will be explained in cutting furs. If the stretch is not given when wet it will not stretch when nailed out and you never get out of them what you otherwise could. When this is done make a pickle: 1 quart water, 5 ounces of salt and one ounce of sul- phuric acid, stir up and brush the fleshed skins with it all over and as much as it will absorb. Let them lay over night. Leathery furs have to be brushed again and very heavy ones 3 times and over night or at least eight hours if done in the morning. When pickled, dry. Observe that furs must be thoroughly soaked and worked before pickling. Pickle must only be put in stone or glass vessels. After furs are dry smear all over with a brush or rag the grease paste mentioned later on. Double furs up and let lay till next morning. Then observe them closely and if you find dry spots smear a little more one and let lay a few hours longer, then put them in the drum with sawdust which must be only of hardwood and sifted fine, for about one hour. Then put small skins on the blunt knife in the bench and pull it length and width again and shave what is heavy. Larger furs put on the beam again and shave, then put in drum again with clean sawdust and work for 3 or 4 i hours To hasten this work put a charcoal can under the drum, or a gas arrangement. But both must be nearly ! the whole width of drum. But while you have get heat under it, see that it does not get too hot. As long as you can bear your hand on it, its all right, but if it gets hotter remove the fire. One-half hour with fire and ^ one-half without will be sufficient. If you have power, ' fire is not needed, but 3 or 4 hours run. When they ' come out of the drum beat the dust out and emery out ' or take all the fleshy parts off by rubbing with pumice "' stone or coarse sandpaper. f Beaver, Otter, Nutria and Seal Skins ^ Which have to be unhaired. The first three kinds are S treated as follows: Soak in cold water at night. Next morning wash in half pound soap and 2 ounces of soda in a pail 90 to 100 degrees F. hot water. Wring with an ordinary cloth wringer; stretch the skins hair out on a board and put it in front of a hot stove or hot sun, but see that the stoVe is not too hot. Shake the skin several times to dry the hair and raise it, and when the pelt gets too dry wet again with cold water to keep it wet, else the hair will not come out. After -a while try to pull the top hair out. When they come out easily put the skin on a beam which you have prepared by putting one layer of thick carpet and a raw skin dry on top of the carpet. Then rub the hair with a lump of chalk. Then take your beaming knife and work down the hair from head first, then upward. Use chalk freely — the knife has a better grip. What you cannot get out this way take a short blade knife like a potato peeling one and pull the hair out. Touch not the ground hair. When properly unhaired — that is, having most of the long hair out- — pickle and finish like other skins. But seals being salted have to be shaved first, the fat off, then washed, by rights tacked in an iron ring and dried; then washed and treated same as other skins, like otter, beaver and nutria. But if some of these skins have to be dyed they should be shaved after the dye. It is not necessary to take every little bit of the top hair, but the fine top hair are better moved with a sharp knife, life a razor; draw it over the hair and cut them out before cutting. The simplest way of dressing fur skins and hides is with alum and salt, as given in Lesson 1, Process 7. But the fur will be richer and glossier if water is kept out of the hair and therefore the method just given gives the best result and is employed in all the larger factories of Leigzig, Germany, the best in the world. Muskrat Dressing The hardest skins to dress are the muskrats. There- fore they are especially described. First scrape all the fat off the skins; then put in wet sawdust as given above. Next morning take out of the sawdust and pull on the blunt knife on the bench as long as possible. Put the well soaked by themselves; then the next; then the hard ones; wet them all after pulling and put the hard ones in sawdust again. Fleshing Muskrats 9 Flesh the soft ones first; then the next; last before evening the hard ones which will be soaked by that time. For fleshing put in the banch your sharp knife; take the skin by the rump, right side fir^t in your right hand the head part on me iro^it pay hole and draw the skin lightly over the edge of the knife toward you and at the same time upward^. When that side is done do the other side; then the back, Do not touch the belly part but the head and rump. You will learn to cut almost on the first skin and when you can cut that you can cut the other skins. Do not let any unpickled skins lie over till next day in warm weather. V/hen fleshed pickle them twice; thick ones three t mes. Dont flesh skin unless thorough- ly soaked, else you cut the skin on the sharp knife. Never pull a skin on a sharp knife. Make it blunt first by rub- bing a glass bottle over the edge. Grinding a Fleshing or Shaving Knife Grind the edge on both sides until the edge lies over all along. Then you are sure of a true edge; otherwise a false edge wiil do damage. When that grade is there take an oil-stone and fine the edge until smooth and clean of the ^rade. Your fleshing knife is ready for use. But on your shaving knife a grade has to be laid. After fining for this purpose take a round smooth steel; fasten it on a piece 2x3; then draw the edge over the steel; that grade just starts, but press pretty hard and pull through end fro, and lay the edge by every pull a little more to the r ght angle, until you have it exactly in the r ght angle. Then the knife is finished. When the edge is dull use the steel mentioned under tools. Just draw the point of the steel along inside the edge and then with the steel on the outside in the right angle. In this way, crav/ing just along the edge of the flesh- ing knife sideways, will also sharpen it. Using the Shaving Knife Take the cross handle in the left hand and the length hanale in your right, having then the cutting edge in front of the kn fe, push it down on the skin, at the same time draw it sideways to the right, holding the cutting edge in a right angle to the skin. Hides which are shaved in the frame muit be shaved on the fleshing beam on the sides. Furrier's Supply Houses For silks and hnings write B. Allman & Co , 5th Ave. 10 and 34th Street, New York City. For loops, olives, etc., write B. Cohen, 1265 Broad- way, New York City. For cutlery, write A. Delbon, 490-6th Ave., New York City. For trimmings, etc., write G. Golstein, 39 W. 32, New York City. For all supplies. Gross, Engel & Co., 115 W. 27 St., New York City. For all supp ies, write Manhattan Fur Novelty Co., 11 Waverly PL, New York City. For all supplies, Perl, Winter & Co., 110 W. 26 St., New York City. I recommend you to subscribe to the Fur News Maga- zine and get a Fur News Directory. It gives you all the supply houses and news worth knowing. They are pub- lished by Paul Belden, 71 West 23d St., New York City, N. Y. Grease Paste Mix 1 pound wheat middlings with 1 gallon of cold water, one pound tallow and half a cake of Fels Naptha soap. Boil this untilevery thing is dissolved; then add cottonseed oil until it shows itself on the top. Do not use it hotter than 90 degrees F. Drum The Drum consists of 2 sides with boards inside. The size ought to be: 3 feet diameter, 2 feet wide, boards inside 3 inches wide. 4 feet diameter, 2i/^ feet wide, boards inside 4 inches wide. 5 feet diameter 2% feet wide, boards inside 5 inches wide. 6 feet diameter, 3 feet wide, boards inside 6 inches wide. The sides ought to be made for: 3 feet, 1 inch good match boards and 6 inch cross board. 4 feet, 1 inch good match boards with 12 to 15 inch cross board. 5 and 6 feet, double 1 inch matchboards crosswise. They are covered with galvanized iron and nailed close to the sides with 1 inch wire nails. The door is on one side. The drum is mounted on a frame, but must be one foot from the floor. The speed is about 16 to 18 revolutions per minute. The boards inside should be about two feet apart. When skins leave the drum with the sawdust, they can be put in a cage made in the same way as the drum, but covered with i/^-inch wire 11 meth. The speed for this is from 20 to 24 revolutions per minute. Any blacksmith can make -a shaving or beaming knife or they may be bought at a Curriers supply house. The blades may be made of old saws. A Nailingout Frame for Hides is better than a board, as the skin dry quicker and they are not so heavy. Such a frame is made from boards 12x1 inch and 6x8 feet long. Two boards forming a rectangular frame. When the skins are laced in the shaving frame tight, shave with the round shaving knife by pulling it down the skin. When this is done lace in the other half of the skin and shave, then shave the sides on the beam. There are two hinges on the frame so the frame can be lifted up and shave the bottom v/ithout stooping. The frame is like that of the nailingout frame but is hung on a crossbeam between two posts, thus the hinges make it possible to shave the bottom without stooping. If you have power you can have an emery wheel and save a lot of labor. Revolutions per minute should be about 400, but no more. The wheal is made of two sides of cross boards and covered with 1 V2 inch pine boards but small and when turned quite around is 2 V2 to 3 feet in diameter and 6 to 8 inches wide and is boxed so that only about 10 inches is visible on top. On this part the skins are cleaned on the pelt, by holding the skin with the left hand over the wheel and with the right hand slightly press the skin on the wheel. When the wheel is turned put a box as big as the wheel to catch the emery that falls off v/hen putting it on. Then have a hot glue pot ready and brush 6 or 8 inches long on the wheel as much as possible, then throw medium emery on the glue as much as it will take. Do another spot the same way until clear around the wheel. All the emery that did not stick in the glue fell in the box and can be used next time. When the emery is blunt let your wheel ran and hold some kind of an iron against it, and put on emery again as before. Skin Beating Machine Have a piece of wood 3 feet long and 4 or 5 inches square. Put on an ironshaft about 4 feet long and on one end a loose and tight pulley and two bearing. Then get 8 pieces, each 3 feet long 1 inch angle irons. Have on two sides of the angle iron every two inches 3-8 inch holes double bored so that the two holes meet exactly. 12 Then have on the other sides of the angle iron every six inches a hole bored. Then cut strips of sole leather ^/4- inch vs^ide and 12 inches long. Get little screwbolts and fasten the straps in the angleiron with the tv^o-inch apart holes. Every inch a strap then tighten the screws and the straps will hold in the irons. When all four rows of screws are finished screw them solid on the woodshaft by the six inch apart holes. Then have a form made of 3x4 wood and mount the machine on to it. There need not be more than two inches of space be- tween the straps and the frame but in front the frame ought to be a foot longer. In this space a board will be kept with a roller in front. This board with the roller will be pushed against the straps with the skin on and beaten and then pulled back from the straps. If the skins are very dusty the entire machine should be boxed, leaving only the pulleys out, The speed of this machine should be from 150 to 200 revolutions per minute. Deodorizing Fur Skins In four gallons of water put four pounds of soap and four pounds of soda. Boil until dissolved then add 1 ^/i ounce of borax, 5-8 ounce sulphate of soda, one ounce oil of sassafras. Cool down to 90 degrees F. Work skins thru this and pickle with process No. 7. This is suitable for skunks, etc. In Germany the big dressing- works simply put the dry and scraped skins in the drum with sav/dust ar.d a charcoal fire underneath and tumble for 1/4 hour, extracting all the fat and with it all the smell disappears. They are then dressed like other skins. Therefore the German furi are always free from smell. Buck Skin Tan For each skin take 13 cuarts of water and put into it one quart of lime; let the skin soak in this 4 or 5 days, then rinse in clean water and scrape off the hair. After scraping soak in cold vv^ater 2i/^ days, and scour or pound in good soap suds half an hour; then take white vitriol, alum and salt; 1 V2 tablespoon of each to a skin, dissolve them in enough water to cover nicely and let the skin soak in this 24 hours, then wring out as dry as possible. When dry spread on with a brush, V2 pint Curriers' oil and hang in the sun 2 days. Next scour out the oil with soap suds and hang; out again until per- fectly dry; then stretch and rub the skin until soft. If a reasonable time does not make them soft, scour out , 13 again in soap suds until complete. The buff color is given by yellow ochre spread over the skin and rub well with a brush. Dressing Fur Skins on a Large Scale In the middle of the last Century the German skin- dressers used tabbing machines such as the ones used for leathering chamois leather or the woolen cloth and blanket makers used, for beaver and muskrats. Whilst the English and Americans used barrels or tubs like ox- heads and by this the work is called tubbing and the tubbing machine called kicker. In this tub a man goes and kicks and jumps about on the skins to make them soft and leathery. About 10 years later there was a tubbing machine constructed that almost every kind of skins could be tubbed or leathered in. They are only uied in Germany, also invented there. They work much quicker and in almost half the time. There are several in use in this country put up on my advice. Dressing Beaver and Muskrat Skins With Tubbing Machines Skins are put in wet sawdust as described before. Next morning the hard parts shaved off and put back in the sawdust to soak thoroughly, then be pulled on the dull kn'fe length and width, then stretched flat and dried. When dry sti'ched up lenghtwise with two-inch stitches with fme spring. Then brushed with weak soda water. This applies to muskrats also. Let in till next morning- covered up. best in a box to prevent drying; look over for dry spots, bru;h suc'i a little more. Skins must not be too wet neither too dry Then grease the good ones first with half f'sh oil and half butter scraps, warmed up to 110 F. and put in tubbing machine; let run for 3 hours. Then take skins out pull long and grease the thick one sa little moreand put back in the tub for an- other 3 or 4 hours. Thie skins are done when there is no more whitish spots to be seen. Then beavers are oponed on one end and turned, fur out. Muskrats be turned also and put in drum with .sawdust for 4 hours. Then opened and brushed with salt water, put in a box for 24 hours then they are pulled over a rope called rop'ng Then combed and shaved. What cannot be shaved must be pared out on the sharp knife in the bench, and cleaned, beaten. Otter skins are only brushed with salt water anr greased with bu::ter only; also m'nk, 'sable, skunk, Fitch, cats,, marten and Ameri- 14 can Opossums with skin and g*ea:-,e on them. This sort of skms requ.re about 3 ounces tubbing then taken out, opened or turned over to clean. But skins like sable, marten where the hair is not c'i'2'i£'">^» "^»ay be brushed with ^alt water, lay 12 hours and fleshed on a half- sharp knife with a sharp p^ace on top of knife in the bench, pulled round both way.i and cleaned. New York Way of Dressing Muskrats The raw skins are brushed with salt water and put away till next day, then they are tubed. Then smeared over all with wet sawdust, lay over night anad fleshed and shaved if needed, then pickled with sulphuric acid and salt as given before then dried and tubed or drumed with suwdust to soften and clean. Tanning Rabbit Skins For Dyeing Make a small cut behind the ears of the skin put the finger in it and pull head and ears out, then open the skin on belly, cut off the tail and put skins in tub, Leather to hair nicely divided. Then put stones on a board on them, then fill up with water. Next morning throw them over a beam and cut the front legs open and flesh. Use the half sharp knife. Make a cut in the flesh, buc not skin, about 2 inches long on the sharp spot on the knife at the tail end. Then loosen the skin and push the skin f om the flesh, not the flesh from the skin, else it will tear all along the rump part over the hin 1 legs, then the other side. When this is done catch hold of the f;esh and pull it right over the head and the skin is fleshed. Do not squeeze or press the water out, v/hen fleshing, they f^esh better with the water in them Then prepare a Gambler solution of 1 degree by Caume, for heavy fluid. This is a hydrometer obtained at a v/hole- sale druggist Work skin about well and let them rest till next morn'ng and throw them over a beam, over the liquor to save it At night strengthen it up to 2 degrees next morning t' row over again; at night strengc.f:en to S degrees; so keep on every day increasing 1 degree un- til 5 is reached then wrink skins through a cloth wring , wash in warm water and grease with fish-o'l and hang up to dry in air, no heat. When dry in hair, should be cleaned in drum. Pick out the thick ones and shave after bru.hed with water, then brush with the 5 degree tanning. This tanning is for English and French seal dyeina*. For dyeing with Anline — dyes or natural better be 15 pickled in process 7 given before. Hares skins are not fleshed only pulled on the knife. Chinchilla Dressing Brush the skins at night with salt water. 2 oz. salt in 1 gallon of water, put leather in leather, cover them up and let lie till next morning, brush again with salt water. Then make dull your fleshing knife with glass bottle by rubbing it over the edge, then pull the skin in the length so that everything will stretch in the width, but care has to be taken, under the front paw and over the hind leg are thin and weak spots and will tear easily, so catch hold of the side a little below the front leg and a little above , to avoid them spots. But pulling the sides is the main thing else they will remain raw. When all is in length then pull in the width but if anything can not be pulled in width that is a sign it was not well pulled in the length and has to be done over again. Leave the skin standing in v/idth then put them on a heap leather up. Then having warm melted butter ready put your rght hand flat on the butter and wipe the other hand with it, then put on skin start in center down to the rump and head and smooth on on the sides, the most should be brought in the middle of the skin, put Fkins in pairs and hang up at once, but watch them; they must be only half dry so that they can be pulled. Take them down in the foot tub with wheat bran; or can be put in a bag and rolled about with the feet for an hour. Then bs taken on the same knife again but keep the rest in the bran cover them up and take out one at the time that they do not get dry; better put them in a box. Cover also the pulled ones up that they do not dry. Pull length and v/idth when all done, stretch nice and flat good shape and hang up lo dry. Then put skins in drum v/ith fine v/hite sawdust and white cly or talcum for half hour, then shake the dust and clay out and put them in some ju t a little moist sawdust or sand to dampen the skins a little to be able to pull them again. This has to be done on a pretty sharp knife but not cutting too c-ore to skin Then put in drum again with white sav/dust aijd talcum and turned till clean. When you b'ow in the hair and it closes up again then the hair is c-ean but whsn it stays open it is not clean yet, Small lot, can be shaken in a light cardboard box to c'ean. 16