Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1869-07-30
Domestic Manufacture Of Furs.

THAT furs are not more generally used
by both sexes in this country is doubtless
because of their expensiveness, and not
from want of appreciation Of their great
utility, richness and beauty. 1t Ia no ex-
travagance to assert that every farmers
family may furnish their own fur collars,
gloves, robes, and other articles of dress
and ornament, with trifling expense, from
the resources within their own reach but
from want of more knowledge on this sub
| iect valuable skins are wasted or disposed
of for mere fraction of their real value,
and articles of apparel that should have
been made from them are bought at ex-
travagant prices of fur dealers.
The skins of raccoons, minks, muskrats,
rabbits, foxes, deer, cats, dogs, wood
chucks, and skunks are all valuable.
Handsome robes may be made from the
skins of the last two animals, and the
writer has seen fur coats made from the
skins of woodchucks, well tanned, dyed,
and trimmed, which,were elegant as well
as comfortable, and no one but q con-
noisseur would be able to guess their orr
gin. OF the finer and nicer furs, beautiful
collars, muffs, cuffs, caps, gloves, and trim
mings may be made with little ingenuity
and perseverance and who would not
feel great satisfaction in wearing nice
article from the fact that 1t was something
of their own manufacture, product OF
their own taste and genius?
Very handsome foor-mats are made by
tanning sheep-pelts and then dyeing them
some bright color, which is done with
very little trouble, the art of dyeing ia now
so familiar to almost every household
Furs may be dyed as easily as woolen
goods, notwithstanding the impression
/ hat 20 a Art 1xy 10 do
ANY dye that will color woolens will also
| dye ttlrs, only care must be taken not to
have the dye too hot or the texture of the
skin will be injured.
| The mode of tanning usually followed
| by city furriers is to rub the skins well
with rancid butter, then tread them thor.
oughly in tub or vat, after which large
quantity of sawdust is mixed with them,
and the process of treading continued
until all the grease is absorbed, when they
are finished off by beating, working, and
rubbing with chalk and potter's clay,
whipping and brushing.
An old trapper practiced this method
with small skins, first washing with suds
of soap and sal.soda to free them from
grease, then rinsing in clean water to
cleanse them from the suds, then rubbing
as dry as possible, after which they were
put into a mixture of two ounces of salt
to quart of water, added to three quarts
of milk or bran-water, containing one
ounce of best sulphuric acid, and stirred
briskly for forty or fifty minutes; from
this they are taken dripping into strong
} solution of sal-soda and stirred till they
will no longer foam they are then hune
to dry, and when nearly dry are taken
down and rubbed dry, when they are very
soft and plisble.
A very good and simple process in use
among farmers is to sprinkle the flesh side
after scraping it well, with equal parts o
pulverized alum and salt, or washing i
well with strong solution of the same
then folding the flesh side together, anC
rolling 1t compactly, in which state i
should remain for eight or ten days ther
it is opened, sprinkled with bran or saw
! dust to absorb the moisture, and rolled uI
again and after remaining twenty -foul
hours the process is completed by thor
ough rubbing and manipulation, on which
the pliability depends. Skins when takeI
off should be freed from grease or flesh
by thorough scraping, when they may b,
dried and left to await the leisure of tn,
owner. Previous to tanning they mus
be well soaked and wrung dry.-Americd'
7 Artisan,