Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1883-05-09
A TANNING PROCESS.
Farmer Tells How he Tans Furs and
small Hides in n Satisfactory Manner.

A Farmer Tells How he Tans Furs and
small Hides in n Satisfactory Manner.
Recipes for tanning furs and hides
read well in print, but many of them
fail when put to the test. In a word,
the tanning process calls for more than
a formula; it requires tact, common
sense and laticnce. An Indiana cor
respondent in the PrGcticdl Farmer
vouches for the following, which he
says has enabled him to tan all kinds of
furs and small hides in a satisfactory
manner. Tho tools required are piece
of old scythc, for a "Ilcshing knife
the round side of a smooth, heavy slab
for "ileshing beam" and four watts,
made by saving two carbon oil barrels
in two across the bunghole.
The first step in the process is the
soaking. TO ten gallons cold, soft Wa
ter, aid eight quarts wheat bran, half
pint soft soap, one ounce borax, two
ounces sulphuric acid. If the hides
have not been sailed, aid half pint
salt. Green hides should soak from
ten to twelve hours, according to thick
ness. Dry hides should soak till thor
oughly softened, say from two to six
days. All hard spots must be soften
ed.
After soaking, if it is required to
remove the hair or wool, immerse the
skin in a liquor composed of ten gal
Ions soft water, eight quarts slack
lime and eight quarts hard wood ashes.
soak hides from two to six days, or
until the hair slips off easily, then
scrape off all the hair and flesh. At
ter the hides have been soaked in the
liquor, they must be reduced to their
natural thickness, which is done by
freeing them from lime in the follow
ing bate: Take ten gallons soft water,
half-bushel wheat bran, one-fourth
pound sulphuric acid. Let this bate,
as it is called, stand day or two until
it ferment5, then put the hides in and
let them remain until reduced to their
original thickness, and then remove
and rinse in soft water. If the hides
have been thoroughly cleansed, and
the flesh land hair, if desired) all
taken off, they are now ready for tan
ming.
TO ten gallons warm, soft water add
half bushel wheat bran, stirring it
well. Let this stand in a warm room
until it fermcnts. Now add slowly
two and a half pounds sulphuric acid
stirring all the while. Into this liquor
place the hides, and handle them until
they are thoroughly saturated with
the mixture This tan liquor, when
properly prepared, has sour, pungent
taste, sharper than the kecnest vinegar
yet not so strong as to injure the
tongue or the hands while handling
the hides. Common light hides should
remain in the tan liquor only from
six to twelve hours, then rinse well in
soap suds and afterward in clear, soft
water; then "bean" or sleek" the wa
ter well out of hide and fur, and hang
in the shade to dry. When half dry,
apply with sponge the following:
Glove leather liquor, equal parts of al
cohol, soft-soap and tanners Cor meats
FOOT oil. Now hang in the shade
until this liquor has thoroughly dried
in, then take the hides on your beam
and stretch thoroughly, after which,
to bring out the gloss on fur or hair,
pack the skins in smooth layers, fur
sides together, and let remain from
one to two weeks.