Tanning Rabbit Hides

I finally found time today to tan our rabbit hides. I skinned and stretched them several months ago but left them to hang unattended with all of our other activities to embrace. I did enjoy taking the time to work the leather until it became supple.

A reminder of the process:

Materials needed:
Cleaned rabbit hide
5 gallon bucket
Course or granulated salt (NOT iodized)
Battery acid (available at auto supply houses)*
Rubber gloves
Mild detergent
Mink (or castor) oi

Directions:

1. After rinsing cleaned hide thoroughly in cold water, squeeze (do not wring) the hide of all excess water
2. Pour 2 gallons of room-temperature water into bucket
3. Add 1Lb of salt (approx. 1 3/4 cups)
4. Add 4 ounces (1/2 cup) battery acid (wear rubber gloves)
5. Allow salt to dissolve, add pelt & stir
6. Let sit for 48 hours, stirring twice daily
7. After 2 days, squeeze excess brine from skin (save solution!)
8. Flesh the pelt (peel fatty tissue to expose leather)
9. Rinse in cool water, squeeze out the excess liquid
10. Add same amount of salt/acid as previously used to the reserved brine
11. Place pelt in liquid & stir
12. Let sit for 7 days, stirring twice daily
13. Remove pelt from brine & squeeze out excess pickle
14. Pour out any remaining liquid (away from animals)
15. Wash pelt with mild detergent
16. Rinse in lukewarm water, & squeeze out liquid
17. Hang pelt in shade to dry
18. Optional: when pelt is barely damp, toss it in electric dryer for 30 minutes which makes fur easier to work with
19. Break the skin by stretching leather.  Pull the skin of your damp hide in all directions, working with small areas at a time
20. Once hide is completely broken, massage oil into leather

* The tanning recipe can be substituted with 1 cup course, non-iodized salt & 1 cup aluminum sulfate.  In our remote area, I was not able to obtain the aluminum sulfate, so have used the recipe above.