I just love your family so different than the states for it’s multigenerational instead of single generation households and you help and contribute a lot to the community

Hi, Great tutorial!! I'll definitely be trying this with our sheep skins, we do all our own butchering at home so I like to make use of the EVERYTHING, Sometimes I tan a rabbit skin using egg yolk and then when I cold smoke it it goes really stiff and water proof, so great for a hat or satchel! We are building an Earthship at the moment and once it is done I'd love to have some awesome rugs like this to keep our toes warm! So i can't wait to have a go...Thanks for taking the time to show us how you do it.

Wonderful! They are beautiful rugs! Jacob sheep have wonderful fleece. So soft. I prefer mine on live sheep so I can spin and spin and spin. Of course, you cannot then eat the tasty sheep. And they are tasty!

Thank you so much for sharing good, old knowledge and wisdom! :)

Really want to try this! Thanks for sharing

Thank you, for responding to my question, it is much appreciated! I am going to try this process on an elk hide, and two lamb hides this month, as I want to use them all as rugs. I will let you know how, it all works out, being Native American we have a long labor intensive process for preparing hides, but I wanted to try another quicker process for keeping the pelts to use as runs, and was vary intrigued by your well demonstrated video. Thank you once again, I will keep you posted on how they turn out. Willow

Beautiful! Very helpful video. Thanks for sharing!

Thanks for sharing! Very helpful.

Great! I have just got into the world of tannery, I havant tried any bathing methods yet, I'm very impressed that you manage to do this with accessible materials, Definitely going to give this a try. Thanks a lot, Very instructional.

I am grateful for this video

I'm giving it a shot, got the raw skin today and salted it, nice blue eyed goat that ran away, I had named it Heisenberg. You either knew how fast it was going or where it was, and never both at the same time. He will be missed.

great, thanks for putting the vid together.

Wooooow, the result is wonderful.

Thx for the video! A small Safety note: it is recommended to wear rubber gloves to handle oxalic acid. Especially when you put it in the salt water solution and then touch the skins with your bare hands.. also make sure to NEUTRALIZE the acid by diluting in water with baking soda before you can flush it in the environment. Cheers!

I would love to have one as a saddle blanket!

Thank you! Thank you so much!

Thank you! I was struggling to find a video on how to do this. A poor little Genet wondered to our power box outside and got electrocuted 😥 I wanted to at least save the skin for a small rug. So thank you for the tutorial!

+Way Out West Blow-in Blog Hey there Sandra! I just tanned my first 3 sheepskins, the first of many I hope! (The butcher next door has been throwing away literally thousands of skins for years.) Thanks for the encouragement to have a go at doing this, using an eco-friendly method! It is wonderful to make something so lovely out of a "waste product"! They turned out soft, supple, sweet-smelling (at all stages of the process), and creamy-white, rumply and suedey on the inside. My process was pretty much like yours. I salted the skins, folded them up so they stayed damp (this is called "wet salting"), and didn't get a chance to work on them till I had all the tools & chemistry together, about 4 months later. They were fine. Rehydrated overnight in plain water. Washed with washing soda and rinsed well. I used citric acid crystals instead of oxalic acid, with salt & water. Left them in this strong pickle for 3 days. The pH needs to be between 1 & 2, and they can stay there forever or until you are ready. pH papers are cheap and well worth using here. Check the pH again the day after putting the hides in and adjust so it is still below 2. Then fleshed them completely with a proper fleshing knife, (Tim may be able to make one from a blunt planer blade), the hide draped over a self-made fleshing beam, which makes it so much quicker & simpler. They came up beautifully clean, and the chooks fought over all the bits of flesh, fat & membrane off the hide. See Joshua Albanese's video on fleshing a hide. It's really quite simple and makes a huge difference to the end result. Back in the pickle for a day or two. Rinsed then neutralised the acid with a little bicarb soda or washing soda. If the pH is not neutral at this stage, the oil cannot be absorbed into the skin and it will stay hard. Drained till just damp, several days here in winter. Made up an emulsion of grated pure soap, boiling water & 1 Tbsp of neatsfoot oil per hide. Smeared that over the damp flesh side, folded together and left to soak in for a day or two. Opened out & hung up to dry. Again, took several days in cold weather. As the edges started to dry and become stiff, I progressively (over several more days) started stretching out the hide by laying it wool side down on a table, pressing down firmly with one hand, then pushing a pry bar across the skin away from me. The skin magically turns into creamy leather as it stretches out! There are many ways of stretching hides, but this is an excellent one. See Taxidermy Journal's channel for video of this amazing process. If you have 2 people, you can play tug-of-war with it. Or like me, just grab handfuls and vigorously twist them about. When they were really dry, I used a final trick to make them smooth and soft. 120-grit sandpaper on a little wood block, with the hide sprinkled with cornflour which acts as a lubricant. You can go over again with finer sandpaper if necessary. Used a metal dog comb or brush to fluff up the fleece. Perfick!

Thank you for this video. We live in Virginia and purchased merino sheep about a year ago. We had about 25 "bloops" (the first few were unexpected and then we caught on...) and several of them have died for various reasons. ☹I thought about making a rug on my way back from the vet after having to euthanize one of my little guys and figured I would try to at least use his life for something. I will have to fight my cats for it though. When we're skirting and throwing the ickies (as my 4 year-old calls it) on the floor the cats show up, knead their little paws out and promptly fall asleep. Thanks again for the video.

hello sandra, victory at last! i am so happy---you will be pleased to know too that my washed sheepskin is drying as it should after i applied the neatsfoot oil while it was still wet. i am so elated, i feared i would have to throw it out tomorrow (garbage day). i have 3 more sheepskins on their way to becoming beautiful rugs. i learned something off another website that i thought i would pass along to you, it is a handy trick for removing the tough membrane layer so you have a nice clean skin to begin with (and it won't take forever). you may have already figured this out with your sheepskins, but the trick is simple; instead of washing off the salt from the first stage and then removing the fat, leave the salt on---for whatever reason, the fat/membrane comes off in huge pieces if you start a little bit with your knife/herb chopper (i liked using the herb chopper the best)and then pull, pull, pull with your fingers. worked like a charm and it was amazing! i did 3 sheepskins in 1 hour and they are smooth as a baby's bottom! i am excited to start these ones. thank you so very much for all your help and for putting up with me. i will now have 5 sheepskins to show for Christmas. have a very merry one! hannah

thanks for sharing..

Grateful to you

Just lovely

Excellent

Thank you very much.

good job

Really useful video thank

You mentioned a washing soda mix to wash them in but didn't say what the mix was, great way of tanning this way, I saw a man use eggs ,mayo. veg.oil and water and rubbed it in the hide and made it real soft.

wow amazing craft

sweetheart, you re absolutely amazing !

super good

Wonderful

What a beautiful rug of nature's design. Would think it be so tempting to curl up into a ball and take a nap :). Mrs. Tc

I am so excited to see this process.

Very nice video

well done!

Great video :)

Nice video I love the way u explains 💕👌

very nice thanks alot

Oxalis acid is a key ingredient in Barkeepers Friend cleanser. I may try it as a substitute

Hello, this is great as I was about to start brain tanning the hides but I like this method better. Is there a place where I can search for quantities used of the salt and oxalic acid in the bath? This would be greatly appreciated, Joshua

Thanks.

hi way out west---i will try wiping off the excess. it is not outside, it is in my basement so it should have dried out by now. the skin is a BIT more pliable with the oil on, but some parts are still very stiff. i had used a different soap (with glycerine in it) before i found the saddle soap, perhaps this is why it is not absorbing now? i will try to wipe it off, and hope that all i did was put on too much! thanks, hannah

Soft and comfortable

great video !! i have a cow hide i want to make it into a rug i applied salt to it and left it for a week ( big mistake ) it is rock solid !! anyways i did try to break the hide by scratching the cowhide skin surface to make.it soft ... what would.you suggest ?? it is very stiff

When you were pickling them how did you keep the pH in the barrel where it's supposed to be? Mind always starts out at the right point but by the next day it's not acidic anymore and trying to mix another solution together is huge pain. Trying to mix more acid in the current solution while the pelt is still in there is even worse.

Wonderful! We have goats that we raise for milk and meat..Would this work on the goat skins?

Hi guys, thanks for the great video, did a few sheepskins following your instructions a couple of years ago and they turned quite nice :) About to do it again but I have one question, how much water did you use for the four skins in your video?

I'll try this though I do not know if we have the acid.

after you hang to dry. are they completely dry and stiff. then apply soap? then do you let that dry and apply oil?

ok, yes, i will wait for the soap to dry before the neatsfoot oil, thanks, again, hannah

When you salt and keep the skin for a week, can it be folded up and stored in a bucket where animals can't get it or must it be kept open?

Just about finished doing this. Thanks for the video... I have one question though. The lambskin I am working with was VERY dirty when we processed the lamb. I washed it over and over again with a gentle wool detergent (Eucalan) but there is still a lot of brown stuff at the top of the wool. The bottom 3/4s of the wool is white, the top 1/4 is dirty. Any ideas? The skin is dry, but I am ok with getting it wet again if needed. What wool detergent did you use? Have you ever encountered wool that is white at the bottom and brown/dingy at the top?

👍👍

I tried this as a teenager in NZ. Couldn't get decent advice on how to do it so the result was not the best! Few people seem to tan sheepskins there which is pretty crazy (you wouldn't see homes with homemade sheepskins on the floor. Everyone is used to industrially produced stuff be it food or something like this.

Hi! What a great video! Thanks for sharing this great info. My hide is drying be as we speak! ... However, I am afraid I didn't mix it well enough during the 3 day oxalic acid soak and it seems there are some still slimy white spots.. Can I start the process over and resoak in oxalic acid? .. What do you recommend? Thanks again!

Love the video we have everything ready but could do with a guide on how much oxalic acid to use please?

could I leave the skins in the baking soda ( washing soda crystals) overnight?

hi again, i have put the saddle soap on, let dry, and applied the neatsfoot oil---it has absorbed into the skin but it is still hard as a rock---help! i did not stretch these skins while they were drying--- i did lay them flat on a table--but the skin is very wonky and 'bubbly', and so tough---when i stood on one it crunched! this would all be very funny to me if it wasn't for all the time i put in to these two sheepskins, and the fact that they are supposed to be Christmas presents :( if you have ANY ideas on how i can soften these, i would really appreciate it. thanks so much for all your help during this process, i hope i can make them work. hannah

Is it best to do the salting process inside the garage or outside in the sunshine?

thank you for posting such an informative video. This was my first time processing a lamb skin and it turned out well. My lamb hide still has that animal body odor smell. it is not super strong but still there. should I rewash or is this normal?

Can we add potash alum in place of oxalic acid

hello, is there an alternative for oxalic acid?

Greetings from Spain! We wanted to know how much oxalic acid is 1 cup. Maybe it's a silly question but we do not want to make a mistake. thank you very much!

Aw sheep skin, the dream. 😍 I have a lot of kinds of kind but not sheep.

Nicevideo

can you use this same method for alpaca hides?

Hi Sandra and Tim, Thanks for the great video. What kind of barrel did you use? Is plastic ok to use with oxalic acid?

Have you ever had an issue with any hides growing mold while drying? Or is this an issue of the hide not being scraped enough?

You dont pull or press on the meat side of the skin as it dries?

If i have all the ingrediants,i guess i can go straight to fat removal and then into salt/oxalic acid mix?

the video says to wash the sheepskins in a wool detergent, but you don't list that in the ingredients list....what wool detergent do you recommend? does this step need to be taken, or will the washing soda do the trick? thanks, great video.

hello!! i tanned the skins with only salt , washed them with shampoo and a hose pipe , now i put them in a barrel with washing soda but is it alright i leave them there for a whole night ? after that I sqeese the water out , span the skins on a frame and blow dry the wool. i use a hot air gun to dry the skin . tell me what you think of this way

will this work if the skin is already dry and stiff?

hello way out west---my sheepskin is drying out nicely! you were right, i needed to be patient and wait a bit longer :) i have some soap with glycerin in it (among other things) and it is the colour of yours in the video, will this do? also, do i wait for the soap to dry on the skin before adding the neatsfoot oil, or can i add it right after the soap? (i know, there's my impatience getting the better of me again!!!) i want to get this one done as soon as possible, it is a Christmas present, thanks!

Great video. Should we be concerned about dumping the various wash mixes on the ground?

Totally cool! Where do you rinse the solutions . . . is it all right to just put it on the ground?

Hi, great video! It looks like a nice life you have! I found this video because I'm looking into how to clean one I bought like yours from a local farm. It's white and starting to grey after many years. Would you suggest brushing it before or after washing? And perhaps just hand wash it with a gentle soap? Thanks in advance for any replies : )

Would this work for a fox pelt? Also, any substitute for the neatsfoot oil? Lard or suet maybe?

Is there a same method for goat skin i dint have sheep

I don’t have a farm or any animal but it was interesting

Just wondering if there is a specific way to to hang the skins while drying... after all that work, afraid that i might ruin the shape...

Great video! Do you know if this method would work on deer hides as well?

Is it ok to use a plastic (Rubbermaid) garbage pail to soak the hides in with the oxalic acid? I.e. will the plastic deteriorate from the acid, significantly?

Can these be used to make a jacket too?

I have a question on how to turn a hard rough goatskin that was all summer outside into a soft one. I've put the goatskin outside because inside the smell was too strong. Now they are all hard and not beautiful anymore.

How many gallons of the acid solution do you think I would need for 2 smaller sheepskins?

I would love to try this method on my hair sheep skins, but I am curious to know the exact (or aprox.) measurements on the chemicals/supplies. I am also unfamiliar with the ingredients of a washing soda mix. Could you please clarify these issues for me? Thanks!

Hi, out of interest how was this process without chemicals done in the old times? I mean obviously our ancestors didn't have things like Oxylic Acid, so what did they used instead? Thanks!

great video, but i was thinking, will the hair fall of in time, or will the rug be preservt for the "rest of life"

Hello, I’m just wondering if I can substitute oxalic acid with citric acid?

Satsified

If I just want a stiff deer hide to hang on the wall, would salting it a few times In stages work to preserve it, or will it rot?

Hello! i see you did not stretch them, how stiff did they turn out? i am looking to do this in the next couple weeks, pretty excited. Thankyou for your video posts, the first one i watched was the one of you milking your sheep... i cannot believe how willing they are, mine are quite insane when it comes to milking. take care!

Where do you store the hide after salting? And it’s been 24 hours since the sheep was skinned. Can I still salt it?

Hi, is the washing soda just baking soda?

Hello i'd like to say if you have a 2500 -3200 psi power washer with an oscillating head attachment it makes quick work of any excess fat /skin membrane that is left after butchering the animal.

Please help I messed up I put the oxalic acid with the washing soda I didn't realize till two days later and I need to know if the skin is no longer usable

hello again--thanks for your quick reply! you said that the sheepskin would be smelly, but what if i only salted the fleeces ONCE and then preceded with the next steps? because that is what i did. i did not realize that i needed to salt and salt and SALT them until they were done 'seeping'-- i have started over with the same fleece, this time with lots of salt, and i'm hoping that this will preserve the skins---they smelled pretty bad (rotted meat smell) when i took them out of the oxalic acid bath. i am hoping i can still use these original fleeces, what do you think? also; in the video, when you are removing the fat, you get it pretty clean---do i need to make sure every scrap of fat is off? you say in the video that the washing-soda mix removes the fat--just want to be sure. please reply soon, the skins need doing! thanks, hannah (using my husband's account)

hello again--you are probably sick of me by now but---i have given the sheepskin a scrub with saddle soap, let it dry, then used a pretty big brush to put on the neatsfoot oil---in the video you say to brush it in generously, and i believe i did so without over doing it, but after letting it sit overnight, the oil has not absorbed into the skin. does this process take a matter of days, or am i supposed to wipe off the excess oil with a rag? my sheepskin looks so lovely and i can't wait for it to be done, so it is a bit disheartening to get to the final steps only to have this stand in my way. thanks, hannah