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 Post subject: Borax
PostPosted: Tue Nov 17, 2009 2:12 pm 
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Veteran Fur Harvester
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Joined: Tue Sep 22, 2009 1:00 pm
Posts: 217
Location: Ottawa, Ontario
Province/State: Ontario
City/Town: Southeastern
I've heard that you can preserve pelt with Borax. Does anyone knoe how to do this?

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 Post subject: Re: Borax
PostPosted: Wed Nov 18, 2009 12:35 pm 
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Trapper
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Joined: Sun Jan 04, 2009 10:56 pm
Posts: 83
Location: eastern ontario
Province/State: Ontario
City/Town: eastern
I've done a bit of home tanning, and borax is used in the softening and cleaning stage before tanning. The cheapest and safe way of tanning with good results from my experience has been salt and alum tanning. However there is alcohol and turpentine tanning and also brain tanning (where the animal's own brain is large enough to do the job). I'm going to try the brain method this year. The New Mexico State University has "Tanning Deer Hides and small Fur Skins" guide L-103 that you can download off the internet. The best book I've found is The Ultimate Guide to Skinning and Tanning, a complete guide to working with pelts, fur and leather by Monte Burch, 2002, The Globe Pequot Press carried by Chapters Book Store. I hope that helps get you started, there's alot of hard work involved.


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 Post subject: Re: Borax
PostPosted: Thu Nov 19, 2009 10:55 am 
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Veteran Fur Harvester
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Joined: Tue Sep 22, 2009 1:00 pm
Posts: 217
Location: Ottawa, Ontario
Province/State: Ontario
City/Town: Southeastern
Tell me how the brain taning went!

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A trap seizes him by the heel;
a snare holds him fast.
Job 18:9 (New International Version)


"Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men."
Matthew 4:19 (New International Version)


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 Post subject: Re: Borax
PostPosted: Thu Nov 19, 2009 11:02 am 
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Veteran Fur Harvester
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Joined: Wed Mar 12, 2008 5:32 pm
Posts: 3312
Province/State: Ontario
City/Town: North Central
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http://www.fntpost.com/Products/Tanning ... anning+Kit

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$30 and its easy.

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 Post subject: Re: Borax
PostPosted: Thu Nov 19, 2009 9:14 pm 
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Trapper
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Joined: Sun Jan 04, 2009 10:56 pm
Posts: 83
Location: eastern ontario
Province/State: Ontario
City/Town: eastern
Andrew k wrote:
Tell me how the brain taning went!

It might be a while before I have a chance to get at it, I'll post it when it's done. I'm hoping to meet with a gal that does a lot of brain tanning, haven't track her down yet.


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 Post subject: Re: Borax
PostPosted: Fri Dec 18, 2009 3:11 am 
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Veteran Fur Harvester
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Joined: Mon Feb 12, 2007 4:10 am
Posts: 2302
Location: Prince George,BC
Province/State: BC
City/Town: central
Organization Membership: BCTA, BCWF, BCWSS, NFA, HCTF
As far as I know, borax and salt is just a preservative to keep the bugs out and is not a tan. I did a number of beaver up with borax and salt mixed 50 - 50 as a paste in water. I spread it on thick then shook it off when dried. The pelts were for a local historic site that wanted some for their old fur press display.

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 Post subject: Re: Borax
PostPosted: Fri Dec 18, 2009 3:08 pm 
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Trapper
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Joined: Fri Mar 31, 2006 9:19 pm
Posts: 79
Location: Southern Ontario
Province/State: Ontario
City/Town: Warsaw
Organization Membership: OFMF, OFAH, OF4WD, SONTT
There are a whole bunch of different steps to tanning a hide, and a whole variety of methods. Best thing to do is research a few methods and pick one you like and stick with it start to end. Just don't confuse the "pickling" stage with the "tanning" stage.

The method I've always used includes a vinegar "bath" for the pickling stage, and then a brush-on tanning solution at the end that was recommended by a taxidermist I've delt with (very easy to use). I do all our deer tails like this, and have even done up a full bear hide as well about 4 years ago, and it's still in great shape.


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 Post subject: Re: Borax
PostPosted: Wed Apr 08, 2015 10:25 pm 
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Trapper
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Joined: Tue Apr 07, 2015 2:06 am
Posts: 47
Province/State: Yukon
City/Town: Watson Lake
Organization Membership: Fur council
To preserve fatty skins like birds I have found borax works well.

I raise a type of chicken call an arcana (spelling may be different), but hens lay green eggs and roosters are fighting birds, but have great fly tying feathers.

When I butcher the roosters I skin them and preserve with borax and give skin to fly people so they can trim what they need.

I have viable bird skins with no shed, brittleness or smell that are close to 20 years old.

Dalyce

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