434 



MECHANICAL. 



manner as before, a mixture of one ounce 

 sal soda, one-third ounce borax, and two 

 ounces hard white soap, melted slowly- 

 together without being allowed to boil; 

 fold together again and put away in a 

 warm place for twenty-four hours. After 

 this, dissolve three ounces alum, seven 

 ounces salt, and one and one-half ounces 

 saleratus, in sufficient hot rain-water to 

 saturate the skin ; when cool enough not 

 to scald the hands, soak the skin in it for 

 twelve hours ; then wring out and hang it 

 up to dry. When dry repeat this soaking 

 and drying two or three times, till the 

 skin is sufficiently softly. Lastly, smooth 

 the inside with fine sandpaper and pumice- 

 stone. 



LEATHER, Tanning.— It is often a 

 matter of both convenience and economy 

 in the household or on the farm to be 

 able to do a little tanning; so we give 

 here an approved recipe which may prove 

 useful: Soak the skin or hide eight or 

 nine days in water, then put it in lime; 

 lake it out, and remove the hair by rub- 

 bing it, and soak it in clear water until the 

 lime is entirely out. Put one pound of 

 alum to three of salt; dissolve in a vessel 

 .sufficiently large to hold the hide ; soak 

 the hide in it three or four days, then 

 take it out, let it get half dry, and then 

 beat or rub it until it becomes pliable. 

 Leather prepared by this process will not 

 do well for shoes, but answers for ham- 

 strings, backhands, and various other 

 purposes on the farm. 



MUSKRAT SKINS, Tanning with the 

 Fur on. — To do this successfully, first 

 give the skins a good wash in warm 

 water, after which remove all fatty and 

 fleshy matter. Then place the skins in a 

 liquor to soak, prepared as follows: 



To five gallons of cold soft water add 

 four quarts of wheat bran, one-fourth 

 pint old soap, one-half ounce borax; by 

 .adding one ounce sulphuric acid the 

 soaking may be-done in one-half the 

 time. If the hides have not been salted, 

 add one-half pint salt. Green hides 

 should not be soaked more than eight or 

 ten hours. Dry ones should soak till 

 very soft. For tan liquor, to five gallons 

 warm soft water, add one-fourth bushel 

 ibran ; stir well and let stand in a warm 

 room till it ferments. Then add slowly 

 .one pound sulphuric acid; stir all the 

 while. Muskrat hides should remain in 



about four hours ; then take out and rub 

 with a fleshing knife — (an old chopping 

 knife with the edge taken off will do). 

 Then work it over a beam until entirely 

 dry. 



RABBIT SKINS, To Cure.— First lay 

 the skin on a smooth board, placing the 

 iur side under, and fasten the skin to the 

 board with tinned tacks. Wash it over 

 with a solution of salt ; then dissolve one 

 and one-fourth ounces alum in one-half 

 pint of warm water, and with a sponge 

 dipped in this solution, moisten the sur- 

 face all over; repeat this every now and 

 then for three days; when the skin is 

 quite dry, take out the tacks, and rolling 

 it loosely the wrong way, the hair inside, 

 draw it quickly backwards and forwards 

 through a large smooth ring, until it is 

 quite soft, then roll it in the contrary way 

 of the skin, and repeat the operation. 

 Skins prepared thus are useful for many 

 domestic purposes. 



SHEEP-SKINS, To Cure with the 

 Wool on. — Take a spoonful of alum and 

 two of saltpetre ; pulverize and mix well 

 together, then sprinkle the powder on the 

 flesh side of the skin, and lay the two 

 flesh sides together, leaving the wool 

 outside. Then fold up the skin as tight 

 as you can, and hang it in a dry place. 

 In two or three days, or as soon as it is 

 dry, take it down and scrape it with a 

 blunt knife, till clean and supple. This 

 completes the process, and makes you a 

 most excellent saddle cover. If, when 

 you kill your mutton, you treat the skins 

 this way, you can get more for them from 

 the saddler than you can get for the 

 wool and skin separately disposed other- 

 wise. 



Other skins which you desire to cure 

 with the fur or hair on, may be treated in 

 the same way. 



SMALL SKINS, To Tan.— When taken 

 from the animal, let the skins be nailed 

 in the shape of an oblong square on a 

 board to dry, fur side down. Before 

 taking them from the board, clean off all 

 the fat or oily matter with a dull knife. 

 Be careful not to cut the skins. When 

 you wish to tan them, soak thoroughly in 

 cold water until soft; then squeeze out 

 the water, and take of soft water three 

 quarts, salt half a pint, and best oil of 

 vitrol, one ounce. Stir well with a stick, 

 and put in the skins quickly, and leave 



