JUN 30 1924 



UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA 

 COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE 

 AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION 



CIRCULAR No. 237 

 April, 1922 



DIRECTIONS FOR THE TANNING AND DjRpSSING, 



OF FURS I' 



By JOSEPH DIXON* 



Contribution from the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California 



The following directions for dressing small skins of fur-bearing 

 mammals is based on the personal experience of the writer during the 

 past twelve years, both at home and in the museum. Skins in the 

 California Museum of Vertebrate Zoologj- tanned by him in 1909 are 

 still (in 1921) in good condition. There has been no appreciable 

 change of color of the fur or weakening of the fiber of the skin in this 

 time, although the work was done by an amateur. Other beginners 

 using the same methods have secured satisfactory results. 



Thick or greasy skins, such as those of the bear and coon, should be 

 shaved down with a tanner 's knife and de-greased by soaking overnight 

 in gasoline before the tan liquor is applied. This involves considerable 

 experience and skill in the use of the knife ; therefore such skins should 

 be avoided, at least in the beginning. Wildcat skins are perhaps best 

 to begin on, and then skins of the graj- fox and coyote may be tried. 



In warm weather, prompt skinning is necessary to prevent the hair 

 from coming out. Skins that are to be dressed at home can be handled 

 best if they are taken off "flat" rather than "cased," as is customary 

 where raw skins are to be sold to fur buyers. To do this, opening cuts 

 should be made where shown by the dotted lines in the diagram, 

 figure 1, a. The tail should be split down the under side and the 

 entire bone removed. The toes should be skinned out and the bones 

 removed. Particular care should be exercised not to cut the skin 

 when working around the eyes, ears, and nose. The ears should be 

 skinned out so that they will turn completely wrong side out. All fat 

 and flesh should then be cleaned off the skin and plentj' of salt rubbed 

 in all over the flesh side, especially into every corner and fold. It 

 should then be rolled up with the fur side out and left overnight. 



* The substance of this circular apjwared as a copyrighted article iu Forest 

 and Stream for July, 1917. 



