JULY, 1917 
FOREST AND STREAM 
309 
tan liquor should be painted on the flesh 
side with a clean paint brush. To make 
the tan liquor, dissolve 2 ounces of salt 
and 2 ounces of powdered alum in a quart 
of boiling water. When this is cool add 
slowly, while stirring, 4 ounces commercial 
sulphuric acid and then 2 ounces washing 
soda (not “cooking” soda). The liquor is 
ready to use when cold and keeps well in 
bottles;—but will burst the bottles if 
tightly corked at first. 
arm piece can be made from a piece of 
soft inch lumber, and should be just long 
enough so that when the upper end is 
placed under the arm pit, the fingers can 
readily grasp the handle of the chopper. 
When the skin is nearly dry it should 
be placed in the frame flesh side up, the 
upper bar dropped on it, and the bar 
clamped tight by pushing down on the lock 
(Figure 2, a). The skin should be held by 
pushed straight down; if it slips sideways 
it will cut the skin (Figure 3, c). By 
turning the skin about in the frame all the 
corners and edges can be reached. If the 
skin is held taut in the frame and whipped 
vigorously with an old buggy whip, this 
treatment will fluff out and clean the fur. 
A nice smooth finish can be secured by 
sandpapering any rough or thick , spots on 
the flesh side. 
An easy way to protect dressed furs 
from being ruined by moths is to fumigate 
them two or three times a year, by placing 
them in a tight chest or trunk and placing 
a couple of table-spoonfuls of carbon-bi¬ 
sulphide in a shallow dish on top of them. 
The furs should be thoroughly aired be¬ 
fore being worn. 
Dressing Snake Skins. 
ATTLESNAKES which are to be 
skinned should first be split down 
the belly. The hide may then be 
gently pulled off until the rattles are 
reached. The tail must be cut off at this 
point, leaving the rattles on the skin. 
After the skin has been stretched and 
tacked flesh side up on a smooth board, 
salt should be rubbed into it and it should 
be left thus over night. After the salt 
has been shaken off, the skin should be 
sponged with water until soft and re¬ 
laxed, when the tan liquor should be ap¬ 
plied as in regular fur dressing. 
It will facilitate handling if the skin is 
left pinned to the board until dry, when it 
may be scraped and softened with the 
edge of a tin teaspoon. A bit of sand¬ 
paper will smooth up and finish the job. 
Violent working of the skin should be 
avoided as it tends to loosen the scales. 
An extremely soft and pliable finish is not 
ng.2 
The pelt should be hung up for about 12 
hours after the last application of tan 
liquor, and the flesh side’ should then be 
swabbed off with a solution made by dis¬ 
solving a handful of washing soda in a 
quart of water. This will neutralize any 
acid that may remain in the pores of the 
skin, which might in time weaken the skin 
if left unneutralized. 
A COUPLE of light sticks, with the 
ends sharpened and placed in the 
pads of the feet (Figure 1, b), will 
keep the legs extended and insure even 
drying. 
When the skin is nearly dry and turns 
white on the flesh side, it is time to begin 
working and stretching it to insure a soft 
finish. The secret of a good soft finish 
lies in thoroughly working the skin. This 
may be done by pulling the skin back and 
forth over a tight rope or through a large 
iron ring after it has been folded up with 
the fur side inside. The pelt should be 
frequently re-rolled and turned about dur¬ 
ing this process. 
If several skins are to be dressed, it 
would pay to take four 2-by-3 inch scant¬ 
lings, six feet long, and make a frame 
(Figure 2) to hold the skins while they 
are being scraped with the special instru¬ 
ment called a “crutch knife” (Figure 3, 
b). 
The crutch knife is made from a ten- 
cent single-blade cabbage chopper. The 
ng.3 
the left hand while the blade of the crutch 
knife is pushed down over the taut skin, 
with a scraping motion, by the right arm 
and hand. A little whiting or chalk dusted 
on the skin will help the knife take hold. 
Care should be taken that the knife is 
to be expected and is not required in 
making watch fobs and hat bands or in 
other uses to which snake skins are put. 
Better results are secured with the skins 
of small snakes than with extremely large 
ones. 
