It is not harsh and does not require mixing.
This is an easy to use premade solution and it is not difficult to obtain. 1) Hunter Trappers Tanning Solution, in an orange bottle. I decided that there were three methods I was going to stick with.
Anything that mentioned weighing solutions, or checking temperatures, or using masks or chemical safe gloves, I steered away from. People used Alum, brains, eggs, fats, tannins (from tree bark or other vegetables) and even battery acid! I am not good at chemistry (ask my professor from Wilmington College). Once I started down the “how do I tan a sheepskin” rabbit hole, I realized there are so many different ways to tan a hide, and each person that writes the article or book, has their preference. I will spend countless hours reading, combing the internet and checking out books at the library (I love the library!) before I dive into something new. If you don’t know me personally, then you might not be aware that I am an obsessive researcher/reader when it comes to starting projects. This is when I decided I was going to try and do this on my own. I did not expect that, and it took months before the smell dissipated. I was so afraid that I did not prepare the hide properly before sending it to the tannery, that it would not be salvageable. It took 3 months to get the sheepskin back. (The salt draws out moisture to preserve and cure the hide.) It sat there for 8 months under salt before I would send it to a tannery in Pennsylvania to have tanned. I took the sheepskin into the barn and poured salt all over the pelt. I took out my grandpa’s pocket knife, and saved what I could of his pelt, and then buried him. Now, I realize that most of you reading would not have the instinct to do this, but it is what I did. He was beautiful and spotted black and white, like a small baby cow. Brokenhearted to find such a beautiful ram that was meant to live on in our flock as a herd sire, deceased, I felt helpless and wanted to honor his life. I walked out into the pasture field, like I do everyday, to check on the sheep and Magnus (our livestock guardian donkey) Much to my shock and sadness I found one of my young jacob rams dead.
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