![]() *now is the time to really pay attention to your hide* as it dries a little, stretch the hide to keep the skin supple. remove from freezer, and 'work' hide to soften as it thaws and dries out. freeze hide with egg mixture in a plastic bag in the freezer overnight. stretch the hide a bit to encourage the eggs to absorb. apply more eggs if they are totally absorbed into the skin. whip a few eggs, and apply generously to the skin side of the hide. with a dry skin surface and a pumice stone, the membrane will flake off quite easily, like exfoliating dead skin on your feet. scrape aggressively with a rough pumice stone to remove the membrane. let hide dry out just enough that the surface of the hide feels dry, but there is still moisture deep in the skin. wash thoroughly with soapy water to get rid of all alum residue. this locks in the hair so it doesnt slip and fall out later in the process. a few tablespoons of alum in a gallon of water, roughly. soak the hide in an alum (like you use for pickling) solution for a day or two. the salt will contract this fleshy material and it will peel off quite easily. salt the flesh side of the hide heavily. ![]() no need to worry about the membrane just yet, only get the fat off. Here are the steps I have successfully used on many occasions with my rabbit hides: ![]() the end result is so soft and clean that I gave them to my babies as infant toys. There is absolutely no need to use toxic chemicals of any type to acheive an excellent quality hide. for a fur-on hide, I think they are about as easy as they come. Preserving the skins and pelts of animals is an ancient tradition for humans, dating back as far as archaeology knows.Rabbit hides are relatively easy to tan, in my experience. Rabbit meat was an affordable alternative. Rabbit plagues made the impetus to trapping even more extraordinary and often created quite the conundrum for landowners, particularly when faced with an offer to buy land from one of their labourers off the back of the profits made from rabbiting. Rural workers became successful rabbiters enjoying high earnings and more accessible work. While different forms of trapping required experience in specific methods to maximise income, little capital was needed to get started. General enquiries - rabbit industry was quite the boon for many workers in the Bothwell area from the late 1800s. * Please note a minimum number of participants are required to facilitate the delivery of the workshop, otherwise organisers may need to cancel or reschedule. * All rabbit skins are sourced ethically, helping to control populations of invasive species. ![]() Participants of the workshop will need to meet at the entry to Croakers Alley, Bothwell, at 10:45 am, this workshop will be held outside (weather permitting), and all those attending are encouraged to bring their own refreshments, and wear sturdy protective shoes, hat, and layered clothing. The workshop will be facilitated by Kachina Lucas who has been practicing natural bark tanning for five years, inspired by the idea of respecting the whole animal and preserving skins that would otherwise go to waste. Take home workshop booklet on how to tan with black wattle bark also included. You will be taught how to identify and sustainably collect black wattle bark and be involved in the hands-on process of transforming a raw hide into a soft rabbit pelt that they can keep. Over the course of this limited space three-hour workshop on Saturday 15th October, participants will learn how to tan a rabbit hide using black wattle bark.
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