Processing a Squirrel pelt

Hey guys,

A while back I did a post on tanning sheepskins. Here’s a post on what I did with my most recent squirrel skin. This is my first time skinning the head also. I do have pictures of the skinning process, but I don’t think any of you would be too keen to see them.

Here’s the squirrel:

The skin:

Processing the Squirrel skin

1. First I salted it. I just put about half an inch of salt on it. Make sure there are no folds where the salt cannot reach.

2. After 3-4 days I got the salt off.

And I mixed about 3 tablespoons of salt with about 1 teaspoon of oxalic acid. Then I added water, enough to fully cover the squirrel skin. Be very careful when using the acid. I would recommend wearing gloves.

Put the skin in and swirl it in the mixture a few times with a stick.

And let it soak for at least 48 hours.

3. Now it’s time to neutralize the acid. I added baking soda in slowly. The mixture will bubble, like what happens when you put vinegar and baking soda together, so it will be best to put the container in the sink or to do it outside.

Now I really don’t know how much baking soda you need. I think I used about 3/4 cup. I just try to add some more until the mixture doesn’t really bubble any more.

4. Then I washed the pelt, first to get the baking soda and oxalic acid off, then I washed it with soap. Dish soap should work just fine.

5. Time to dry the pelt. I hung it fur side up.

6. When the fur is almost all dry, it’s time to apply some neatsfoot oil. I used paper towels to do it. First I applied a layer of oil. Then I used a fresh piece of paper towel to soak up the excess.

7. As it was drying I stretched the pelt. This step is the trickiest because if you don’t stretch it at the right times and if you don’t stretch it right it’s not going to turn out too well. I’m not an expert, and I am still experimenting with different ways of stretching. For this step you really need to experiment on your own. It should become a tan to whitish color when stretched and dried.