tanning critter hides

[bugflipper]

Heck for that matter may look for a cheap canvas bag on ebay and add a hide cover to the outside as you get enough of them. You could look in the military section for bag or canvas bag and find something I imagine.

[kingsax26]

so this id the first hide i have started working...you can see the darker areas where the soap mixture is soaking in.....all i did was shave it with a veggie peeler...add some H2O and make a slurry ...then spread it on and work it with my fingers...best of all as it dries...i just wet my gingers to make it saoapy...a little soap goes a really long way...guess i didnt need to buy the 10pack of Ivory bar soap 

[kingsax26]

well to see ho it did I let it sit for a couple o hours....came back n shes pretty soft....did a little stretching and pulling...and shes good to go!  but what on earth am i going to do with a red squirrel hide  lol

[Red Badger]

Make a ball bag outta it!  or send it to your beloved Factor - he accepts all donations for the hard work he does to keep this ayslum running on a fairly even keel...        

[kingsax26]

the biggest problem I have now is thAT i HAVE 12 MORE HIDES to do....sigh

[beowulf]

  thats the great thing about our hobby , you are never done !  yeah they`d probably make pretty good ball bags ! maybe other things , just gotta kick the old thinker into gear ! 

[kingsax26]

well ive already started making a pattern for a possible bag...I dont think ive ever seen a hair on squirrel hide bag..  so after my collective thinking session with my multiple personalities....I feel that we have agrred to a grey squirrel bag with a tan leather back...and a top flap made red squirrel......but when we got to the shoulder strap...my personalities and myself could not decide on a cotton strap...or a leather strap. Im thinking a simple d-shaped bag would be easy...I figure itll require about 4 or 5  squirrel hides, which im going to back with thinner leather for durbailty.....however right now I need to shoot a couple more red squirrels.....they got some teeny hides!  trapped me a chipmunk...but let him go as I didnt think his hide would be any thicker than tracing paper...lol

but all in all ...i think using ivory soap works fairly well.....and after the hide sitting for 3 dyas is still fairly soft, very flexible.....and it looks good too

[kingsax26]

ok folks,   so I tried making a shooting bag using the hides hair on ...it just looks wierd I didnt like them....but I did end up with 2 buckskin shooting bags out of the deal!   I recycled an old buckskin coat that had a split seam....I couldnt sew. anyhow...I ahve about a dozen squirrel hides in my freezer....I already offered them to someone,,,but if they dont want them they are up for grabs. free of charge and no shipping ...all ya gotta do is make me somehting with a hide (Im thinking a knife sheath would be cool)...anyhow ...if someone wants them lemme know, and if the first person declines theyre all yours