Arts, Craft & Skills

1867

Tanning Sheep Skins
For Mittens, Door-mats, Robes, etc.

FOR MATS:

(1) Take two long-wooled skins; make a strong suds, using hot water. When it is cold wash the skins in it, carefully squeezing hem between the hands to get the dirt out of the wool. Then wash the soap out with clean cold water.

(2) Now dissolve a half pound each of alum and salt with a little hot water and put it into a tub of cold water sufficient to cover the skins and let them soak in it overnight or twelve hours.

(3) Then hang over a pole to drain. When they are well drained, spread or stretch carefully on a board to dry. They need not be tacked if you will draw them out several times with the hand while drying.

(4) When yet a little damp, have one once each of saltpetre and alum, pulverized and sprinkled o the flesh side of each skin. Rub in well.

(5) Then lay the flesh sides together and hang in the shade for two or three days. Turn the under skin uppermost every day until perfectly dry.

(6) Then scrape the flesh side with a blunt knife to remove any remaining scraps of flesh. Trim off projecting points.

(7) Rub the flesh side with pumice or rotten stone and with the hands.

They will be very white and beautiful; suitable for a foot mat. Also nice in sleigh or wagon on a cold day. They also make good robes in place of the buffalo, if colored and sewed together. And lamb skins (or sheep skins if the wool is trimmed off evenly to about one-half or three-fourths of an inch in length) make most beautiful and warm mittens for ladies or gentlemen.