How to Tan a Squirrel Hide With Eggs
If you’re wondering how to tan a squirrel hide with eggs, you’re not alone. Many people have tried using various ingredients, including eggs and salt, but none have come out looking quite as natural. These three methods are effective, but they’re not cheap. If you’re looking to save money and still get a beautiful finished product, consider using natural methods to tan your hide.
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Natural methods of tanning hides
In order to tan a squirrel hide without using chemicals, the animal must be skinned and cleaned of any meat. The hide is then dried with salt and borax for a couple weeks. Once dry, the hide must be scrubbed with a knife to remove any membrane. Next, the hide should be rubbed with egg yolks until it stretches easily. This process should take about one month.
Brains are another way to tan squirrel hides without chemicals. The brains can come from any animal, and the solution needs to be enough to coat the entire hide. If you are not sure about the type of brains you have, you can mix different types. It’s best to keep some extra brains in the freezer or air-tight container until you need them. You can also use different kinds of brains, depending on the animal.
Salt tanning
In order to tan a squirrel hide, the first thing you need to do is to remove the fur. You can do this by placing the hide, fur side down, in a large shallow plastic tray. Put on rubber gloves and cover it in salt. Leave it there for about two or three days. Rinse off any excess fluid. Once dry, hang it up to dry. It will be very hard to rehydrate the hide with salt.
After the hide has been removed from the animal, you should prepare it by scraping away any excess meat and skin. Then, place it on a flat surface and completely cover it with salt. Make sure to use rock salt, which Wagner recommends. You can then let the salted hide rest overnight, or you can soak it for up to two hours in order to ensure that it is completely dried before wearing.
Brain tanning
To tan your squirrel hide, you need to clean the animal first and then dry it with borax and salt. After this, you can use egg yolks to tan your hide. Be sure to apply the brain paste to both sides of the hide and rub it in well. Then, allow it to dry overnight or for a day or two. Afterward, it can be re-used.
First, prepare a salt solution by adding five cups of salt to one gallon of water. Immerse the pelt in the solution for at least 24 hours. Next, remove any flesh or membrane from the pelt. You can also use thread to temporary sew the hide together. Then, hang it over a fire pit. Place the fire under rotten wood to create a lot of smoke. The smoke will then draft up onto the pelt. After forty to sixty minutes, remove the pelt and dry it.
Oil tanning
There are several ways to oil tan a squirrel hide. One method is to dip the hide in a solution made of brains and salt. Then, soak it for several hours or even days, depending on how thick the hide is. Salting the hide helps to set its hair and keep it from rotting. Salting the hide also prevents it from decomposing. After the hide is fully saturated, it’s time to remove it from the salt bath and dry it.
To make a dressing solution for a squirrel hide, you will need half a dozen eggs and 500ml of warm water. You can also add a few brains to the mix, but make sure not to mix them with the eggs, as hot water will cook the brains and denature the eggs. Next, add the dressing solution to the hide, and work it in thoroughly. If you’ve been successful so far, you’ll want to repeat the process to make sure you’ve got the best results.
How do you tan a squirrel hide using eggs?
First you need to remove the hair from the hide.
This can be done by scraping the hide with a sharp knife.
Next you need to prepare a tanning solution using eggs.
This can be done by breaking the eggs and mixing the contents with water.
Finally you need to soak the hide in the tanning solution for a period of time.

Jessica Watson is a PHD holder from the University of Washington. She studied behavior and interaction between squirrels and has presented her research in several wildlife conferences including TWS Annual Conference in Winnipeg.