To properly skin rabbits, you need to know the entire step-by-step process. In this article, you will learn how to remove the skin, process it and stretch it.
Where to begin?
To make the process go smoothly, without any complications, and the result exceeds all expectations, take into account the following tips:
- Rabbit breed. It is this factor that will lead to success. Fur of such breeds as chinchilla, black-brown rabbit and White giant is considered an expensive material. They were bred specifically to obtain extra thick and beautiful fur. Gray giants and their breeds - analogs, are also used for dressing skins, if these individuals have a dense pile. With a diet enriched with vitamins, such a result is possible.
- Withstand the time of slaughter. For this procedure, young growth with a fully formed fur cover is best suited, while the molting period is taken into account. If you do not pay attention to this, the material will quickly deteriorate. Adult rabbits are brought to a certain weight - from 3 to 5 kg, depending on which breed is chosen. Old animals are absolutely not suitable for these purposes.
- To prepare the carcass, use the French method - air embolism. A blow with a stick behind the ears of the animal. This must be done carefully to prevent bruising.
What tools and materials will you need?
Making rabbit skin will require some knowledge, skills, materials and tools. This process cannot be done without the use of chemicals.
There are several options for processing recipes in which different tools are used. An approximate list of components is as follows:
- plenty of water;
- table salt - 10 packs;
- a little more than a liter of electrolyte;
- baking soda - 3 packs;
- formalin, ammonia, chrome alum;
- Laundry soap or laundry detergent;
- you will need blanks to draw the skin;
- wooden spatula for mixing skins;
- knives: sharp, blunt and with interchangeable blades;
- countertop;
- hammers, nails;
- large bowls;
- latex gloves.
When working with chemicals - compliance with safety rules is indispensable. The order of priority is also important: acid is poured into the water. After finishing work, the tool is subject to processing, thorough washing and drying.
How to remove the skin?
Do not delay skinning the rabbit carcass, it will be extremely difficult to do this later. The most important thing is to keep the furry cover intact, so the stocking method is what you need. This process includes several step-by-step actions:
- Hang the carcass by its hind legs.
- Gently incise the skin around the joints.
- Make a longitudinal cut along the inside of the paws.
- Remove the tail.
- Slowly and carefully begin to pull off the skin by rolling it. Help with a knife.
- Front legs can be removed.
- Trim the skin from the rabbit's head.
Having thus obtained a stocking from the skin, quickly clean it of the remaining product. This procedure is conveniently performed on the countertop with a blunt knife.
If, after removing the skin, you are not going to immediately start dressing, dry it. Having spent 3 days on this process, you will be able to do the harvesting in a month. Dry the casing so that the fur is inside the stocking, on a special wedge-shaped device resembling the letter "A", at 30 ° C in a ventilated room.
Step-by-step instructions for dressing a rabbit skin
The process involves specific steps, the implementation of which should be carried out strictly in turn.
Soaking (soaking) in water and solution
It will not be possible to soften the raw material without soaking it. In addition, ignoring this step can lead to decomposition of the skin later. Many do not bother themselves too much and get by with clean water alone. But this is also an option.
You need a deep dish into which the selected sushi are laid out and filled with water. For 1 kg of raw materials use 3 l of water. Make sure that the skins are placed freely in the container. The softening of the material just removed occurs in 4 hours, the dry skin is soaked within half a day, and several times during this period it is necessary to change the liquid.
Another method of soaking involves the use of a solution of certain ingredients. Most often, a liter of water is used for this, to which a little borax (30 g), carbolic acid (only 2 g) and 50 g of salt are added and everything is thoroughly mixed. It is advisable to work with this mixture in stainless steel dishes, or coated with a thick layer of benign enamel.
Press the skin laid in the solution with something heavy so that the composition completely covers the raw materials. Stir the contents of the container regularly during soaking to evenly process it. In terms of time, this process takes from 6 hours to 4 days, depending on various circumstances.
The procedure includes a composition that protects the skin from being colonized by putrefactive bacteria. It consists of 1 liter of water and the following ingredients:
- salt;
- zinc chloride;
- formalin;
- Boers
- carbolic crystallized acid.
Lovers of everything "natural" do an excellent job of soaking in decoctions of oak, willow and eucalyptus leaves. These components, unlike standard chemicals, are safe and also effective.
The operation is completed when the skins have become soft, the residual fat is easily separated from the flesh. Squeeze them lightly and drain the water. Rinse with clean water and drain.
Coagulation
The essence of this step in the process of skinning is to thoroughly clean the subcutaneous layer with the remains of meat and fat. The result should be a completely clean skin. How to achieve this:
- Thoroughly remove any remaining moisture from the wet skin.
- Pull the stocking over a convex object; today special machines are produced for this purpose.
- Use your hands to help yourself with a dull knife.
- Remove unnecessary elements strictly from top to bottom and from the ridge to the sides (some specialists perform scraping movements in the opposite direction).
- Trim off excess skin to achieve a uniform skin.
- Do not overdo it with the gun, do not press it hard to avoid gusts on the skin.
- At the end of the procedure, lightly knock with the knife handle on all surfaces of the blade, break it.
It is possible to purchase machines specially designed for these purposes, equipped with magnetic and electric drives. This tool will be a good helper and will greatly facilitate and speed up the process of freezing.
Degreasing
The operation is actually an ordinary washing of the material. For her, it is more desirable to use soap or shampoo. If you decide to use washing powder, get ready for a long and speedy rinse of the skin.
Wash slowly, gently, until under the fingers you feel a characteristic creaking.
Fur processing is carried out identically. Finally - rinse the product in running water, inspect it so that there are no soap traces. Shake the skin and wipe it dry. You can proceed to the next stage.
Pickling and pickling
Both actions are designed to increase the strength of the rabbit skin. Use depends on personal preference. For fermentation, a mixture similar to jelly is prepared according to the following recipe:
- Pour 200 g of flour into 1 liter of hot water (you can use both wheat and oatmeal), table salt 3 tbsp, 7 g of dry yeast, soda - 500 g.
- Stir everything thoroughly and let cool. The temperature of the resulting liquid should not exceed 30 ° C.
- Put the skins in this jelly (the fur should be inside), hold for 2 days. Mezdra got a white tint, a bread smell appeared, so the fermentation process is completed.
- Remove the skins, rinse, let the water drain.
Pickling is a more laborious procedure:
- A solution is also prepared, but from other components (warm water 1 liter, a little vinegar 70%, salt), products are placed in it and also kept until the flesh is white. It will take 48 hours.
- To check if the skin is ready, fold it very tightly, run your fingernail along the fold. If a light trace is visible on the skin, then proceed to rinsing in a neutralizer.
- Need a liter of water and a half kg of soda. Immerse the material in it for half an hour, then rinse with clean water and wipe until dry.
Use either of the two methods of hardening the material, get excellent results.
Tanning
The processing of the material makes it elastic, waterproof, strong enough. This action can be done in two ways. Most often used aqueous formulations of woody materials of oak and willow. Step-by-step recommendations:
- Fill wood with water.
- Boil for 30 minutes with salt, cool.
- Soak the skin with a brush.
- Lay the soaked skins so that the fur remains outside, soak for 24 hours.
This method is called tannin tanning. Another option is chrome tanning:
- For 1 liter of hot water, take 7 g of chromium alum, withstand the same time as in the first case.
- After tanning, neutralize the material with a soda solution identical to that of pickling, rinse thoroughly and squeeze slightly.
- Spread the skins on the surface, smooth them well, put the press on for 2 days. Observe the order of stacking - on top of each other, fur to fur, and flesh to flesh.
- To check the readiness of the skin, stock up with a magnifying glass, it will help to see signs of completeness of the tanning process - an even yellowish color and velvety skin. Some experts gently clean the finished product with emery cloth.
Fatty and drying
It is not a fast and rather complicated process of dressing that ends. The secret of the fat is that after the last step, the skin becomes very smooth, gentle softness appears, and water resistance is acquired.
Oils such as castor oil or glycerin are suitable for a fat burning session. Step-by-step recommendations:
- Moisten a tissue swab in one of the substances and carefully treat the entire surface of the flesh with it.
- Soak it for 2 hours, quickly wipe it with a clean cloth, thereby removing excess fat and dry it.
This is the final stage of all work. This operation is possible on any suitable surface. An important nuance - drying is carried out exclusively with the fur up. There must be adequate air circulation, avoid the presence of heating devices and sunlight, low humidity.
The finally dried skins are lightly warmed up and stretched. You need to do this with your hands, without the help of any mechanisms.
Mezdra is additionally sprinkled with tooth powder or rubbed with chalk, carefully polished and shaken out the garbage. The fur is carefully combed with a soft brush.
Alternative dressing options
The process of making rabbit skin is the same everywhere. Many craftsmen adhere to the old ways of making leather that their fathers and grandfathers used. There are two ways of interest.
With sour milk
The step-by-step process looks like this:
- Rub the skin generously with salt.
- Turn inside with mazra, soak for 3 days.
- Then carefully shake off the salt, pour the weekly sour milk into the container, and immerse the peels in it. For each skin, 1 liter of an acidic product is used.
- Leave it on for another 3 days.
- Finish the job by washing the sheets, cleaning the flesh and drying.
Fresh dry method
The fresh-dry method speaks for itself. No solutions are used. Step by step recommendations:
- Place the removed stockings on the rules. When spreading the web, the length should be three times the width.
- Attach the product carefully with small studs.
- Treat the inner and outer integuments with sawdust mixed with gasoline, clean the fur from various litter.
- Wipe everything with a clean cloth and dry thoroughly.
Primary processing and storage
The main recommendations of the primary processing:
- Do not leave peeling for later after slaughtering your rabbit. Scrap it, remove pieces of meat and fat. Don't complicate the dressing process. The remaining layer will lead to rotting of the skin, and it cannot be restored in this state.
- Do not forget about the fur, inspect it and clean it from debris. Use a dull knife when doing internal cleansing, help yourself with your hands.
- Stretch the removed stocking on a thick wooden beam, work in a circle.
- Try not to damage the skin, but if such a nuisance happens, carefully sew up the tears.
- It is better not to tighten the dressing of the skin, if there are circumstances that do not immediately allow you to start working, dry it, start processing it when it is convenient.
- To dry the material, select a suitable, well-ventilated area with a temperature of 30 ° C. Distribute the skin on a special drying device.
- Some craftsmen resort to freezing the canvas, it is better not to do this. Too high temperatures as well as extremely low temperatures will cause the pelt to break and damage the pile.
- Undesirable and high humidity, capable of forming mold on the product. The process can take up to 3 days.
- Finish the primary processing of the stockings by wiping with rags or sawdust. It is recommended to store in dry, with tight lids boxes or bags.
- To avoid the appearance of moths, put a piece of naphthalene in a cloth in the container with the stored skins. Do not store the skins for a long time, no more than 1 month. Start dressing so as not to lose excellent raw materials for renewal.
- If you are going to start dressing right away, fill the skins with salt and prepare the necessary materials. This does not hurt the canvases.
How to stretch the skin?
The skin is processed in a state of tension. Choose a wedge-shaped support or build a sliding structure. Its advantage is that it can fit any canvas size. Remember some rules when pulling the product:
- the fur must be inside;
- the pile should be smoothed and carefully pulled over the rule with the skin outward;
- Flatten the stocking thoroughly;
- fix the edges of the canvas - nail the lower end with cloves, there will be no tucking of the material;
- stick to the standard sizes of the drying device, everything will depend on the size of the skin.
Useful Tips
If you are new to this difficult business, heed the advice of experienced farmers, it will help you to successfully cope with the work:
- Pickling can be carried out in water at room temperature, without additional heating. In this case, the process is extended by a day.
- Pay attention to the thickness of the mezra, the duration of exposure will depend on this.
- Inspect the condition of the coat before starting to clean the skin. Remaining debris can damage the skin.
- Monitor the state of molt, if it is in the initial stage, slaughter is possible in a month.
- Do not use oak bark in the tanning process if the skin is light in color, otherwise its color will acquire a yellowish tint.
- Do not save on water, 3 liters of solution are used per medium sized billet.
- Individuals not older than 3 years are subject to slaughter, a large age is a low indicator of the quality of the skin.
Do not be afraid to start learning new things, if for the first time you are faced with breeding rabbits, processing a product with their subsequent use - study the appropriate material. At home, you can handle everything yourself.