How do you tan snakeskin?

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Does anyone know how to tan snakeskin? I've heard it can be done with antifreeze.

-- Judy Bowman (bowman61@altavista.com), April 20, 2000

Answers

I have an old book with a recipe for tanning snakeskin in it. I'm not sure I can follow the directions, and I'm not sure if you could still get all the stuff it calls for. Anyway, if you don't hear from anyone else who can be more helpful, e-mail me and I'll try to figure out the directions for you! Oh, if you already have the snakeskin, the first step is to salt it well and roll it up for a couple of days. That ought to keep it until someone who knows what they are talking about answers your question!!

-- Kathleen Sanderson (stonycft@worldpath.net), April 20, 2000.

From Carla Emery's book "Country Living":

"...scrape it out as much as possible.." (meaning the fleshy junk on the inside) "..and let it dry out a little.Mix 1 part glycerine and 1 part denatured alcohol. Paint this on both sides. Then spread the skin out flat on a pine board, put another on top and weight it down with rocks.paint it on again at the same time every day for 7 days. On the 8th day it's ready to be a belt or whatever."

I don't know the significance of the pine board as aposed to any other and if you salted per above recomendations this probably won't work correctly.

I also have the book "Tan Your Hide" by Phyllis Hobson. There are more complicated instructions there but it may still work if you salted it. I'll send it along if anyone wants it but it's about three paragraphs so I won't post it now.

-- Novina West (lamb@stellarnet.com), April 21, 2000.


I found this place while looking for a way to tan a skin that I got over the weekend. (Big old timber rattler. Yum.) I've pinned it out stretched to a board inside up and lightly salted it and put it in the sun to dry. Otherwise if you just want to keep it until you know what you want to do, just keep it in the freezer. I'll be looking back to see what else I need to do to soften it and preserve it. Also anybody who knows any tips on how to make a hatband out of it, bring it on. Happy trails.

-- Eddie (eeifling@hotmail.com), April 30, 2001.

Dont use antifreeze, the green stays with it FOREVER. They can be put in the freezer after cleaning GOOD. When ready to tan I mix 3 part glycerin and 1 part denatured alchol. Soak for at least 2 weeks. It can stay in jar indeffinatly. Shake it once a day or so. I have also done the board stretching, but I found it needless, when all I needed to do was put them in a jar. I have been given skins that have been salted. I dont like the results. They dry very bad. If any one wants hatband etc. info E amil me. I need info on doing the snake heads.

-- cheryl thompson (sleepysma@hotmail.com), August 06, 2001.

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