Sheep breeding involves the process of dressing sheep skins; sometimes you have to do this yourself at home. The process takes a lot of time and requires certain skills and effort. Sheepskin is one of the products for which sheep are kept and bred, so working on the material is of strategic importance. Income from the sale of tanned skins can become a significant part of the budget.
Peculiarities of skin dressing
Many breeders do not do the dressing themselves. They hand over raw skins to special reception areas, and then take away the finished material or leave it for further sale.
Sheep, mutton skin, or sheepskin is called wool removed from an animal with skin, which is additionally finished and protected with an antibacterial coating. The skin is removed from a sheep or ram after slaughter and dressed for 2-6 months. Dressing includes several main stages:
- Fleshment. This is the targeted removal of the subcutaneous layer from the surface of the raw material.
- Pickling. This is a processing option that will preserve the decorative qualities of the material in the future.
- Wash. Cleaning the resulting material from processing particles.
- Tanning. The procedure, which makes the sheepskin more durable, improves its quality.
- Drying. Drying sheepskin, completely eliminating any remaining moisture after washing or tanning.
In addition to performing the main stages, additional work is done with sheepskin to improve its performance.
Who should do this?
A furrier is a person who professionally engages in dressing. A person must have special knowledge and physical strength to be able to work with heavy containers, turn over wet sheepskin, and lay it out for further drying.
Reference! The average weight of a soaked skin is 10 kilograms.
Tools and equipment
For each stage of dressing, special equipment is required. If you can use improvised means during drying or washing, then during fleshing you need special devices with a narrow focus:
- deck;
- pallet;
- skinny;
- fleshing machine or fleshing knife;
- containers.
Methods for preserving hides
Canning helps preserve the material.This is the only method that furriers use because drying or freezing does not preserve the quality.
On large farms, raw materials are processed in whole batches, so proper canning helps preserve raw materials for as long as needed.
Wet salted
The wet-salted method of preservation is used in winter. It is used after drying the skin removed from a ram or sheep. First, the material is spread on a flat surface so that the core is on top. Then sprinkle with salt. The calculation is carried out based on weight. Usually about 800 grams of salt are needed for one preparation. Salting out continues for 8 days. After salting, the resulting dressing is folded so that the flesh is inside. Then roll it up, starting from the edges and moving towards the center. The resulting bundle is tied with twine and put away for storage.
Dry salted
The dry-salted method differs from the wet-salted method by the additional addition of naphthalene. This element allows you to repel pests and avoid damage to the material. Naphthalene is taken at 0.8 percent of the total weight of the sheepskin.
The skins sprinkled with salt and mothballs are stacked in piles. After 2-3 days of salting, the raw materials are dried naturally. In this case, it is necessary to avoid exposure to direct sunlight.
Reference! In winter, sheepskins are dried indoors, in summer they are hung outside in the shade.
Acid-salt
This canning option is called one of the best. It is based on rubbing a specially prepared mixture into the flesh.
Mixture composition:
- aluminum-potassium alum – 75 percent;
- salt – 85 percent;
- ammonium chloride – 75 percent.
The total weight of the mixture for a standard sheepskin is 1.5 kilograms.The surface of the sheepskin must be thoroughly treated with the mixture. As a result of these actions, a chemical reaction occurs. The resulting sulfuric acid completely eliminates the development of harmful microorganisms and at the same time starts the process of tanning the hide.
Fresh-dry
The fresh-dry method is the traditional drying of sheepskins. It is used when there is no time or opportunity for salt preservation.
Reference! The fresh-dry method of canning is used in summer or early autumn.
Stages of dressing
At each stage of dressing it is necessary to follow a set of special rules. Departure from the canon can ruin the furrier’s efforts and turn the skin into an unusable product.
Soaking
It is recommended to tan the skin immediately after removal. Before fleshing, it is necessary to soak the raw materials to facilitate the next step.
For soaking, prepare a solution of table salt, formalin, and acetic acid. Soaking continues for 12 hours. The method helps prevent the proliferation of microorganisms on the surface of the flesh, and also increases the strength of the material.
Reference! Furriers advise adding a decoction of birch bark to the soaking solution.
Flesh
The result of fleshing is a skin stripped of skin and fat. Lay out the skin on a machine or a flat surface and begin to peel it with the blunt side of a knife, moving from the bottom to the top. It is forbidden to use sharp objects as a tool for fleshing, so as not to pierce the skin. Fleshing requires certain skills and dexterity.
Degreasing
Degreasing, or washing, is a process in which sheepskin is immersed in a container with a solution of table salt and washing powder.After washing, the skin is wrung out by hand if possible.
Pickling
Pickling – aging the resulting material in a prepared marinade. The process can significantly improve the quality of raw materials. This stage is often called fermentation. A special solution is prepared for it from vinegar essence, salt and water. Calculation for 1 liter of water: 2 tablespoons of essence, 4 tablespoons of salt. The water is heated to 23 degrees.
Pickling is the process of soaking hides in a prepared solution. For thin dressings the duration of pickling is 6 hours, for thick dressings – 12 hours. Every 3 hours, the skins are stirred with a long wooden stick in such a way as to completely change their location inside the container.
Tanning
Proper tanning increases the strength of sheepskin. This process requires the use of auxiliary compounds. At home, use oak or willow bark. It should be taken into account that the solution of oak bark gives the sheepskin a reddish tint. To maintain the whiteness of the dressing, it is necessary to use willow bark.
The sheepskin is soaked in tanning solution for 48 hours. The result can be determined by the cut. Uniform coloring of the cut indicates that tanning is complete. Tanning solutions are prepared based on 2 liters of water. Take oak or willow bark in the amount of 500 grams. For ease of impregnation, use a medium-sized brush.
Zhirovka
The tanned hide is made more elastic and pliable by impregnation with fat emulsions. The skin is stretched and alternately coated with several layers of the emulsion mixture.
Emulsion recipe for 1 liter of water:
- laundry soap – 100 grams;
- pork fat – 1000 grams;
- ammonia alcohol - 10 milliliters.
Cook the grated laundry soap with water over low heat. After complete dissolution, pork fat is gradually added to the soap mixture. Ammonia is added only after the emulsion has cooled.
Reference! The emulsion is used to treat the skin, avoiding contact with the fur.
Drying
Drying is the last, but most important stage. To dry sheepskin, an air temperature of 30-40 degrees is required. During the drying period, the skin is stretched, kneaded, and constantly turned over. If the optimal temperature conditions are observed, drying takes 2-3 days.
What can be made from sheep skin
A common way to use sheep skins is for interior decoration. Sheepskin rugs are spread on the floor in front of the bed, in the bathroom, and in the children's room. Sheepskin is also commonly used for sewing vests, boots or hats.
