Sheepskin dressing at home: top 4 ways and instructions

Sheep breeding is associated with the process of dressing sheepskins, sometimes you have to do it yourself at home. The process takes a lot of time, requires certain skills and efforts. 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 cured skins can become a significant part of the budget.

Features of dressing skins

Many breeders don't dress themselves. They hand over raw skins to special receivers, and then take 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 trimmed and protected with an antibacterial coating. The skin is removed from a sheep or ram after slaughter and cured for 2-6 months. Dressing includes several main steps:

Mezdrenie. This is a targeted removal of the subcutaneous layer from the surface of the raw material.
Pickeling. This is a processing option that will preserve the decorative qualities of the material in the future.
Washing. Purification of the resulting material from processing particles.
Tanning. A procedure that makes the sheepskin more durable and enhances its quality.
Drying. Sheepskin drying, complete exclusion of moisture residues after washing or tanning.

In addition to the execution of the main stages, sheepskin is additionally worked to improve performance.

Who should do it?

A furrier is a person who is professionally engaged in dressing. A person must have special knowledge and physical strength to be able to work with heavy containers, turn over wet sheepskin, lay it out for further drying.

Help! The average weight of a wet skin is 10 kilograms.

Tools and equipment

Special equipment is needed for each stage of dressing. If improvised means can be used during drying or washing, then special devices of a narrow focus are needed during skinning:

deck;
pallet;
mezdryak;
meshing machine or skinning knife;
capacity.

Methods of preserving skins

Canning helps preserve the material. This is the only method used by furriers because drying or freezing does nothing to preserve the quality.

In large farms, raw materials are processed in whole batches, so proper preservation helps to preserve raw materials for as long as necessary.

Information! Do not stretch the material during the preservation phase.

Wet-s alty

Wet-s alted preservation method is used in winter. It is used after drying the skin taken from a ram or sheep. First, the material is spread on a flat surface so that the core is on top. Then sprinkle with s alt. The calculation is carried out, focusing on weight. Usually, one dressing takes about 800 grams of s alt. S alting continues for 8 days. After s alting, the resulting dressing is folded in such a way that the mezdra is inside. Then they fold, starting from the edges and moving towards the center. The resulting bundle is pulled with twine and put away for storage.

Dry-s alty

The dry-s alted method differs from the wet-s alted method by the additional addition of naphthalene. This element allows you to scare away pests, avoid damage to the material. Naphthalene takes 0.8 percent of the total sheepskin weight.

Skins sprinkled with s alt and mothballs are piled up. After 2-3 days of s alting, the raw materials are dried naturally. Avoid direct sunlight when doing this.

Help! In winter, sheepskins are dried indoors, in summer they are hung outside in the shade.

Acid-s alt

This canning option is called one of the best. It is based on rubbing a specially prepared mixture into the mezra.

Composition of the mixture:

aluminum-potassium alum - 75 percent;
s alt - 85 percent;
ammonium chloride - 75 percent.

The total weight of the mixture for a standard sheepskin is 1.5 kilograms. The mixture must be thoroughly treated with a sheepskin surface. 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 skin.

Fresh dry

Fresh-dry reception is a traditional drying of sheepskins. It is used when there is no time or opportunity for s alt preservation.

Help! The fresh-dry method of canning is used in summer or early autumn.

Stages of dressing

At each stage of dressing, a set of special rules must be observed. Departure from the canon can spoil the expended efforts of the furrier and turn the skin into an unusable commodity.

Soaking

It is recommended to dress the skin immediately after removal. Before skinning, it is necessary to soak the raw materials to facilitate the next step.

For soaking prepare a solution of table s alt, formalin, acetic acid. Soaking continues for 12 hours. The method helps to eliminate the reproduction of microorganisms on the surface of the mezra, and also increases the strength of the material.

Help! Furriers advise adding a decoction of birch bark to the soaking solution.

Mezdrenie

The result of skinning is a skin stripped of skin and fat. On the machine or a flat surface, the skin is laid out and they begin to clean it with the blunt side of the knife, moving from the bottom to the top. It is forbidden to use sharp objects as a tool for skinning, so as not to pierce the skin. Skinning requires certain skills and dexterity.

Degreasing

Degreasing, or washing, is a process in which a sheepskin is immersed in a container with a solution of table s alt and washing powder. After washing, the skin is wrung out by hand if possible.

Picking

Pickeling - exposure of the obtained material in the prepared marinade. The process allows to significantly improve the quality of raw materials. This stage is often referred to as fermentation.A special solution is prepared for him from vinegar essence, s alt and water. Calculation for 1 liter of water: 2 tablespoons of essence, 4 tablespoons of s alt. The water is heated to 23 degrees.

Pickling is the process of soaking skins 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 kneaded with a long wooden stick in such a way as to completely change their location inside the container.

Tanning

Properly carried out tanning increases the strength of the sheepskin. This process requires the use of auxiliary compounds. At home, they take oak or willow bark. It should be borne in mind that the solution of oak bark gives the sheepskin a reddish tint. Willow bark must be used to maintain the whiteness of the dressing.

The sheepskin is impregnated with a tanning solution for 48 hours.The result can be determined by the cut. The uniform color of the cut indicates that the tanning is completed. 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.

Fatting

The cured tanned skin 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.

Grated laundry soap with water is boiled over low heat. After complete dissolution, pork fat is gradually added to the soap mixture. Ammonia is mixed in only after the emulsion has cooled.

Help! The skin is treated with an emulsion, avoiding contact with the fur.

Drying

Drying is the last, but the most important stage. To dry the sheepskin, you need an air temperature of 30-40 degrees. During the drying period, the skin is stretched, kneaded, constantly turned over. Subject to the optimal temperature regime, drying takes 2-3 days.

What can be made from sheepskin

A common use of sheepskins is interior decoration. Sheepskin rugs are spread on the floor in front of the bed, in the bathroom, in the children's room. Sheepskin is also commonly used for tailoring vests, boots or hats.