Junky

Okay. 

The recipe is as follows for one skin. 

20ltrs of water. 

5kg of salt. 

500g of Alum, aka aluminium sulphate. 

I went to school in Cleveland so my maths is not the best but I calculated for 2 skins... 

40ltrs of water. 

10kg of salt. 

Ikg of Alum. 

So here we are. 

As per the video, I am to stir this twice daily. I have my trusty old landing net handle minus the landing net as it broke off a while ago. (yes I have a new net for fishing.) 

As per the video clip, I have my safety boots on and I used the human skinned gloves. 

In one weeks time, I'll get the skins out for drying.

I also have an Engel full of meat. Butchers said keep it refrigerated for a week (at least) before freezing. 

I'm on a carnivore diet atm so it may not last long enough to hit the freezer. 

These are the butchers. 

Good blokes and very quick. 

Very nice cuts. 

Will update in a week's time. 

Cheers. 

Damo. 

4 hours ago, Angry51 said:

We know he's the brains of the outfit but that's not his name.

Haha. 

I was covered in lanolin. 

My fingers were slipping. 

I am however sidlexic. 

On 31/05/2023 at 12:23 PM, Dave oh said:

Both mate. I’m sure if his bs starts affecting his old man’s livelihood he might be a bit more inclined to assist

I would assume this bloke has been a pain in his old man's proverbial for years. 

Talk of severe drug addiction etc. 

Needs a good clip around the ears. 

Here's hoping you can get your money back.

Such a shame that police won't step in. It's fraud straight up. 

This is the method we are following. 

Tanning kits are heavily priced for my first go, and I would like to try the egg yoke idea. 

Alum powder is cheap as chips. 

I'm not to bothered if the skins  turn out a little on the "stiffer" side (haha, where will the boys go with that comment) as the skins will just be used as floor rugs, and no doubt the hound will find them comfortable as well, although she already has a super king sized woolen doggy bed. 

Will keep the updates coming as I fumble around. 

8 hours ago, Bob9863 said:

I like brain tanning, I just flesh a hide using a pressure washer, stretch and dry it, paint on the brains and your GTG. Well for a rug anyway, you can smoke it or treat it with softening treatments if you want it pliable. 

I've just last night read about this method bob. 

Unfortunately it will have to be next time as the heads have been taken away. 

1 hour ago, mangajack said:

Get a tanning kit rather than buying the raw chemicals.....ratios are fairly critical for a long lasting skin. Keep them cool as possible at all times during the prep and tanning / breaking process to minimise bacterial growth. 

Breaking the skins is probably the hardest part of the whole process but it just takes patience to do it right.

Very satisfying when a good skin is the end result.

 

Greatly appreciated mangajack. 

Looking online, it looks like Greg grants on Ipswich road sell kits. 

Will head over tomorrow and have a look. 

1 hour ago, ellicat said:

I'm interested in seeing how you go. Sounds almost too easy and the smell is a win.

It looks like it was a decent size sheep.

Yes Brain, that's what im worried about. Why is it so easy? 

Okay size to them. 

I think they came in around 30kg on the hook. Will k ow tomorrow as I'm heading over to watch the butcher weave his magic. 

I like lambswool. Nice and warm under feet. Will go nicely on the floor up north. 

1 hour ago, Angry51 said:

I've only used that " Leidreitter's" tanning kits on cow/roo skins with good success. A fair bit of work but very satisfying.

Most important part is making sure there's no meat/fat/sinew left on skins/hides before tanning.

And then lubing them and breaking the fibres.

Thanks angry. 

The gernie got all the meat fat sinew off fairly easily. 

Just a light trim with the knife for the really stuck on stuff tomorrow morning. 

1 hour ago, AUS-BNE-FISHO said:

Good luck Damo, what is the purpose of tanning them? 

G'day Hamish.

It's the process of turning their skin to leather. It's just soft and slimey at the moment. If you ever see a lambswool have a feel of the back. 

Have to be careful of shrinkage and fleece separation. 

It's all just YouTube vids and trials. 

They were going to be thrown out and my bro inlaw is a keen tryer of things, so we thought there'd be nothing to loose and education to gain. 

Hell yes. 

This sounds like a fun project. 

Please keep us posted on your adventures. 

I asked the missus, she's a grease monkey, and she laughed but said, why not, worth a try. 

I bet someone laughed when the first bloke made an outboard. 

Electrics (ecu etc) need to be in a water tight location, was her concern. 

Definitely keep this thread updated with your progress. 

3 minutes ago, Sylvathorn said:

Yep, they do taste good .... didn't know you could still get them?
 

They serve it up at the all you can eat seafood, Sheraton mirage across from seaworld. 

Well they used to. Haven't been for a while. 

I month a year. 

Croc purge. 

They taste good. 

Skins tan up well. 

ING. 

I still haven't been fishing.... 

That's my report. 

Tailor or mackerel. 

I've seen some big spanish Mackerel in shallow water. 

They're called scissors because you'd swear it was cut with a sharp pair of scissors. 

They'd be chasing the tailor as well. 

Classic Angry. 

It actually had me double taking and zooming in, because I never knew spray booths came with windows, which they don't. 

The other one that gets me is the sacrum joint in my hips. All the muscles turn to concrete around it to protect it. 

That's a Chiro thing for me though.

I have a 140kg chiro that has to use nearly all his weight to get it to move. 

Instant relief when he's done though, and a walk around the block. 

5 minutes ago, Bretto77 said:

Yep. Do all of that.

I'm generally okay.  Every so often however the stars line up poorly, or I have my tongue in the wrong position when I do something, (even wake up in the morning sometimes ).

It gives me the poo poos when it happens. It's just mother nature reminding me that I wasn't actually bullet proof when I was super fit but ignorant .

 

Exactly what happens to me. 

You in construction? 

Big rainy periods, although that's more sore joints, and season changes. I can almost pin point when it's gonna go, nearly. 

Sometimes it just goes though. 

I've just had a crook back 2 weeks ago. Got another dose to look forward to later in the year when we go back to hotter weather. 

12 minutes ago, Junky said:

 

 

I feel for you mate. 

I have a crook back also. 

 

I've found hanging works wonders, not the noose around neck type although it does cross my mind when it plays up bad (figure of speech peops) but just by the arms on scaffold, back patio or monkey bars etc. 

10 seconds several times a day. 

 

Also, lay on floor on your back and put leg up on wall at right angles (heel to wall, and it's got to be a corner of the wall so your other leg stays flat in floor). Get your bum as close as you can to the wall. Now push heel into wall gently and hold for 10 seconds, repeat while moving bum closer to wall in between. 3 minutes each leg. 

You don't want to stretch your hammy, you want to lengthen them. 

 

 

Then top of back, stand up, arm at right angles with palm of hand in wall, now twist away ie. Left hand on wall, look over right shoulder and count to 10, but don't lift your hand on wall higher than your ear, put at right angles and level is the go. 

 

And up your water intake, preferably the tank stuff. 

Not that poison in our taps. 

Do not forget to check the auctions either. 

Some bargains go through the gates sometimes. 

A mate a few years back got a nice tinny from the one at Hamilton. Can't remember the name but it's the big one in near Macarthur Ave. 

You never know.