Skin Preparation

To ensure that I give you a quality finished product it is important that the raw skins I receive are in the best state possible. This is achieved by following these simple rules.

1. Firstly it is important to remove as much fat as possible of the skin as this is one of areas that bacteria thrive on.
2. Then the skin must be cooled down quickly. Bacteria will begin to break down the skin after slaughter which can cause the skin to become smelly and increase the possibility of the hair falling out. You can do this by hosing down both the flesh side and the hair side with cold water ensuring that you wash away any blood or dung that is on the skin. This ensures that bacterial action minimised.
3. Once the skin is cold from washing roll it up and put it in a suitable bag and put it in your freezer. If you are out in the bush or nowhere near a freezer then the next best thing to do is to take plenty of salt with you. Apply the salt liberally to the flesh side and roll it up and keep it cool until you can get home and put it in a freezer.
4. Once frozen it is able to be transported safely to me where I can thaw it out and start the tanning process.

If I receive a skin and upon starting to process it I find there are problems due to hair slip , knife cuts or human error which may affect the final result I will contact the customer to see if they wish to proceed. It must be noted however that most skins do have scratches and rub marks due to their natural environment and some may have skin issues such as dermatitis which can affect the final result.