Knoblochs Deer Hunter's & Trapper's Hide & Fur Tanning Formula Multi Pack

We bought this to tan some rattlesnake skins--and it was doing a wonderful job, until my other half forgot about the skins LOL. When tanning rattlesnake, as in any tanning operation, reapplication of the product at regular intervals is CRUCIAL--especially in southern Arizona. That being the case, I shouldn't have trusted the tanning to my very busy and absent-minded spouse! I chose this tanning product based in reviews on various websites and you tube videos, and following the first failure, I have since tanned two rattlesnake skins and a rabbit skin with it. It works as well or better than other products I have tried, and has a very low odor compared to some. My snake skins and my rabbit skin turned out soft, supple, and nearly odor free. I was especially pleased with the rabbit skin--in the past I had encountered problems tanning white furred rabbit skins with other problems--mostly fur discoloration. That didn't happen with this tanning solution. My only complaint at this point is that I was stupid and didn't look for this tanning solution in a larger package size. The rabbit pelt turned out beautiful, and the slight odor the tanning solution created in the finished pelt was completely gone after I hung the pelt on the clothesline outside for a day or two. This is something you don't want to use in enclosed, unventilated areas for too long--though it is low odor compared to some tanning products, it does still smell. If you are planning to use it on snakeskin, be sure to coat the skin frequently, and keep in a fairly cool, dark place--there are you tube videos that can give you tips on snakeskin. I have found that no matter what type of professional tanning solution you use on snakeskin, if you keep it in the sun, it WILL curl up on the sides. I am definitely planning on buying this tanning solution again, as I am almost out of it and my other half will probably end up getting me more rattle snakes over the course of the summer. With any luck, it's available in a larger size, as these small bottles don't really cut it if you are planning on multiple projects. As we are going to be raising rabbits for meat and hides this coming year, a good stock of this is definitely going to be necessary.

Super easy works well

Tans great. Been able to tan a squirrel and 2 raccoon with alot left

I've been using this formula on the mole hides, in two different recipes, and it works either way. Here is how I use it: Get the hide off the animal. Unless you're planning to make a taxidermy display, cut it in such a way that it can be flattened. I.e. when skinning a mole's short leg, you could pull the skin off as a tube, and then try to flatten it, but it will keep trying to return to a tube shape. Instead cut the tube and let the skin flatten. Stretch the skin on a flat surface. For a mole, a piece of cardboard and a few push-pins work great. Cover the skin with a layer of salt to dry. I put a thin layer of salt under the hide too, before pinning it, then a thin layer of salt on top, so that it will get under the pins, then pin it, then a thick layer on top. The salt also seems to help with the preservation of the hair on the skin, as I've had some molting moles with the hair pulling out as I skinned them, but not pulling out any more after the drying step. Let it sit for a few days. For how long, depends on the thickness of the skin and on the temperature and humidity. The goal is to dry the membrane to about the consistency of the soft jerky. I store my fresh hides in an outdoor shed, so if the weather is in the 50-70 range and not too that dry, about 4-5 days works for a mole; if dry and over 80 then 24 hours might be too much; if wet and below 50 then it never dries. After a few days, discard the salt, check out the condition of the hide. If still much too wet, put more salt on and let it sit some more. If more or less dry, scrape off the membrane. For mole's thin skin, it takes care not to tear it, and you'll end up with some hair pulled to the inside. And you'll never get it all, but the good news is that you can continue later, after tanning, with whatever got missed. If you over-dried the membrane, you can spray some water on it, let it soak in, and then scrape; this is easier than scraping it dry. At this point you've got two options. The wet one is as described in the recipe on the can: Wash the skin with a dish detergent (maybe multiple times), I do the last wash in the hot water. Wring it out, and with mole's small hide, after wringing it, I just squeeze it flat between two paper shop towels. Spread the hot formula on it (back side of the skin, obviously). Or the dry option that I've found in the comments: dry the skin with the salt some more, and then remove the salt, and spread the hot formula on the skin. The wet option seems to work a little better. I think that the skin being hot when applying the hot formula helps, otherwise the formula just cools down right away. But you can probably also heat the dry skin before spreading the formula on it. Why the temperature is important: as I've found on Canadian museum's web site, heating above 50 degrees Celsius completes the tanning transformation and makes it permanent. The formula contains the tanning chemicals similar to the smoke but the chemicals need the temperature similar to the smoking. So while the formula is drying, after a few days I heat the skin up at some point. A hair drier works for the small skins, or an electric oil heater would probably work even better. Let the skin sit a few days, covered with the formula, and with some plastic bag on top. Do not fold the skin in two, this leaves a crease in the skin that is not very easy to get out. After a few (3-5 or more) days, apply the neatsfoot oil over the skin. Let it sit covered for a few days more. No, you can't use Lexol instead of the neatsfoot oil, I've tried, it doesn't replace the neatsfoot oil. Wash the skin with the dish detergent, and again wring it out and towel it off it you can. For a thicker skin, you might want to stretch it out at this point for drying. For a mole's thin skin, just hang it to dry. When it's dry or nearly dry, start stretching it. At this point you can use Lexol to help with stretching. The youtube videos say that you can't tear a skin apart, but with mole's thin skin you can, easily! If the skin doesn't stretch (but can be torn), the most likely reason is that you haven't got all the membrane out, the membrane goes deeper than it looks at first. Get the scraper knife out, and scrape it some more (wetting the inner side if you need), until it becomes possible to stretch the skin. A nice side effect of scraping after the processing is that you get rid of the tan-colored upper layer, and it becomes white and fuzzy. So even if you've got all the membrane out at the first attempt, a little more light scraping is still a good idea. The newly processed hide has a chemical stink. I've thought at first that it was the neatsfoot oil, but no, it's the formula. The stink goes away after a month or two. The formula doesn't work much good on the sinew. So if you want to preserve a paw or nose, it will end up hard and shriveled (but I think not rotting). I haven't tried the other chemicals, so I don't know how this formula compares to them.

I have never tanned a hide. I do leatherwork and really wanted to try it. This process is pretty easy and you just follow the instructions on the back.

I’m an amateur but this works well if you follow the directions precisely. I used it on a couple of deer hides last year and on a coyote hide this year. Both came out great. Super soft and creamy white (using a belt sander after it dries really brings out the white color and helps with the softness as well). Also, using a blow dryer on the hair as it dries helps fluff it up. I saw a video where someone suggested covering the hide with a plastic garbage bag for the first 12 hours after applying the tanning formula to allow it to soak in more slowly and yes that is the way to go. 2nd photo here is of the deer hide I did last year…not symmetrically stretched and the tail got cut off (rookie move!) but it came out super white. Will be purchasing again!

I love this stuff, I’ve used it in every pelt I’ve ever tanned and man does it work! The pelts are soft and supple after breaking, instructions are on the bottle for easy use. Some people might not like the smell, it can be a bit strong but personally I like it. It’s very sticky, so make sure to wear gloves!