# How do you tan a snake skin ( Long over due update)



## Red Man

I had a 4 1/2 ft Timber Rattler given to me this weekend. Still has to be skinned. 
I have preserved snake skins before. 
But this one I want to tan it out and keep it soft enough to work with. 
How do you do it. 
Is it the same process as tanning a deer hide?

I finished my skin sometime back. Some of you got to see and participate in the inaugural smoking of the pipe. ( Dutch, Choctawl, Flower Pot, Nugefan and I know I am leaving someone out ).

The quality isn't the best but they were taken with a cellphone.

Thanks to everyone who gave advice on this thread. I foud it to be very useful.


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## Toxic

I am basicaly looking for the same info, I have a 4 foot rattler also, head was blown off via 12 gauge. So it will be tanned for hat band or similar. I have tanned deer, coon, squirrel, opossum, but no reptile, I have had some info about rittles reptile tan, everyone from another taxidermy forum says to use it, I am getting the kit ($17.00) you may want to look into this also.


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## Ths dog hunts!!

I hear the best thing ta do is shove em in a bottle of Antifreeze!! Til ya figure out exactly what ta do!!


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## Nugefan

Hey Redman , where you been hiding ????

PM Snakeman , he can help .....


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## dawg2

I have used the Rittel snake tanning kit, works great.

Instruction here:

http://rittelsupplies.net/Free_Downloads_folder/Snakeskin Instructions.pdf

Site here:

http://rittelsupplies.net/


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## Toxic

Ths dog hunts!! said:


> I hear the best thing ta do is shove em in a bottle of Antifreeze!! Til ya figure out exactly what ta do!!




Thats the worst thing you can do, it was ok, 25 years ago with the old formula anti-frezze, but not today, salt it down with a 1 inch layer overnight to dry, then it will store until you tan it.


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## dawg2

I put mine in a ziploc bag in the freezer until I am ready for them.


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## sharpeblades

*tanning snake skins*

I do 10 or 12 per year that i kill and people bring to me for use on my knife sheaths   Frist i skin them then tack or staple on a board flesh side out scrape all the meat off of it you can be carfull and dont scrape or cut through the skin next i cover it good with borax (same kind you clean your hands with )several times to dry it out when  i have it dried out i brush on glisaren and alcohal 50/50 mix once a day until it become soft and plyable  takes about 3or 4 days  then i  untack it and roll it up  and its ready to go    Hope this will help


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## Trizey

sharpeblades said:


> I do 10 or 12 per year that i kill and people bring to me for use on my knife sheaths   Frist i skin them then tack or staple on a board flesh side out scrape all the meat off of it you can be carfull and dont scrape or cut through the skin next i cover it good with borax (same kind you clean your hands with )several times to dry it out when  i have it dried out i brush on glisaren and alcohal 50/50 mix once a day until it become soft and plyable  takes about 3or 4 days  then i  untack it and roll it up  and its ready to go    Hope this will help



That's what I've done on a Timber before....came out very nice.


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## Lostoutlaw

Dang I thought you put it in a tanning Bed


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## bnew17

theres a mixture of glycerin/denatured alcohol that ive used on some big rattlers. And i tell you it worked wonders. Ill look and try to find the mixture quantities and get back with you, but def dont use salt!!!!  oh and be REAL careful when your skinning it at the end of the tail where it starts turning black. If you just try and yank the skin off it will rip off here, just use your knife and itl come out find right there.


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## Nicodemus

sharpeblades said:


> I do 10 or 12 per year that i kill and people bring to me for use on my knife sheaths   Frist i skin them then tack or staple on a board flesh side out scrape all the meat off of it you can be carfull and dont scrape or cut through the skin next i cover it good with borax (same kind you clean your hands with )several times to dry it out when  i have it dried out i brush on glisaren and alcohal 50/50 mix once a day until it become soft and plyable  takes about 3or 4 days  then i  untack it and roll it up  and its ready to go    Hope this will help




Raleigh, that is the exact same method and recipe I use. It produces fine results.


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## Red Man

sharpeblades said:


> I do 10 or 12 per year that i kill and people bring to me for use on my knife sheaths   Frist i skin them then tack or staple on a board flesh side out scrape all the meat off of it you can be carfull and dont scrape or cut through the skin next i cover it good with borax (same kind you clean your hands with )several times to dry it out when  i have it dried out i brush on glisaren and alcohal 50/50 mix once a day until it become soft and plyable  takes about 3or 4 days  then i  untack it and roll it up  and its ready to go    Hope this will help



Thanks guy's for all the advice. This is the method that I was thinking of using. But some of what I have read advised against this method for skins that would be used for making sheaths or other heavily used items. 

I put my trust in the people here more than what I find on the web some where.


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## Red Man

Nugefan said:


> Hey Redman , where you been hiding ????



I've been around. Just been busy with the family during the summer break. Schools back in now and things are starting to get back to normal ( if there is such a thing as normal)


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## ClydeWigg3

sharpeblades said:


> I do 10 or 12 per year that i kill and people bring to me for use on my knife sheaths   Frist i skin them then tack or staple on a board flesh side out scrape all the meat off of it you can be carfull and dont scrape or cut through the skin next i cover it good with borax (same kind you clean your hands with )several times to dry it out when  i have it dried out i brush on glisaren and alcohal 50/50 mix once a day until it become soft and plyable  takes about 3or 4 days  then i  untack it and roll it up  and its ready to go    Hope this will help




Where do you get your glyscerine and alcohol?


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## Trizey

ClydeWigg3 said:


> Where do you get your glyscerine and alcohol?



I've found Glycerin at CVS, probably any pharmacy.


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## ClydeWigg3

Thank you.  What kind of alcohol and is it available at the same place?


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## Toxic

Best way to do it is this, skin the snake, flesh the skin of excess meat or fat. Rinse skin off in water and mix up a pickle, if you don't have s snake tanning kit, use 2 cups white vinegar/ 2 cups water (1/2 and 1/2) soak for 24 hours minimum. If you use a tanning kit, citric acid is used for the pickle (6 hour soak min 24 max) after pickle, rise hide and hang up to drip for 30 min. After this tack it to a board scale side down with tacks, not nails. If you want a leather type skin to make hat bands or such you will need a snake tan oil, the kits are $5.99 from (covers 2 snakes) vandykestaxidermy.com if you just want to tack it to a board and cover with a clear varnish, let it dry at this point for a couple of days. Then trim the skin around the tacks, flip it over and cover with your varnish, polyurthane, etc. on the board of your choice. Take note that if you do not cover with clear varnish the scales will curl up. If you want the leather type skin you will need to scale the skin with a spoon.


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## Nicodemus

Clyde, denatured alchohol can be found at hardware stores.

Toxic, interestin` recipe.


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## ClydeWigg3

Thank you for everyones help.


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## Jriley

Just be careful that the snakeworshippers don't see this! 

Seriously, I've used the denatured alcohol and glycerin thing on deer hides and it came out alright. It wasn't soft-tanned, but was kind of like rawhide. A taxidermist told me that Palmolive had enough glycerin in it to work. I used it and the hide now covers a recliner in my "trophy room."


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## ClydeWigg3

Jriley said:


> Just be careful that the snakeworshippers don't see this!
> 
> Seriously, I've used the denatured alcohol and glycerin thing on deer hides and it came out alright. It wasn't soft-tanned, but was kind of like rawhide. A taxidermist told me that Palmolive had enough glycerin in it to work. I used it and the hide now covers a recliner in my "trophy room."



My next question was about deer hides.  Is that "hair on" or off?

Also, what would be the difference in borax and salt?  Would borax be more likely to keep the bugs at bay?


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## Jriley

It was "hair on." First, this is pretty hard on your hands. What you do is:

1. Flesh the hide well. Remove every bit of the fat next to the skin.

2. Stretch the hide hair side down on a piece of plywood and nail it there with the smallest nails that will hold it. 

3. Salt the hide, and change the salt out when it absorbs as much moisture as it will hold. About a week to 10 days is long enough.

4. Fill a bucket full of denatured alcohol and a bottle of Palmolive. Take the salt off of the hide before you put it in the bucket. Screw the top on the bucket and leave it there overnight.

5. Open the bucket and get the hide out. Stretch and pull the hide as much as possible to break down the fibers. The more you stretch and pull it, the softer it will be. Let it dry. If it's soft enough for you, that's great. If not, put it back in the bucket overnight and repeat #5. You can do this as much as you need to.

This is hard work, but the result is a hair-on preserved hide that resembles what the Indians might have had long ago.


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## Toxic

A bucket full of denatured alcohol is going to be pretty pricey, I would use a tanning kit for vandykestaxidermy.com, it would be way cheaper and you will get a soft leather tan that smells like a new ball glove when your done


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## Jriley

Toxic said:


> A bucket full of denatured alcohol is going to be pretty pricey, I would use a tanning kit for vandykestaxidermy.com, it would be way cheaper and you will get a soft leather tan that smells like a new ball glove when your done



Well, it's not that much when you consider the hide takes up a lot of it. But, if it smells like a new ball glove that might be a better way. I also haven't priced denatured alcohol lately. I did that hide back in the late 90's. My hide has kind of a chemical type smell.


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## Toxic

The denatured alcohol is about $4.00 a quart  try filling a bucket with that.


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## bnew17

Ive used the glycerin mixture with Denatured, and ive used it with rubbin alcohol and both have turned out good. Couldnt tell them apart.


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## A^TECH

I have a 46.5 inch copperhead i'd like to make a belt out of. Can i tan this skin and still leave the scales on?.or would it be better to put it on a board? Right now it is frozen . I cut its head off and put it in a paper tube outstreached and sealed both ends. I haven't skinned it yet .  I posted pictures on archery section labeled look what i found


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## Toxic

you will have to remove the scales unless you mount it to a board. all it takes is rubbing it with a spoon, like removing the scales from a fish


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## A^TECH

Toxic said:


> you will have to remove the scales unless you mount it to a board. all it takes is rubbing it with a spoon, like removing the scales from a fish


thanks  i didn't know if the scales should be left on or taken off.


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## mbhawkins123

i bought van dykes snake tanning kit....and it comes with ph tester and pickling crystals....and the directions dont even mention how to use these items

any help?


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## Toxic

Reptile Tan

·          After skinning the snake lay the skin scale side down on a flat surface, Dust the skin with Borax to pull the moisture from the skin and to set the scales. 

·          Flesh the skin with a tablespoon of fleshing tool.

·          Wash in cool water and let drain.

Pickle:

·          
For every gallon of water add 3 ounces by weight of pickling crystals and ½ pound of salt.

·          Mix enough solution to free float the skin.

·          Leave skin in the solution 6 a minimum of 6 hours or overnight.

·          Remove skin from pickle and rinse in cold water.

Tanning:

·          Lay skin scale side down and pin down to heavy cardboard.

·          Allow to dry 3 hours then apply a light coat of Reptile tan

·          Dry 4 hours and apply another coat. 

·          Continue to apply Reptile tan until skin feels soft to the touch, up to 10 coats.

·          Once finished wipe the excess oil off with denatured alcohol

·          If desired a light coat of natural shoe polish may be applied to bring out the shine.

Remember: Always allow snake skin to dry in a cool dark place away from the sun.


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## Red Man

Ttt


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## slip

that, is awesome man. 

thats just flippin awesome!


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## dawg2

I thought I would bump this one since there has been a lot of talk about snakes lately.


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## Son

Some good info here.   I'm an ol taxidermist, learned the trade in 1954.   Someone mentioned deer hides, hair on or off.
Don't know if it's changed or not, but in my day we soaked deer hides in water with lime until the hair slipped. Then we tanned the leather.


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## Deadringer

Awesome stuff here guys.  I may try tanning a hide this year.  Would love to have for the cabin.


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## undertaker84

Interesting thread. Though I would post mine with a little different technique. I am a embalmer by trade and found this rattler dead on the highway. So I skinned him and applied Phenol after stretching him. I do not know if it can be bought publicly but it is a cauterizing agent and will do wonders. I simply sprayed him down and less than 12 hours he was done.


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## dpoole

What did yall smoke in the pipe ?


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## Nugefan

dpoole said:


> What did yall smoke in the pipe ?



medicinal herbs ....


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## Sanbur in MO

I jus air dry them after the 20 mule team borax cleanin, Staple on to board.  They glue on bows an stuff better without the chems.   Works fer me better


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