[Sonia in Cornwall]

Hi

The land we've got is overrun with rabbits, which we'll obviously have fun sorting out!  While I have a whole load of gorgeous looking rabbit recipes to make use of now  I was also wondering about curing the hides as rabbit fur is very soft.  It seems a shame to waste them when we're eating the meat anyway. 

Does anyone else do this already?  Can I use standard hide curing recipes that I find on the internet, or do I need something more gentle for rabbit skin?  And once it's cured does it sew just like leather?  (I have visions of a rabbit fur rug on the floor in front of the rayburn!)  Any tips from people who've tried would be welcome. 

[RUSTYME]

there are different methods to tan your skins , basically it just depends which one suits you best  really .
 Check out about the time of year you kill the rabbits , as they may be in moult , and the skins would be useless then . The curing is the easiest bit , making them soft is the hard part . That takes elbow grease , you have to work the skins to make them soft . I don't mean the fluffy side , I mean the skin side of the pelt .
It is possible to do at home , and if you have enough rabbits you can make all sorts of things with them .
 I used to make the Russian style hats out of them . I also worked in a skin and hide place , just salting them as they came from the abattoir , ready for delivery to the tanners etc.
I made sheepskin coats, and shoes and boots out of cow hide leather, that I 'borrowed' from work  . So it is all possible to do at home  , it is just s dirty smelly job at times . I can't remember the mix I used now ( it is 30 odd years ago !!) , but there are loads of web sites explaining the different methods  .
 Oh and yes it does sew like leather ( with fur on !!) .

cheers

Russ

[bsadevon]

Hey am new to this site - just came across this post, I know it's a long time ago but how did the rabbit tanning go. Have just bought myself a real rabbit fur hat and i love it. Wold love to make myself one.

Happy New Year

Tim

[doganjo]

I can give you another market - wrap bits of fur round tennis balls and sell them to gun dog folk as training aids, you can sew them onto canvas dummies as well.  I buy the rabbit skin balls for £3.50 each, an ordinary canvas dummy is about £3.50 too and with the skin properly sewn on would sell for £5 to £7.  Try them on Ebay.

[princesspiggy]

thats good idea!