Where do I get salt from? And paper bags? How much salt do I need? How will I know that they are ready to be sent and also how do you go about wrapping them up for postage.
sorry for all the questions
Salt comes from agric merchant, 20kg bags, Pure Vacuum Packed. I don't use paper bags. I use an 8'x4' plywood sheet, perched at a sloping angle on hurdles in a V shape. I cover that with polythene - plastic feed sacks opened out work. I have straw under the edge for the liquid to drip onto, and burn that frequently during the salting process.
You need to get your skins (hides are cattle/deer) onto the salting board within 2 hours of slaughter for a good salting, but if the slaughter house is giving them an initial dip for you then that reduces the rush.
Wear rubber gloves and a waterproof apron.
Spread the skin wool side down on the board, open up the legs with a sharp knife, remove scrotum if present then spread a layer about an inch thick of salt on the inside of the skin, uncurling the edges and pushing salt into every nook and cranny.
I usually then cover with a loose piece of polythene to reduce atmospheric humidity a bit. My animals go off late in the year, so conditions are often better for salting then, being cold with dry air. In summer the air might be damper and the temp higher.
Once pink starts to show through the salt, top it up so it's white again. Once the dripping slows down, lift the skin and shake thoroughly to remove the salt, then spread fresh to continue the drying. You may need to repeat this.
Once there is absolutely no more liquid seeping out, shake the skin again, sprinkle a thin layer of salt over, fold skin in half or thirds lengthways, skin sides in the middle, then roll up very tightly. Pack as many as will fit into a hole-free plastic feed sack, and seal. Pack this sack inside a second sack, address and send.
Topic: sending off a sheep skin. (Read 3665 times)
