Page 480 Advertisement 1

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 78, Issue 5, 16 May 1949, Page 480

HOME CURING OF OPOSSUM SKINS HOME curing of opossum skins (not for sale) should be done as soon as the animal is skinned, If dried skins have to be used, bring them to the same degree of softness as "green" skins by putting them in a very weak solution of salt and water. A simple method of curing is as follows: Wash the skins thoroughly in warm soapy water. Mix 2 parts of alum to I part of salt thoroughly in hot water to form a thin paste or better still add more water to make a weaker solution. Place the skin on a board, fur side down, and apply the solution to the skin. Fold the skin in two, fur outward, ensuring that no fur is in contact with the treated surface. Leave it for 12 hours and repeat the whole process three or four times according to the strength of the solution. Twelve hours after the last application tack the skin out flat on a smooth surface and leave it in a warm, dry atmosphere, but not in direct sunlight. To make the skin supple drag the skin surface backward and forward over a bar or board before the skin is completely dry. When it is quite dry finish it off by rubbing the surface with a piece of pumice, taking care not to rub right through the skin. If the curing solution is made to the consistency of fairly-thick porridge, one application of it will do. In that case the skin should be left for 24 hours and will require more working to make it supple.