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[jthomas]

Hey you all I am new to this forum.  I have enjoyed what I have seen so far though.  I had a question about a coon I am tanning.  I have tanned coons in the past but I need to get better at it.  I feel as though it would be smart to flesh/scrape my coons a second time in the process.  What do you all think?  And if you think it is a good idea, do you do it the same way as you did the first time with a beam and fleshing knife.  I was thinking of doing it after I dry and salt it on the stretcher.  Does that sound right?  Thanks in advanced for your input!

-JT

[The Tanner]

Once you flesh a raccoon the most important thing is to degrease the hide.  If you don't get all the grease out of the hide before the tanning process it can cause problems later. 

After you wash the hide with a soap like Dawn Dish soap then drain the hide for a bit and scrape it to open up the pores in the leather.  Wash the hide a second time with the Dawn.  It should be ready to go now.

The hide needs to be fully degreased before the tanning process.  Raccoons, Bear, and Beaver all have similar issues when it comes to degreasing.

Good Luck