This isn't quite the soft pliable pelt i'd hoped for. I used the handlotion before the pelt dried and then tried my best to break it, but it is still cardboard like in some areas. Mainly around the head and along the back and upper shoulders. It should be okay for the purpose intended though, which is for a coonskin cap. The smaller pelt not shown is of a younger coon so i'm hoping it will turn out more pliable.

Plinker

Good job Plinker. The stiff areas you referred to would have been shaven at a professional tannery to make them thinner. In your case that didn't happen and they'll require much more work to attain the softness of commercial tanneries. Still, they often don't soften those areas as you might imagine.

Thank you George!

I'm happy for youre reply i was hoping to get your judgement, since you were nice enough to give me that great advice about the hand lotion...which really worked.

Anyway, later on this day, i took a hammer and after folding the skin pounded along the fold. Then would roll the fold, pound some more and also went in the other direction. So that helped and i think it'll be fine for the intended purpose.

Plinker

George is there a way to shave the hide at home? I used an angle grinder with a medium flap disk on a moose hide last year. I haven't gotten the energy yet to finish it off but it seemed to work ok ie: thinned the areas I wanted and was controllable.
I'll brain it this winter and see what happens.

the chef

The most common way to shave a hide at home would be to do it after it's tanned. The most common and probably the easiest is a belt sander with a medium coarse sanding belt. That's how professionals make suede leather anyway.

Professionals shave during the tanning process right after the pickle stage, but unless you have the proper equipment, that's a tough try at home.

Thanks for the reply. I guess the flap disk wasn't too far off of a belt sander.

The chef