"Ken Riley" wrote

My dad used to tell me that you had to chew them to soften them.

Chew them???? Yuck!!

Jaqy

"Mary Fisher" wrote

I've just sent 2 skins to be
'organically' cured and can't wait to get them back!

How is that going to be done? I have a Kerry Hill and a coloured skin
(can't
remember the breed) which need doing.

Hi Mary

I now have the details of the place that's going to do my skins. It's
called Organic Sheepskins and you can visit them at
www.organicsheepskins.co.uk As you thought, they don't descibe the process
but do say that they use a tannin from Mimosa trees grown in South Africa,
specifically for this purpose, and that no part of the tree is wasted.
They've held organic status for over 5 years. I hope this info is useful to
you. Let me know if you manage to 'rescue' your skins. I also have a Soay
skin that's gone through the cardboard stage and I'm not sure if I can
rescue it. I'm going to e-mail this place to ask them. Hopefully, they can
do something with it. It's beautiful colours and it would be a shame to
lose it. I'll let you know.

Jaqy

"Mary Fisher" wrote in message
t...


The goat and sheepskins I have did go like cardboard but are gradually
getting softer. I've tried using tallow but it doesn't work, I've tried
neats foot oil but that doesn't work either.

I've often wonderes what a neat is?

And how do you extract the oil from it's feet?

Alan
--
Reply to alan(at)windsor-berks(dot)freeserve(dot)co(dot)uk

"MC Emily" wrote in message
...
"Mary Fisher" wrote

Milady. Her pol chick, the beautiful and elegant Jubilee, was killed.
Milady
is traumatised, won't leave the kitchen windowsill unless we're around.

Oh poor thing (

Spouse fitted 18" vertical rails 3" apart along the corner where it was
getting in by jumping across from the wooden fence of a neighbour. It
was
a
mangy thing but didn't give a cuss about us ...

Well, I guess it's just doing what foxes do but it's horrible to see their
work and awful to see others suffering because of it. We sometimes find
the
odd lamb ripped up and the ewes suffer terribly for a long time. I have
to
admit, I don't like foxes (no flames, please!!).

Someone, somewhere, must produce a trap for the things.

Alan
--
Reply to alan(at)windsor-berks(dot)freeserve(dot)co(dot)uk

In article , Alan Holmes alan@holmes-
g4crw.freeserve.co.uk writes
I've often wonderes what a neat is?
In this context a neat is any bovine animal - ox, cow, bull etc.

And how do you extract the oil from it's feet?
Neat's foot oil is rendered from the boiled bones, e.g. as in cow-heel
jelly. The practice was suspended during the BSE crisis.
--
Alan & Joan Gould - North Lincs.

"Alan Holmes" wrote

Someone, somewhere, must produce a trap for the things.

Yes, they do. They're usually about £150-ish. Not a bad price if you have
a flock of sheep to protect but poor Mary only has (had) a couple of
chickens in her back garden, so I guess it's a lot of money in that
situation.

Jaqy

"MC Emily" wrote in message
...
"Mary Fisher" wrote


Off to Cambridgeshire tomorrow, Milady will go with us.

Have a lovely time, I hope the weather is good for you.


It was ccccccccolddddddddd ........

M
Jaqy

"Alan Holmes" wrote in message
...
admit, I don't like foxes (no flames, please!!).

Someone, somewhere, must produce a trap for the things.

Yes, but if you put a trap in your own garden they'll go for the hens first.
You can't put them in a neighbour's garden ...

Mary

Alan
--
Reply to alan(at)windsor-berks(dot)freeserve(dot)co(dot)uk

"Ken Riley" wrote in message
...

The goat and sheepskins I have did go like cardboard but are gradually
getting softer. I've tried using tallow but it doesn't work, I've tried
neats foot oil but that doesn't work either.

I'd like to know more.
Mary

My dad used to tell me that you had to chew them to soften them.

I've heard that but have you ever tried chewing more than the edges of a
skin? I don't know how it was done ...

Mary

Joan in Bramhall (Cheshire)

"Alan Gould" wrote in message
news
In article , Alan Holmes alan@holmes-
g4crw.freeserve.co.uk writes
I've often wonderes what a neat is?
In this context a neat is any bovine animal - ox, cow, bull etc.

And how do you extract the oil from it's feet?
Neat's foot oil is rendered from the boiled bones, e.g. as in cow-heel
jelly. The practice was suspended during the BSE crisis.

We used to have cow heel stew during the war and meat rationing ...

Mary
--
Alan & Joan Gould - North Lincs.

"MC Emily" wrote in message
...
"Mary Fisher" wrote

I now have the details of the place that's going to do my skins. It's
called Organic Sheepskins and you can visit them at
www.organicsheepskins.co.uk As you thought, they don't descibe the
process
but do say that they use a tannin from Mimosa trees grown in South Africa,

Oh! That's really helpful :-)))))))

specifically for this purpose, and that no part of the tree is wasted.
They've held organic status for over 5 years. I hope this info is useful
to
you. Let me know if you manage to 'rescue' your skins. I also have a
Soay
skin that's gone through the cardboard stage and I'm not sure if I can
rescue it. I'm going to e-mail this place to ask them. Hopefully, they
can
do something with it. It's beautiful colours and it would be a shame to
lose it. I'll let you know.

It would, and I'm sure that they'll be able to cure it - as long as you
salted it to stop bacteria from destroying the bases of the hairs. That's
what I've been told anyway.

Do let me know!

Mary
Jaqy

"Mary Fisher" wrote

Oh! That's really helpful :-)))))))

Good!

It would, and I'm sure that they'll be able to cure it - as long as you
salted it to stop bacteria from destroying the bases of the hairs. That's
what I've been told anyway.

Well, it might be beyond reprieve, in that case. Unfortunately *nothing*
has been done with it at all!! Having said that, it is still in one piece
and the hairs are still very well attached.

Do let me know!

I will. )

Jaqy

In article , Mary Fisher
writes

"MC Emily" wrote in message
...
"Mary Fisher" wrote

I now have the details of the place that's going to do my skins. It's
called Organic Sheepskins and you can visit them at
www.organicsheepskins.co.uk As you thought, they don't descibe the
process
but do say that they use a tannin from Mimosa trees grown in South Africa,

Oh! That's really helpful :-)))))))

I thought tanning had to do with urine - that's why tanners were
generally shunned and regarded as rather low class.

And wasn't Michael Palin commenting on the smell of the tanners yards on
his way across the Sahara?

--
Kay Easton

Edward's earthworm page:
http://www.scarboro.demon.co.uk/garden/

"Kay Easton" wrote in message
...

I thought tanning had to do with urine - that's why tanners were
generally shunned and regarded as rather low class.

Urine was indeed used in curing skins and scouring fleeces and also in
fulling and dyeing yarns and fabrics. I don't think it is any more in
western industrialised countries. Except by purists and historical
re-enactors ;-)

Mary

"MC Emily" wrote in message
...
"Mary Fisher" wrote

I will. )

I've mailed them.

M

Jaqy