not sure if this is the best section for this, please move it if you can think of a better one.

i have managed to scrounge a 'bulls ballbag'' and want to cure it at home.
it will need to be soft and supple when finished.
has anyone one got a recipe and process to do this, or any links to find out what to do?

No idea really. Did you ever find out and give it a try?

I hope this works

Tanning link

You can do it using the brain of the animal.

They say that there is just enough brain in the animal (any) to do its entire skin.

(not that you will be able to get the brain of a cow due to the regs)

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Thats what I got too.

Oh, and I have it on reliable information that brain tanning is a foul stinking mess of a way to tan something

Yeh but at least no horrible stinking toxic chemicals to use & dispose of either.

I have it on reliable authority that that whole 'every brain large enough to tan hide' is actually a rural myth. Anyone who wants to prove me wrong using a sperm whale or an emu, please go right ahead (but downwind).

VERY downwind please

And all I have used so far on skins is salt, strong tea and good hand cream. Twenty odd years on and they are still going strong, a little bit stiffer than fresh done but still supple and hair still on. Have a squirrel skin in the freezer to experiment on so will give it a try again. Mum gave me some body butter for Christmas that should work pretty good

GB,

Any chance of telling us your method?

Heavens, its just a made up thing using lots of bits and pieces I came across but basically I scraped the skin side clean and pegged it fur side down onto a board, nice and tight and salt the skin side really well. Leave to dry ridged, a few days and then brew up a strong pot of tea, about 4 tea bags worth - really BLACK so it will stain a bit, no white furs need apply lol - and gently soften skin with said tea until you can put the entire thing into it. Remember I was doing snake and mouse and rat and a squirrel skins so you might have to adjust for bigger skins. Soak for a few hours and then wring dry ish and start gently working the skin in your hands, stretching and kneading and pushing, adding hand cream as it works in. Watching telly is good for this stage as it lasts for AGES

Then when the skin is soft and dry its done. Sometimes I would think one was done (cramping hands) but after leaving it for a bit it felt stiffer than it should be so would put more hand cream on and go to it again.

When I came up with the above I ran through all the things people might have available to them thousands of years ago and salt, tannin rich liquid (like oak leaf tea) and animal fat were pretty basic. There are LOTS of things we have now that might do a better, faster or easier job but, well, it works

As I said, it was just something I made up but still have a few mouse skins and they smell fresh, the hair is intact and, while a little stiff, they are still supple enough to be a dolls house bed throw and hearth rug