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[sik450]

I get a an animal to tan.  I skin it.  I soak it in salt water.  I flesh it.  I tan it.  I oil it.

or if I want to do more than one at a time,

I skin them as I get them.  I salt them until I get enough skins.  Then flesh, then tan, then oil.

Is that about right?  Or do I have to pickle with crystals at some point.  Do I stake before or after the oil?

[The Tanner]

After you skin a hide you will want to get it salted asap.  Whether or not you plan on tanning it right away.  When you are ready to tan the hide then you wash the hide in water with a little soap and salt.  Then drain it and tack it out to be tanned.

When skinning the hide make sure to remove as much of the fat and meat off of the hide as possible.  Any left on the hide can interfere with the salt penetrating the hide.  Anything over and 1/8 inch thick needs to be removed.

In our kits the staking takes place a few time during the process.  When you scrape the hide to remove the excess crystals you are also starting the staking process.  Then during the sanding of the hide after the oil has dried you are finishing the staking to give you a nice soft hide.

The type of oil we use eliminates much of the staking that other kits require to get a nice soft hide.