home made zonker strips

[mutzinbaugh]

anyone successfully tanned and dyed rabbit fur?

also are zonker strips you buy at the fly shop cotton tail or snow shoe?

 

[sandfly]

domestic rabbit as in pet rabbits......you can use cotton tail or snowshoe if you can get them..

 

[FGSIII]

I've never tanned and dyed them myself but I have bought whole skins already dyed and cut them into strips.

I could help you with the dying part, but I know nothing about tanning other than they have "kits" at cabelas and other taxidermy supply catalogs.

LIVE ACTION!!

 

[plombardo]

put the skin in denatured alcohol for day. Then pin flat to dry. They are a pain in the rear after they are dyed. I would recomend to put them in a dryer to loosen up skin after dying. And cutting is pain. WORTH the price in the shop

 

[sandfly]

If you tan them first then dye they are nice and soft, like frank i buy them now to much work in tanning.

 

[mutzinbaugh]

pet rabbits...hmm. i guess the beagles will be spending more time in the kennel. some of the local amish farms have signs rabbits for sale every once and a while. i will have to pick one up and give it a shot. can't buy them on sundays though or lebanon levi will come after me!

i have 4 cotton tail hides ready to tan, then dye. will post my results if anyone is interested pm me.

too bad snapping turtles have nothing to tie flies with!

 

[beeber2]

Get a pelt from a craft store and cut it yourself. An extremely messy job. I agree with plombardo, it is worth it to buy this pre-cut.

 

[blueheron]

I imagine they start with the white domestic rabbit, not the cottontail.

 

[lv2nymph]

mutzinbaugh wrote:

too bad snapping turtles have nothing to tie flies with!

They make a great soup though.
I agree with what's been said above doing your own strips is a pita, after messing with it myself I quite enjoy buying them already ready.