HIDE CARE TIPS:
This page is not a basic guide on how to skin an alligator, but we can offer a summary of skinning steps, tips on how to best care for alligator skins and explain why careful skinning and scraping is important.

Start with a good place to skin an alligator and have the right tools to do the job. Obviously, you need a steady table at a comfortable height, a good light, a knife and a sharpener, a scraper and salt to get started. You also need to develop your own skinning routine. The best skinners say this comes with practice and experience, but learn to skin an alligator the same way each time instead of changing from one way to another. That way you begin to develop your own system. You will develop a feel for each spot in the skin, and by doing it the same way each time, your moves and knife strokes almost become second nature. A standardized method of skinning, curing and handling alligator skins increases the value of the product and improves buyer confidence in a uniform lot of skim. Diagram 1 shows the standard opening cuts when skinning an alligator and the belly patterns of the skin.

SKINNING STEPS:

 The shaded area between the neck and vent in Diagram 2 is the part of the belly skin that is graded. Holes or cuts in this part of the skin make it difficult or impossible to cut full belly patterns for purses, briefcases or larger leather articles. Enough holes or cuts in the flanks can even make cutting shoe vamps or smaller leather-goods difficult. The one row of scutes along the sides of the alligator are left so the tanner has sane extra skin to tack to when the skin is stretched and dried during the tanning process. Special care should be taken not to cut or put holes in the belly pattern of the skin (particularly around the legs and flanks where the thin skin is easy to nick with a knife).

The proper care of alligator skins begins as soon as the animal is harvested. Here are sane more helpful tips:

1.       Skinning should take place as soon after the harvest as practical.

 

2.       Avoid direct sun or heat on the carcass or skin whenever possible.

 

3.       Keep skin away from blood, entrails, or other contact with dirty surfaces where more bacteria can get into the hide.

 

4.       Always skin carefully and particularly avoid holes or cuts in the belly pattern.

 

5.       Scrape excess meat and fat from the underside of the skin with blunt knives, paint scrapers, beveled pipes or other dull tools.

Removing meat and fat from the skin is very important because of the time necessary to store and ship alligator skins for tanning. This often takes several months and the -excess meat simply helps bacteria get started and can lead to "red heat" or " slipping" skins. If excess fat is not removed it can prevent salt from properly penetrating the skin. Also, if the fat heats up, it can actually penetrate the skin and leave grease spots on the finished leather.

The purpose of curing alligator hides is simply to remove moisture from the skin so it can be better preserved before tanning. A fine grain mixing salt works best and should be applied generously (1/2 to 1 inch thick) and rubbed into all parts of the skin. Salt should be rubbed thoroughly into the skin, making sure enough salt gets into the creases, flaps, tail and similar places where bacteria can get a start. Salt helps slow bacterial growth. Tightly roll the skins and stack in a well-ventilated place where they can drain. After three to five days in a cool or shaded place, the skins should be re-salted for best curing. Don't use rock salt and don't freeze hides (freezer burned hides won't tan properly).

 

If any "red heat" or "slipping skins" are noticed in a trapper's .lot, the skins should be separated from the rest of the hides and treated in a solution of water, bleach, tide and borax. This "slip dip" is made by mixing a half gallon of bleach in 25 gallons of water and adding half a regular size box (about one pound) of Tide and Borax. The salt in an affected skin should be discarded. (Red heat in particular can spread from one skin to the next). Skins should then be submerged in the dip about 15 minutes. Drain the skin and liberally re-salt. Re-roll the skin and if possible, store dipped hides away from other skins.

BRINE PREPARATIONS:

Ingredients

50 gallon covered plastic drum
50 pounds of salt
1 pound of 20 Mule Team Borax (boric acid)
1 pint bleach
25 gallons water

In order for brine solutions to be effective they must be carefully prepared and maintained. A plastic or other non-corrosive covered container of sufficient size should be used. Heavy, 50 gallon plastic drums used for shipping olives, peppers or pickles are best, but large plastic covered garbage cans are good substitutes. The brine solution must remain saturated with salt. Too little salt in solution will cause the loss of skins. Fill container half full of water, add salt, borax and bleach to drum and mix thoroughly. After complete mixing a 2 or 3 inch layer of salt should remain on the bottom. The bleach and borax will assist in keeping bacterial growth to a minimum. Alligator hides are sensitive to many chemicals which may affect the tanning process. When it comes to chemicals, more is not better. Beware: DO NOT add formaldehyde or other chemicals which may affect the
hide. Hides should be properly scraped and salted with a one inch layer of salt, tightly rolled and secured with a rubber band prior to placing in brine. When submersing a hide in the brine it should be rotated to allow most of the air pockets to escape. If properly salted, the layer of salt in the rolled skin will act as a wick to draw the brine solution throughout the skin. All hides should be entirely submersed in the brine at all times. Each time a hide is added to the brine a few pounds of salt should be sprinkled over the top. This is important to maintain the saturated solution.

The brine container should be kept tightly covered to keep insects and airborne contaminants from entering. When skins are to be delivered for sale they must be removed from the brine and entirely re-salted prior to being shipped or placed in refrigeration.