MORE ALLIGATOR SKIN TANNING QUESTIONS?

[bowtarist]

I got the skin, it's the belly from a pretty good sized gator...this is coming from a hooiser mind you, it has been salted, and rolled up.  I unrolled it w/ my boys and resalted it, and rolled it back up, and it's back in the barn fridge.

I have read a couple of different chapters on tanning, and one of them says to scale it.  I was wanting to flesh it out in a couple of weeks and tac it up to dry like rawhide and use when needed. How thick should a gator skin be when fleshed? What do you think about the scaleing part?  Do I or not, and if I do,

Thanks for any replies, dpg

[mullet]

The belly is all I keep and use. The smaller the scales the better for hand grips. I've only fleshed, and dried it like rawhide, salt not needed. When I use it for hand grips I soak it in water like rawhide to mold and glue and sew.

If you are scaling like a snake(never heard of that) sounds like a small one. Cut a section wallet size to include the butthole, put a dollar bill behind it with Washingtons face in the slot and it makes a cool wallet.

[killir duck]

we need a picture of that