Skins should always be put through the double dry salting before going into "pickle." Keep in covered earthen jars.
For making up into rugs, send animal skins to a good tanner, first skinning out the ears and paring out lips and nose.
To make an open-mouthed rug head, use the natural skull when possible. Set the jaws open solidly with plaster of paris and at the same time lay a plaster core between lower jaw for the artificial tongue. Set the skull upon a cut-out base-board as shown in [Fig. 38].
Fig. 38.
Drive nails half in all around back and side edges of this base-board and wrap on filling of excelsior for jaws and flare of neck. Drive the nails down tight after wrapping is completed.
Mount the head before stretching the skin. Relax the head with water and poison same as deer scalp.
Use plaster and glue-water compo. as in raw deer scalp. If a snarling expression is desired, model the wrinkles on the muzzle with an edged wooden tool. Tuck the lip lining well under the filling, so they will hold in place when the plaster is set. Finish details of face same as in other mounting.