In your part of the world, I believe you would get alum at the "chemists" - I'd go to a drug store...*grin* it is a common, inexpensive chemical.

These directions are for a cleaned fresh skin, or if you have previously salted it according to Praise's very explicit instructions above , then brush off the salt and soak in cool water until soft before you begin this stage

SALT AND ALUM TANNAGE

This is an old, widely used method for fur skin tanning. When properly carried out, it produces skins with stretch and flexibility. It often happens, however, that alum-tanned skins come out stiff and hard and must be worked repeatedly and sometimes retanned.

1. Prepare a salt-alum tanning solution:

Dissolve 1 lb ammonia alum or potash alum in 1 gal water. Dissolve 4 oz washing soda (crystallized sodium carbonate) and 8 oz salt in 1/2 gal water. Pour the soda-salt solution very slowly into the alum solution while stirring vigorously.

2. Immerse the skin in the tanning solution for 2-5 days, depending upon its thickness.

OR

Apply the liquor as a paste. Because alum affects some furs, it may be best to apply the tanning liquor as a paste to the flesh side only.

Mix the tanning liquor with sufficient flour to make a thin paste, adding the flour in small quantities with a little water and mixing thoroughly to avoid lumps.

Spread the skin so it lies smoothly and tack down, flesh side up. Using a brush or scraper knife, coat the skin with paste about 1/8" thick. Let stand until the next day.

The next day, scrape off most of the paste and apply another coating. Apply two or three coatings at daily intervals. Only thick skins should need as many as three treatments. Leave the last coating on for 3-4 days.

Scrape off the paste.

3. Rinse the hide clean in a gallon of water containing about 1 oz borax. Rinse again in clear water. Put the skin on a smooth board and use a dull edge to press out most of the water.