How To Tan A Deer Hide With Hair On

how to tan a hide using several methods
I read a post recently by a guy that had finished tanning a deer hide for his girl. He said it was a adequately long ordeal (and he probably wouldn't e'er practise it once more), only it turned out beautifully and he had a picture to show it. The hide looked very soft and flexible and hung limp like a blanket over the bed. So thanks to "livbucks" from PA. for providing the initial motivation for me to endeavor my hand at tanning a complete hide.

how to tan a hide example of different animal hides I like the idea of DIY or as I would say, DIOY (doing-it-your-own-self) and I also like the thought of not wasting the hide and am glad to come across that there are many other people that feel the same way. I am encouraged to run across so many people on websites and forums that are keeping sometime skills like how to tan a hide alive. Chances are, if you are reading this, you are a exercise-it-yourself person as well.

I by and large hunt public land with Over-the-Counter tags. I usually hunt by myself, but sometimes my wife goes with me. Nosotros butcher, wrap and freeze the meat and make our ain sausage, ground meat and patties for burgers.

stretched deer skin

Raw mule deer hibernate from hind quarter.

I occasionally tan the hides from hind quarters of elk or deer that have been packed out because it's always good to accept deer and elk hair on hand for tying flies, but I programme on making a rug or coating from a whole deer or elk hibernate.

If I e'er draw a limited entry tag, I also plan on making my own European mode mount of the skull and antlers.

Before I tackle a whole skin, I need to larn a few more tools, but I will update this post when I become started.

First Experience Tanning Rabbit Hides

Many years ago while I was still in loftier school, I was asked past a friend of the family to show him how to dress rabbits. No… Not to put dresses on them like some people do with their small dogs, only to pare, gut and clean them.

He had bought a few acres, and though he had a proficient job in boondocks, was trying to alive as self sufficient as possible. He was growing a garden, raising a few cows, goats, gratuitous-range chickens and had also started raising rabbits.

Well, you know how it goes… A cow has a calf (ane calf), goats usually take two kids, chickens lay 8-12 eggs and y'all will be lucky to raise iv or 5 chicks in a season if yous don't keep them penned up, but the rabbits were breeding like rabbits! He already had baby rabbits that were having more than babe rabbits and had congenital more cages, but fifty-fifty the new cages were stacked full of rabbits. Something had to give.

The original purpose for raising the rabbits was for food, but his married woman and kids had become attached to the rabbits and hadn't fully bought-in to the idea of eating what yous enhance. I don't recollect this fellow had really "harvested" any of his livestock yet. So I was glad to aid out and to make a long story short, nosotros "dressed" six rabbits.

hybrid rabbit

This rabbit looks similar to the hybrid skins that were tanned

His original rabbits, (California giants) were large and white with a soft medium length coat. But near half of the younger rabbits were by and large white, but with an irregular wild-blazon colored blanket splashed beyond their backs. My friend said he just assumed the wild native Cottontails were responsible.

How did those sneaky little devils practice that through the chicken wire? Not possible, plus domestic rabbits are really from European Hare stock (22 chromosomes) and wild cottontail rabbits have 21 chromosomes, so that was not the answer. He just had white rabbits that still had some genes for wild colour blazon. Still, all the hides were beautiful, particularly the wild "cottontail hybrids".

The purpose of telling this story at present, is that one time I saw those hides, I couldn't simply throw them away and I had to try to preserve them. At that time (mid 1970s), small game was plentiful where I lived, but big game (white-tailed deer) was not. People used to joke that you could chase deer an entire lifetime and leave well-nigh of a box of shells for your kids. I had skinned many-a-rabbit and squirrel, but had no experience tanning hides and didn't know anybody that had done it. My Grandfather said he used to know people, they tanned their ain hides and even made their own shoes, but they were all "long gone".

Foxfire Book 3; Chapter ii Hide Tanning

This was obviously many years before Al Gore invented the cyberspace, then back then, the just source of information at that time was our Earth Book encyclopedia gear up, the Gilt Book Encyclopedia of Natural Science (1962; I nonetheless have that set today) and the public library. I had to hustle as well, considering I didn't know what to practice with the skins, except to stretch and tack them to plywood. My father told me to remove all the excess meat and tissue from the skins and to spread a niggling pickling salt on them. Luckily, that was enough to concur them until I discovered the Foxfire books at the library the next twenty-four hours.

Foxfire was started as a class project in 1966 as students from northern Georgia interviewed elders and retold their stories about how they lived (cocky sufficiently) in the Southern Appalachians. They had enough stories to produced a magazine, which later was turned into the book serial. There is also a Foxfire museum and not-turn a profit organization. The name "Foxfire" comes the local proper name for a bioluminescent (glows in the dark) fungus that grows in the region.

The Foxfire three book was the i I needed to learn how to tan the hides, but the book also covers subjects like beast intendance, banjos and dulcimers, wild constitute foods, churning butter and finding and using ginseng.

The Foxfire three book describes several methods for tanning hides, including bark tanning, brain tanning, alum tanning and tanning with lard and flour. Well-nigh of the information is for tanning afterward the pilus was removed.

The bawl tanning method is a fourth dimension consuming method that is very similar to method described by the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture Publication below. They did mention how they ringed or cut down trees to get the bark and how they used the bark from different tree species for dissimilar colored hides. Chestnut Oak would turn the hides brownish and the bark of White Oak would turn hides a xanthous color. Bark could exist used either dry or greenish, only the "tea" or "ooze" made from the bark needs to be the color of dark coffee before using information technology for tanning hides.

The brain tanning method is similar to other encephalon tanning methods described. Brains are but cooked and then rubbed into the hide. Brains were rubbed on the hide either absurd or hot, but seems the hot method also helps remove the hair.

The lard and flour method is a method I accept not seen described anywhere else before. For tanning a hide with lard, the hide was rubbed with a thick coat of lard and then the lard was coated with flour. The hide was rolled upward until "the claret was drawn out". The hide would be oiled and worked to keep it soft.

None of the methods or equipment are described in corking particular, and some of the methods (lard and flour method) were described from memory. There are numerous black and white photos of skins and hides in diverse stages of skinning and tanning.

The Foxfire 3 volume has a brusque department nearly tanning hides with the pilus on, and that is the section that I followed. The method describes scraping the hides to remove the flesh and fat and so salting the hides (which I did). And then I covered the hides with alum and immune them to dry. At this indicate, they should be gear up for use.

Another method described using half alum and half soda, but without salting the hibernate. Another method that would probably exist frowned upon today was to use a bar of laundry lather and six ounces of arsenic or lead. This toxic mixture was made into a paste that was then rubbed into the hide.

My hides were preserved well and the fur held tight and remained beautiful for years, only I was disappointed that the hides were very stiff. That seems to be the case for alum tanned hides. I don't remember much about the softening procedure (maybe that was the problem – I probably had to return the volume before the hide was ready for softening), simply the Foxfire 3 volume only has a short section on keeping hides pliable. Methods for keeping the hides pliable include using Neatsfoot oil or beeswax and beef tallow to "piece of work" the hides. Methods or techniques or tools used for working the hides are not described.

I remember that I tried chewing i of the hides for a while. If chewing was actually how native American women softened deer hides, I stand up in awe of them! Maybe someone told me to chew the hide just to flim-flam a gullible teenager. What I didn't know at the time, was that hides become soft from working them while still wet, non after they are dry. I basically made raw hide with the hair on. The hides were preserved, but they were never soft and pliable.

Types or Methods of Tanning Hides and Leather at Home

Bark Tanning – Uses the Tanin or Tannic Acrid from bawl of oak, hemlock or other trees. This method has also been referred to as vegetable tanning – Tanning with tannic acid from tree bawl can have up to 6 months to consummate, and will stain the fur of an animal, and so I would endeavour this method for tanning leather, merely not for preserving a hide. Come across recipe beneath – would need at least 100 lbs of bark for a cow hide, And then maybe 40 or 50 lbs for a deer hide.
Brain Tanning – every brute has ane (a brain) and information technology seems that every animate being except bison have enough brains to tan their own hide. I am a little concerned about using brains of ungulates as a tanning agent due to the possibility of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD). CWD is class of spongiform encephalopathy, similar to mad cow disease and several very like to a very rare prion diseases that effect humans. Co-ordinate to the Center for Illness Control (CDC); "To appointment, no strong show of CWD manual to humans has been reported." Well that is skillful to know, merely the CDC advises hunters to have game tested for CWD before consuming it and to take sure precautions in the field while butchering the fauna, including; "…wear gloves, bone-out the meat from the animal, and minimize handling of the encephalon and spinal cord tissues. I am still consider brain tanning, but I don't think I volition be using the brains of a deer or an elk. If non, and so I need to find a source for hog brains. When I was immature, canned pig brains were always at the grocery store (Armour – same people that make potted meat). I never had them so I don't know what I missed. I used to wonder who actually bought them. My Granddaddy said he used to consume them, but only had them fresh when they killed hogs. I don't know if they are fifty-fifty bachelor now after all the mad moo-cow affliction scare. I volition check at some of the Asian food markets. It also seems that most brain tanning instructions as well recommend that the hides be smoked every bit well.
Tanning with Mayonnaise and Raw Eggs – Since mayo is raw eggs and oil, then the mix is lots of raw eggs and some oil – utilise the same way equally brain tanning – Interesting, never heard of this method earlier – More enquiry needed.
Tanning with Alcohol & Turpentine – seems that some people have used this is a 50% booze and 50% Turpentine solution – others say they never heard of this and suggested that the leather would probable be very dry when alcohol evaporated. More than research is needed hither, but I don't call back I desire my hides to smell like turpentine.
Salt & Alum Tanning (ammonium aluminum sulfate or potassium aluminum sulfate)
Chrome Tanning (Chromium Sulfate) – commercial method – typical hard, shinny texture. Your motorcycle jacket was probably tanned this way – wash water is considered chancy waste.
Glutaraldehyde Tanning – an culling to Chrome Tanning? Related to Formaldehyde. Dow chemic recommends their product Zoldine® be used in conjunction with Chrome Tanning. The Safety canvass states that it is very toxic and extremely harmful to aquatic organisms. Not for me. Probably not for home tanning at all. Sure wouldn't desire my neighbor dumping Chromium or aldehyde compounds on the ground or in the creek anywhere almost me.
Lard and Flour Tanning – method described in Foxfire iii

Steps of the Leather and Hide Tanning Procedure

Depending upon the source, there are diverse steps to the Hide Tanning process. I take tried to summarize them hither. Also, brand certain to read the comments at the terminate of this post. Much info has been added there.

At that place seems to exist some confusion between sources about what it means to preserve, tan or interruption hide. Some divide these into different steps, while others don't include some of the steps or they combine them into a single footstep.

1. 1. 1. Skinning
    2. Fleshing – remove all fatty and tissues

Here is a good detailed exampled of really fleshing a deer hide.

1. 1. Preserving/Curing – freeze or salt – salt (non-iodized), alum – stop bacterial activity to preserve hides – equal parts salt and hide
  2. Washing/De-greasing – If the hide is very fat, it might need to be washed
  3. De-hairing – if you want leather – lime – skip this stride if you want to tan a hide with fur left on
  4. Thinning (if hibernate is thick) – Dry Scraping
  5. Tanning – Pickling – Neutralizing – uses an acid solution to prepare the cells of the hide for tanning (Pickle merely if hide is not fresh) – test for completion, cut small piece from edge, look to run into if colour has completely penetrated hide – or put modest slice in boiling water, if curls, it is not set. Must be completely rinsed and neutralized – conscientious most where y'all dump waste h2o. Types of Acid; Bombardment acid, oxalic acid
  6. Breaking & Oiling

This is a good expect of a about finished tanned deer skin (hibernate-on) and the kid knows his stuff…

To Salt or Non to Table salt Hides to Preserve for Tanning?

If y'all are non able to begin the tanning process a soon every bit the creature is skinned, so the hibernate must be frozen or salted. If in the field without admission to refrigeration, and then table salt would seem to be the only option. Just some sources say to add plenty of common salt to cure the hide and set the fur, while others say "Practice non Table salt!". One website says not to salt unless you are experienced as salting tin can ruin a hide. It would assist if they would have mentioned how common salt could ruin a hide, and then nosotros would know what to watch for. Then at that place is the choice of dry salting or wet salting. Dry salted hides look like they could exist stacked in the corner for some fourth dimension, while wet salted hides must be stored in a sealed plastic container. Dry salted hides seem to be harder to rehydrate and tan when yous resume the process.

The fur can beginning falling out (slipping) fairly quickly in warm weather due to bacterial growth, so what to do? I program on salting the hibernate as presently as possible, merely more research is needed on salting hides to learn what some of the pitfalls might be. But if y'all do salt a hide, do non use iodized salt and practice not utilise rock table salt because size of crystals is as well big and besides many impurities. Use a fine grained table salt like pickling salt. The hibernate needs to be completely covered with salt and a good guide to the amount of common salt needed is to use about the same corporeality of common salt equally the creature hide weighs.

Hide Tanning Books to Consider

I think I have only about wearied the credible online resource on tanning hides. In that location are lots of Yous-tube videos, and some have some expert info, but most seem to be for leather and non for hides with the fur left on. I need a little more in-depth data to decide on the type of tanning I will endeavour. I likewise feel like I demand a trivial more footstep past step guidance, peculiarly on the subjects like hide thinning and breaking. I ordered some books on how to tan a hibernate and will be using them to help decide which tanning process I want to use and what tools I need to obtain. The best one then far has been Deerskins into Buckskins.

"Lot of practiced detail and stride by step directions. Likewise good history and easy to follow. I accept already used it to buckskin and it works well. Thanks and tin't wait to practice some other one past a slightly different method." -Gerald

Also check out the comments department at the bottom of this page. Lots of people have asked questions about tanning hides and lots of good answers have been provide.

Tanning Hides and Leather with Bawl (Tannin/Tannic Acid)

I found an old U.S. Dept. of Agriculture (1884) publication Home Tanning of Leather and Pocket-sized Fur Skins and have summarized the basic steps for tanning a cow hide with tannic acid from bawl:

1. 1. Make bawl liquor – 30-40 lbs of finely ground (particles no larger than corn kernel) oak or hemlock bark
  2. Boil 20 gallons of pure water (rain water is all-time)
  3. mix in butt (exercise not utilize iron container) and permit stand for 15-20 days, stir occasionally
  4. when ready to apply, strain off the bark by pouring through a sack
  5. Add 2 quarts vinegar
  6. hang sides (of cow hide) from sticks in the bark, the less folds the better, motility around frequently to insure even coloring
  7. As before long as sides are soaking in the bark liquor mixture, brand another batch of liquor mixture
  8. After 10-15 days, remove about five gallons of mixture from the butt with the hides, and replace it with fresh bark mixture from second batch, and add 2 quarts of vinegar.
  9. Afterwards five more days remove some other 5 gallons of mixture and replace with five gallons of the fresh mixture (no more vinegar needed)
  10. Repeat twice more every v days – bank check hide by cutting a sliver from an end slice to run across how much the hibernate has been penetrated.
  11. So take another 40 lbs of bawl and moisten with water, add bark directly to the sides and coffin them in the bark for 6 weeks.
  12. Later 6 weeks, bank check of hide should show tanning spread near to the center – pour out half of the sometime bawl liquor water and fill the butt with fresh bark – shake the butt from time to time, add bawl and h2o as needed to keep hides covered – checking hide should reveal all tanned, no white or raw streak – if not consummate, get out in the mixture and add together more than bawl and water to continue covered. At this signal leather to be used for harness or belt leather should be done, but exit for two months longer if leather is to exist used for shoe soles.

Wow! A minimum of 100 lbs of oak bawl and at least 77 – 87 days of preparing or soaking the hide.

The United statesD.A. publication warns the reader that "The inexperienced cannot promise to brand leather equal in appearance, or maybe in quality, to that obtainable on the marketplace"… and "It is never appropriate for an inexperienced person to try to tan valuable fur skins or large hides to exist fabricated into coats, robes or rugs. The results would be disappointing, both in appearance and in quality". Doesn't sound like govt. has inverse much.

Sound like they didn't really want to make the publication, simply since the people demanded it, they did. But they didn't desire to exist blamed if the hides did not turn out right. Well that's all I need to hear, for someone to tell me I tin't do it. At present I might non try tanning a hide with 100 lbs of oak bawl, simply back when the message was published, it was probably adequately simple to go cutting down an oak tree or two and get that much bawl. Grinding it upwardly into pocket-size pieces might not be so simple.

I take been trying to visualize how much in volume 100 lbs of bark takes up. I have bought landscaping bark in bags and spread it around the shrubs as mulch. I am thinking that 100 lbs of bark would be about v bicycle-barrows full or near thirty cubic feet. I'll bet if you lived anywhere in the eastern or southern U.S., you could easily discover oak bawl at a minor timber operation.

Photograph of deer hide courtesy of "JefFroh", animate being hides on old motel courtesy of "Photomatt28", rabbit from "sheep"R"us" on Flickr.