Preserving A Hide

[Jason30-30]

My Buddy Asked Me If I Knew How To Tan/Preserve Animal Hide. I Dont So I Said No. When I Was Driving Back Home I Thought About It And Said To Myself," There Has To Be A Way To Do It Without All These Modern Chemicals And Contraptions Right". The Native Americans Did Them And They Didnt Have The Stuff We Have Today. So I Thought Id Ask You Fine Gentlemen. How Can It Be Done? It Would Be A Cool Project To Tan A Buck Or A California Black Bear.

[fishhawk]

It's call brain tanning, the brains of the animal are whats used to a google for brain tanning. steve k

[Jason30-30]

Ive Heard Of That..

Thanks For The Reminder Steve

[OneBagNomad]

I can attest to the effectiveness of brain tanning. It works surprisingly well, the only real downside I can think of is the smell. It's one of those smells that you just can't seem to get off of your hands. Gloves are your friend here. Smoking takes care of the smell on the hides. It's a great skill to have and I highly recommend giving it a go on a small hide such as raccoon or opossum before tackling anything bigger.

[waksupi]

Go here for instructions.

http://www.braintan.com/

Only good book I have ever seen on the topic. I think I was in the last edition of it. Still on this part of the web page, although my old link is now dead. Scroll down to the sixth set of pictures, and click on them.

http://www.braintan.com/gallery/period/period.html

Brain tanning isn't hard, once you learn the tricks. I was doing 40-50 hides a year when I was still doing it.

[tacklebury]

I've done brain tanning, but it's a stinky way. If you can buy bulk neetsfoot oil, in a gallon, it'll do many hides. all you need to do is clean away any salt used to store the hide and if you want to keep the hair on one side, only work the inner skin side. Make a frame, stretch the hide and once it dries, start working neetsfoot oil into the worked side. Use an old table leg or something similar and round the end smooth. Use this and rub it in all directions to help break down the legthins *sp* in the skin. It takes a bit more work from one side than if removing the hair. If you are removing the hair, do that first using lye in a 5 gallon bucket and soak the hide in it. The hair will fall out. If you are rubbing both sides for buckskin, use the neetsfoot oil on both sides and rub it from both sides. This will break it in quicker. Finally, once it's soft and supple, it needs to be smoked for color. If you have large food smoker, you can use that, just keep the heat down as low as possible. If not, make a 6' teepee of sticks and put a tarp over it and start a smudge fire in the bottom keeping it small. Once it's smoked, beat it around a tree trunk or over a low hanging tree limb for about 2 hours to finish it. ;)

[Clinebo]

waksupi > That first link set off my anti-virus, said site is infected!

[greywuuf]

you can do the Harder more water proof "vegetable" tan using an old tree stump too.... thats the kind used for holsters ( not lining) and belts and bota bags.... Google vegetable tanning (a source of Tannin, usually an oak? tree stump) is what is required for that ...

All second hand and supposition as I have never done it.
Dan

[Mooseman]

A Very easy tan is done by using Alum and Salt. The hide should be fleshed and salted and stretched out flesh side up and the edges nailed to a sheet of plywood. Then Salted again every day until the hide dries out and the salt doesnt get wet. Then Mix up 1 pound of alum and 1 pound of salt in 5 gallon bucket of warm water. Brush all the salt off the hide and remove it from the plywood. Using a Plastic garbage can place the hide in the bottom flesh side down and pour the mixed Alum solution over it. Work it around with your hands..Place a large rock on it to hold the hide under the solution and make sure there are no air pockets. Every couple days go remove the rock and stir the hide around in the solution. The thickness of the hide determines how long the tan takes .Thin hides from 7-14 days,Big, thick hides take 3-4 weeks.
When you can cut the hide edge a little and it is white in the center, remove the hide and wash it good in clean water. Stretch and Nail the wet hide back to the plywood with the flesh side up . Let dry completely. If you want it stiff , leave it as is . If you want it flexible, Rub the flesh side with a Leather oil like softol or Mink oil, etc. Work it in good...
Then you will have to "Break" or work the hide to soften it. A large dryer on air fluff with a couple tennis shoes for 15-20 minutes will break the Hide too.
This is For Hair ON hides like Deer and Bear Hides, etc.
Rich

[waksupi]

waksupi > That first link set off my anti-virus, said site is infected!

I just went back to it, no virus detected on my computer. The site has been around for years, don't know why it would show a virus on your computer.

[stubshaft]

A Very easy tan is done by using Alum and Salt. The hide should be fleshed and salted and stretched out flesh side up and the edges nailed to a sheet of plywood. Then Salted again every day until the hide dries out and the salt doesnt get wet. Then Mix up 1 pound of alum and 1 pound of salt in 5 gallon bucket of warm water. Brush all the salt off the hide and remove it from the plywood. Using a Plastic garbage can place the hide in the bottom flesh side down and pour the mixed Alum solution over it. Work it around with your hands..Place a large rock on it to hold the hide under the solution and make sure there are no air pockets. Every couple days go remove the rock and stir the hide around in the solution. The thickness of the hide determines how long the tan takes .Thin hides from 7-14 days,Big, thick hides take 3-4 weeks.
When you can cut the hide edge a little and it is white in the center, remove the hide and wash it good in clean water. Stretch and Nail the wet hide back to the plywood with the flesh side up . Let dry completely. If you want it stiff , leave it as is . If you want it flexible, Rub the flesh side with a Leather oil like softol or Mink oil, etc. Work it in good...
Then you will have to "Break" or work the hide to soften it. A large dryer on air fluff with a couple tennis shoes for 15-20 minutes will break the Hide too.
This is For Hair ON hides like Deer and Bear Hides, etc.
Rich


I use the alum/salt pickling solution also but just flesh the hide out and immediately put it into a solution of 1/2lb Alum to 2lb salt for each 4 gallons of water.. The powdered alum is there to arrest any hair slippage. Other than that the steps are very similar but if you are going to hang the skin on the wall I don't "break" it I just trim the edges.

[Mooseman]

I use the alum/salt pickling solution also but just flesh the hide out and immediately put it into a solution of 1/2lb Alum to 2lb salt for each 4 gallons of water.. The powdered alum is there to arrest any hair slippage. Other than that the steps are very similar but if you are going to hang the skin on the wall I don't "break" it I just trim the edges.

There are several ways to alum tan...and they work. I dont break my wall hanger Bear hides either...
regards,
Rich

[Suo Gan]

Don't buy too many boolit molds or guns, or get caught flirting with young ladies!

[stubshaft]

Don't buy too many boolit molds or guns, or get caught flirting with young ladies!

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[OneSkinnyMass]

hahaha, I think Suo Gan was talking about preserving his OWN hide

[torpedoman]

cable or something similar run between 2 trees or posts when your ready to "break" a hid throw it over the cable grab the edges and start pulling it back and forth over the cable rotate it so you work it in all directions.

[waksupi]

You can do all this other stuff, or you can get "Deerskins into Buckskins", and do it easy. Do it the other ways, the hides may last ten years if you are lucky. Do brain tan, it will be around in a hundred years. My business was museum restoration for many years, and I know what will last. If I hear from anyone else with as much actual hands on experience as I have, I'm happy to learn. Do the half way "preservation" type tanning, you are just making a home for bugs in your house.

[PatMarlin]

I thought I had that book, but I found:

The Ancient Art of Brain Tanning -Edholm & Wilder

Tan Your Hide! -Hobson

[waksupi]

Pat, I went through pretty much all the books over the last 40 years, the "Deerskins into Buckskins" is the only one that gives consistent results.
When I started in, I worked with Larry Belitz to tan buffalo hides. He was supposed to be the best reference at the time, which he may have been. But he sure had a lot of stuff wrong!

[Mooseman]

I have tanned different hides for many years using various methods besides Alum and salt, but it seems to have worked for hides that I have still, after 25 years ,They are still hanging on the wall without hair loss. Acid tans, Chromate tans, brain, Glycerine tans. etc. Here is a Link from Purdue U. thats pretty much on the money for info.
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=alum%20tanning&source=web&cd=5&ved=0CEQQFjAE&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.four-h.purdue.edu%2Fshooting_sports%2Fworddocs%2Ftannin g%2520hides.doc&ei=Yg7jTvzODaSXiALz_PDWBg&usg=AFQjCNECk7WexOn7DmFpGSorT67H03QFaQ
Brain tanning for most is Not the way to go because on big hides there aint enough brains to do the job....Acid tanning can be problematic without proper gear.
I tanned my first hides as a teenager after my dad got me a Taxidermy Correspondence course before there were computers...
Rich

[OneBagNomad]

Brain tanning for most is Not the way to go because on big hides there aint enough brains to do the job
Simple solution is to procure more brains. Put the word out to your buddies who hunt that you are in need of brains, I bet you'll have plenty in short order. In the past, I have frozen them for later use. Make sure you use a cheap container and mark it "brains" if you're married; I found out the hard way that my wife won't use her tupperware any more after it has had brains in it.

[waksupi]

The only animals that do not have enough brains to tan their own hide, are elephants, and teenagers.

[btroj]

Teenagers have brains?

Brainiac isn't that difficult. It can be a bit time consuming but certainly not difficult. I only did a couple or deer but the results are worth the effort.
I just bought the brains at a small grocery store. I am pretty sure they were beef but whatever they were they worked.

[Mooseman]

Simple solution is to procure more brains. Put the word out to your buddies who hunt that you are in need of brains, I bet you'll have plenty in short order. In the past, I have frozen them for later use. Make sure you use a cheap container and mark it "brains" if you're married; I found out the hard way that my wife won't use her tupperware any more after it has had brains in it.

You could mark it Zombie Bait....LOL
When my Dad was alive he ate all the brains with Eggs for Breakfast forcing me to look for alternatives. Squirrel brains was his favorite.
Rich

[PatMarlin]

The only animals that do not have enough brains to tan their own hide, are elephants, and teenagers.

Not so. Most teenagers and Occupiers, have plenty of Sh$t for brains.

[timbuck]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AM0MR2fyYRk
Saw this on youtube. I like the plate glass for drying flat.

[giericd]

for small critters like racoons, i just keep it simple and it works. Skin and flesh the hide (coons are pretty fatty and greasy!) rince off and soak in purple power degreaser for about 6hrs. rince in cool fresh water untill there are no more soap bubbles. pat dry with papertowels. streatch out and staple (fur side down) to plywood or streatch over a streatching board and cover with a thick layer of non-id salt. 24hrs later shake off all damp salt and recoat again. after a few days it will be dry. rince off just long enough to get the salt grains off and sun dry (air dry). any left over meat/fat will be like beefjerkey and can easily be scraped off. to start working the hide i use sandpaper 80grit to get rid of all the unplesent color like blood and other stains and to thin the hide down making it nice and smooth and pure white. dont thin too much or the hair will start to slip. work it on the edge of a board untill soft this part takes the longest. after a real good hunt one night i was tired and took a short cut and it worked just as good, i skinned/fleshed the hide poured a 1/2" thick layer of salt on cardboard and layed a hide on it then flipped the hide over so salt was on both sides. i then rolled the hide up like a sleeping bag pouring salt on it as i rolled it up. once it was rolled up i placed it in a big plastic box and poured a thin layer of slt all over it. when i was done i had a dozen rolled up hides in the box. every 2 days i unrolled them and shook off the old salt and re rolled with new salt after about a week they were fine. people talk about the PH and all that but if is just a squirl or coon dont worry about all that my furs still look as good today as the day i got them, if you get a nice bear of fox i would not do it this way i would take further measures to make sure that hide would last. but for little stuff it works just fine and is quick, easy, and cheep. i have even done air dry only on coons and although the hide was dark and ugly from blood stains (before working/sanding the hide) the fur side was perfect and that hide still looks great. to make the fur to have a nice shine after all this i tried the shake it in a bag of saw dust trick but that just made a mess, just rub some baby oil on your hands and then pet the fur like you would your dog, dont put too much, rub all the fur, and then wipe down a few times with paper towels and it will look great.

[giericd]

speaking of which i have about 8 squirls to do when i get home from work.

[w5pv]

I was telling someone about when I use to coon hunt and saved the hides to sell the buyer wanted them salted down and frozen in separate plastic bags,we didn't top price for the hides but enough that helped with the expenses.He was quizzing me about using 20 mules team borax instead of salt and was wondering if the buyer had some alternative reason or use for the hides,I know borax kills a lot of bacteria but have never used it or even thought of using it on hides.

[JWFilips]

Well This is the way I used to do But that was when I was younger now I'm old!
http://www.liv18thc.com/barktan.html

[badge176]

A taxidermist buddy of mine (rest his silly soul), showed me how he'd dry the hair before tanning the salted and scraped hide. He had a clothes dryer in his shop with the heater element disconnected. He'd shovel in a grain shovel scoop of non-resinous hardwood sawdust ;medium coarse was best- like from a planer; and tumble the pelt till the hair side felt dry to the touch. I myself use a plastic kids pool to lay the scrape/ salted/ rinsed/ hung to drip dry pelt hair up and then rub in handfuls of sawdust then shake it out over the gravel drive and repeat till fur is dry (but dusty). This sawdust prep step makes the fur side look better with less fuss after applying the tanning solution - I have used tanning creme from taxidermy wholesaler or Tandy's 'Tannit'