How Can You Keep Hair Coming Out Of A Deer Skin

I read a post recently by a guy that had finished tanning a deer hide for his daughter. He said it was a fairly long ordeal (and he probably wouldn't ever do it once again), but it turned out beautifully and he had a moving-picture show to show information technology. 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 try my hand at tanning a complete hibernate.

I like the idea of DIY or as I would say, DIOY (doing-it-your-ain-self) and I also like the idea of not wasting the hide and am glad to run into that there are many other people that experience the same style. I am encouraged to see so many people on websites and forums that are keeping old skills like how to tan a hide alive. Chances are, if you lot are reading this, you are a do-it-yourself person likewise.

I by and large chase public land with Over-the-Counter tags. I commonly hunt by myself, just sometimes my wife goes with me. We butcher, wrap and freeze the meat and make our own sausage, ground meat and patties for burgers.

Raw mule deer hide 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 take deer and elk hair on hand for tying flies, merely I programme on making a rug or blanket from a whole deer or elk hide.

If I e'er draw a express entry tag, I also plan on making my ain European style 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 get started.

First Experience Tanning Rabbit Hides

Many years agone while I was withal in high school, I was asked by 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 skin, gut and clean them.

He had bought a few acres, and though he had a practiced job in town, 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 dogie (one calf), goats usually have two kids, chickens lay 8-12 eggs and yous will exist lucky to heighten 4 or 5 chicks in a flavor if you don't keep them penned up, only the rabbits were convenance like rabbits! He already had babe rabbits that were having more babe rabbits and had congenital more cages, but even the new cages were stacked total of rabbits. Something had to give.

The original purpose for raising the rabbits was for food, just his wife and kids had get fastened to the rabbits and hadn't fully bought-in to the idea of eating what yous raise. I don't retrieve this fellow had actually "harvested" whatever of his livestock yet. And then I  was glad to aid out and to make a long story short, we "dressed" six rabbits.

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. Simply almost half of the younger rabbits were more often than not white, but with an irregular wild-type colored blanket splashed beyond their backs. My friend said he simply assumed the wild native Cottontails were responsible.

How did those sneaky little devils do that through the chicken wire? Non possible, plus domestic rabbits are actually from European Hare stock (22 chromosomes) and wild cottontail rabbits have 21 chromosomes, and then that was non the answer. He simply had white rabbits that however had some genes for wild colour blazon. Still, all the hides were beautiful, peculiarly the wild "cottontail hybrids".

The purpose of telling this story now, is that once I saw those hides, I couldn't only throw them away and I had to try to preserve them. At that time (mid 1970s), small-scale game was plentiful where I lived, only large game (white-tailed deer) was not. People used to joke that you could chase deer an entire lifetime and go out most of a box of shells for your kids. I had skinned many-a-rabbit and squirrel, simply had no experience tanning hides and didn't know anybody that had done information technology. My Grandad said he used to know people, they tanned their ain hides and even fabricated their ain shoes, simply they were all "long gone".

Foxfire Book 3; Affiliate ii Hibernate Tanning

This was evidently many years earlier Al Gore invented the internet, so back so, the just source of information at that fourth dimension was our Earth Book encyclopedia ready, the Golden Book Encyclopedia of Natural Scientific discipline (1962; I still accept that set today) and the public library. I had to hustle too, because 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 backlog meat and tissue from the skins and to spread a picayune pickling common salt on them. Luckily, that was enough to hold them until I discovered the Foxfire books at the library the next 24-hour interval.

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

The Foxfire 3 volume was the one I needed to learn how to tan the hides, but the book likewise covers subjects like creature care, banjos and dulcimers, wild plant foods, churning butter and finding and using ginseng.

The Foxfire 3 volume describes several methods for tanning hides, including bark tanning, encephalon tanning, alum tanning and tanning with lard and flour. About of the data is for tanning afterwards the hair was removed.

The bark tanning method is a fourth dimension consuming method that is very like to method described by the U.Southward. Dept. of Agriculture Publication below. They did mention how they ringed or cut down trees to get the bark and how they used the bawl from different tree species for different colored hides. Chestnut Oak would turn the hides chocolate-brown and the bark of White Oak would turn hides a yellowish color. Bark could exist used either dry or light-green, but the "tea" or "ooze" fabricated from the bark needs to be the color of dark java before using it for tanning hides.

The encephalon tanning method is like to other brain tanning methods described. Brains are just cooked and and so rubbed into the hibernate. Brains were rubbed on the hide either cool or hot, but seems the hot method also helps remove the hair.

The lard and flour method is a method I have non seen described anywhere else before. For tanning a hibernate with lard, the hide was rubbed with a thick coat of lard and then the lard was coated with flour. The hide was rolled upwards until "the blood was fatigued out". The hide would be oiled and worked to keep it soft.

None of the methods or equipment are described in peachy detail, and some of the methods (lard and flour method) were described from memory. At that place are numerous black and white photos of skins and hides in diverse stages of skinning and tanning.

The Foxfire 3 book has a short section about tanning hides with the hair on, and that is the section that I followed. The method describes scraping the hides to remove the flesh and fat and then salting the hides (which I did). Then I covered the hides with alum and allowed them to dry. At this point, they should be ready for employ.

Another method described using one-half alum and one-half soda, but without salting the hide. Another method that would probably be frowned upon today was to apply 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, but 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 process (perhaps that was the trouble – I probably had to render the book before the hibernate was ready for softening), but the Foxfire 3 volume only has a brusk department on keeping hides pliable. Methods for keeping the hides pliable include using Neatsfoot oil or beeswax and beefiness tallow to "work" the hides. Methods or techniques or tools used for working the hides are non described.

I remember that I tried chewing 1 of the hides for a while. If chewing was really how native American women softened deer hides, I stand up in awe of them! Maybe someone told me to chew the hide only to play a joke on a gullible teenager. What I didn't know at the time, was that hides get soft from working them while yet wet, non subsequently they are dry out. I basically made raw hibernate with the pilus on. The hides were preserved, but they were never soft and pliable.

Types or Methods of Tanning Hides and Leather at Home

• Bawl Tanning – Uses the Tanin or Tannic Acid from bawl of oak, hemlock or other copse. This method has also been referred to every bit vegetable tanning – Tanning with tannic acid from tree bark can take up to 6 months to complete, and volition stain the fur of an animal, so I would try this method for tanning leather, just not for preserving a hibernate. Come across recipe below – would need at least 100 lbs of bark for a cow hide, So maybe xl or 50 lbs for a deer hide.
• Encephalon Tanning – every brute has 1 (a encephalon) and it seems that every animal except bison have enough brains to tan their ain 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 form of spongiform encephalopathy, similar to mad moo-cow disease and several very similar to a very rare prion diseases that effect humans. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC); "To engagement, no strong testify of CWD transmission to humans has been reported." Well that is good to know, but the CDC advises hunters to have game tested for CWD before consuming it and to take certain precautions in the field while butchering the fauna, including; "…wearable gloves, bone-out the meat from the beast, and minimize handling of the encephalon and spinal cord tissues. I am still consider brain tanning, but I don't remember I will be using the brains of a deer or an elk. If not, then I need to notice a source for squealer brains. When I was young, canned hog brains were always at the grocery store (Armour – same people that make potted meat). I never had them and so I don't know what I missed. I used to wonder who actually bought them. My Granddaddy said he used to consume them, simply just had them fresh when they killed hogs. I don't know if they are fifty-fifty available now after all the mad cow illness scare. I volition cheque at some of the Asian nutrient markets. It also seems that most brain tanning instructions also 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 – employ the same mode equally brain tanning – Interesting, never heard of this method before – More research needed.
• Tanning with Alcohol & Turpentine – seems that some people have used this is a l% alcohol and 50% Turpentine solution – others say they never heard of this and suggested that the leather would likely be very dry out when alcohol evaporated. More inquiry is needed here, but I don't think I want 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 material.
• Glutaraldehyde Tanning – an alternative to Chrome Tanning? Related to Formaldehyde. Dow chemical recommends their production Zoldine® be used in conjunction with Chrome Tanning. The Safety canvas states that information technology is very toxic and extremely harmful to aquatic organisms. Not for me. Probably not for dwelling tanning at all. Certain wouldn't want my neighbor dumping Chromium or aldehyde compounds on the ground or in the creek anywhere near me.
• Lard and Flour Tanning – method described in Foxfire 3

Steps of the Leather and Hide Tanning Process

Depending upon the source, there are various steps to the Hide Tanning process. I have tried to summarize them here. Also, make sure to read the comments at the finish of this post. Much info has been added there.

In that location seems to be some confusion between sources about what it means to preserve, tan or break hide. Some carve up these into different steps, while others don't include some of the steps or they combine them into a unmarried step.

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

Here is a skilful detailed exampled of actually fleshing a deer hide.

1. 1. 1. Preserving/Curing – freeze or salt – salt (not-iodized), alum – cease bacterial action to preserve hides – equal parts common salt and hide
      2. Washing/De-greasing – If the hide is very fatty, information technology might need to exist done
      3. De-hairing – if you want leather – lime – skip this pace if you desire to tan a hibernate 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 only if hibernate is not fresh) – test for completion, cut small piece from edge, look to see if color has completely penetrated hide – or put small piece in boiling water, if curls, it is not set up. Must exist completely rinsed and neutralized – conscientious about where you dump waste water. Types of Acid; Battery acrid, oxalic acrid
      6. Breaking & Oiling

This is a good await of a nearly finished tanned deer skin (hide-on) and the child knows his stuff…

To Table salt or Not to Salt Hides to Preserve for Tanning?

If you are non able to begin the tanning procedure a shortly as the animal is skinned, then the hibernate must be frozen or salted. If in the field without access to refrigeration, then salt would seem to be the only option. But some sources say to add plenty of common salt to cure the hibernate and fix the fur, while others say "Exercise not Salt!". 1 website says not to table salt unless you are experienced equally salting can ruin a hibernate. It would help if they would have mentioned how salt could ruin a hide, so we would know what to sentinel for. Then in that location is the pick of dry salting or wet salting. Dry salted hides look like they could be stacked in the corner for some time, while wet salted hides must exist stored in a sealed plastic container. Dry salted hides seem to be harder to rehydrate and tan when yous resume the procedure.

The fur can start falling out (slipping) adequately apace in warm weather condition due to bacterial growth, so what to practise? I plan on salting the hide as soon every bit possible, but more enquiry is needed on salting hides to learn what some of the pitfalls might be. But if you lot practice salt a hide, practice not utilize iodized salt and do not use stone salt considering size of crystals is besides large and also many impurities. Use a fine grained salt like pickling table salt. The hide needs to exist completely covered with salt and a good guide to the amount of salt needed is to utilise about the same corporeality of salt as the animal hide weighs.

Hide Tanning Books to Consider

I think I have just about wearied the credible online resources on tanning hides. In that location are lots of Y'all-tube videos, and some have some skilful info, but almost seem to be for leather and not for hides with the fur left on. I demand a little more in-depth information to decide on the type of tanning I will effort. I besides experience like I demand a little more stride by stride guidance, especially on the subjects like hide thinning and breaking. I ordered some books on how to tan a hibernate and volition be using them to help determine which tanning process I want to use and what tools I need to obtain. The best one and so far has been Deerskins into Buckskins.

"Lot of proficient detail and step past step directions. Also proficient history and like shooting fish in a barrel to follow. I have already used it to buckskin and it works well. Thank you and can't wait to do another one by a slightly different method." -Gerald

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

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

I establish an onetime U.S. Dept. of Agriculture (1884) publication Home Tanning of Leather and Small Fur Skins and take summarized the basic steps for tanning a cow hide with tannic acrid from bark:

1. 1. 1. Brand bark liquor  – 30-40 lbs of finely ground (particles no larger than corn kernel) oak or hemlock bark
      2. Boil xx gallons of pure h2o (rain water is best)
      3. mix in barrel (do non use atomic number 26 container) and permit stand for fifteen-20 days, stir occasionally
      4. when set to use, strain off the bark by pouring through a sack
      5. Add 2 quarts vinegar
      6. hang sides (of moo-cow hibernate) from sticks in the bawl, the less folds the better, motion around oft to insure fifty-fifty coloring
      7. As soon as sides are soaking in the bark liquor mixture, make another batch of liquor mixture
      8. After 10-xv days, remove nearly 5 gallons of mixture from the barrel with the hides, and replace it with fresh bark mixture from second batch, and add together ii quarts of vinegar.
      9. Afterwards v more days remove some other 5 gallons of mixture and replace with 5 gallons of the fresh mixture (no more vinegar needed)
      10. Echo twice more every five days – bank check hide past cutting a sliver from an end piece to run across how much the hide has been penetrated.
      11. Then have another 40 lbs of bark and moisten with water, add bark directly to the sides and bury them in the bark for half dozen weeks.
      12. Later 6 weeks, check of hibernate should show tanning spread nearly to the centre – cascade out half of the erstwhile bawl liquor h2o and fill the butt with fresh bawl – shake the barrel from fourth dimension to time, add bark and water as needed to keep hides covered – checking hide should reveal all tanned, no white or raw streak – if not consummate, leave in the mixture and add more bark and h2o to go along covered. At this point leather to be used for harness or chugalug leather should exist done, simply exit for 2 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 U.s.D.A. publication warns the reader that "The inexperienced cannot hope to make leather equal in appearance, or possibly in quality, to that obtainable on the market"… and "It is never advisable for an inexperienced person to attempt to tan valuable fur skins or big hides to be fabricated into coats, robes or rugs. The results would be disappointing, both in appearance and in quality". Doesn't audio like govt. has changed much.

Sound similar they didn't really want to brand the publication, just since the people demanded it, they did. But they didn't want to be blamed if the hides did not plow out right. Well that'south all I need to hear, for someone to tell me I can't do it. Now I might not try tanning a hibernate with 100 lbs of oak bawl, but back when the bulletin was published, it was probably fairly simple to become cut down an oak tree or two and get that much bark. Grinding it upward into small-scale pieces might not be so unproblematic.

I have been trying to visualize how much in volume 100 lbs of bark takes up. I have bought landscaping bark in bags and spread information technology effectually the shrubs every bit mulch. I am thinking that 100 lbs of bawl would be virtually v wheel-barrows full or about 30 cubic feet. I'll bet if yous lived anywhere in the eastern or southern U.S., you could easily find oak bark at a small-scale timber operation.

Photo of deer hibernate courtesy of "JefFroh", animal hides on old motel courtesy of "Photomatt28", rabbit from "sheep"R"us" on Flickr.

Source: https://www.backcountrychronicles.com/how-to-tan-a-hide/

Posted by: slaughterralmy1943.blogspot.com

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