Hide tanning instructions

[crappyice]

I'm hoping to make some buckskin this season. It will be my first attempt. if I get a deer early in the season and don't want to start the process until hunting season ends. What do I need to do immediately after harvest? Best storage method until I can begin the process?

Also, this is the site that seems to be most clear for me. An advice or changes you would recommend?

http://www.shanepotter.com/hidetanning.html

[landtracdeerhunter]

Be sure to remove all the red meat and fat off the skin. I lay the skin on a home made strecher board You have to do a good job in removing tissue and fat or hair slip will result. A very sharp knife makes the job a lot easier. I layer non iodine salt on my hides for 12 hours. This kills bacteria and reduces hair slip. Remove the excess salt, roll hide, hair side up and put in a plastic bag. Your hide should now be frozen until ready to complete the tanning process.

Edit: Some people fold the hides to place in a plastic bag. This is ok, but I don't want to take the chance of fold marks. I prefer rolling.

Edited September 19, 2012 by landtracdeerhunter

[nyantler]

nothing like deer leather!

Edited September 19, 2012 by nyantler

[Suilleabhain]

Will you be tanning them yourself?

[landtracdeerhunter]

Yes

[CantrellTaxidermy]

There is no need to freeze after salt, the hide won't freeze because of the salt,you can let the skin lay out and dry rock hard. When its time to tan you rehydrate the hide.

[crappyice]

Does the fleshing need to be done right away or can that be done after the season? I want to make sure I take m time and do t right so I was hoping to just skin it...freeze it...and start the whole process a seasons end. Will that work?

[landtracdeerhunter]

I like to clean the hide up as much as possible, just makes it easier for me. . No reason why u can't skin the hide and freeze it right away. Fleshing can be done later.

[crappyice]

The latest field and stream mag recommends spraying the hide its raid to kill ticks? Is that a Good idea? Couls tha damage the hide in an way? this tip was part of an article on tanning a hide in a NY apt....after reading about this process and watching a boatload of vids on the process their simplistic approach is absolutely setting people up for disaster

[landtracdeerhunter]

Wouldn't use Raid. I know Permethrin works well on hunting clothing, but don't have an idea on hides. Never have seen a tick on the hides here. I would think when the hide cools, the ticks would flee, but don't know that for sure.

[fishuntrapper]

if you freeze the hide right after skinning, no need to do or spray anything on the hide.freezing kills all the insects that may be there.and preserves the hide indefinitly.

good luck with your leather making.

[whitetailartist]

According to Rick Carter, master taxidermist at WASCO, there are no pesticides like raid that will hurt a deer hide, but fishuntrapper is right, if you freeze it right away the ticks will all die anyway..so save a few dollars on raid and just freeze the thing.

[Andy 3F]

after salting the hide what product do you use for tanning. I've heard different methods like denatured alcohol and turpentine. 

[crappyice]

So I found a hide in the freezer I started a few seasons back(Mrs Crappy is quite patient!) and decided it is time to finish it. It was already fleshed, soaked and membraned so tonight I wrung it out, stretched it and introduced the dressing of eggs(she drew the line with saving brains for a few years!).

I will wring it again tonight and leave it soak overnight in the eggs.

Tomorrow I hope to start the softening process.

 

 

Best reference

 

 

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[crappyice]

Re-wrung and back in the egg soup



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[Marion]

Re-wrung and back in the egg soup



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Sure your neighbors love the smell

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[crappyice]

Sure your neighbors love the smell

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Minimal smell and certainly less than that odor from pumping out $10,000,000.00 jerky!


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[Marion]

Minimal smell and certainly less than that odor from pumping out $10,000,000.00 jerky!


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Alas it was probably closer to $15mm+ jerky. And that smell is delicious. Definitely looking forward to keeping up with this thread since I currently have a hide taking up tons of space in my chest freezer waiting for me to do anything with it

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[Culvercreek hunt club]

18 hours ago, crappyice said:

Re-wrung and back in the egg soup



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Very very disappointed in you Crappy. I would have loved to see a  step by step video of this. Once you get the bugs worked out on this maybe you can do the next one. 

[crappyice]

Very very disappointed in you Crappy. I would have loved to see a  step by step video of this. Once you get the bugs worked out on this maybe you can do the next one. 

TWO “very’s” wow- you think TOO highly of me!


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[Culvercreek hunt club]

Just now, crappyice said:

TWO “very’s” wow- you think TOO highly of me!


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LOL What are you planning on making with it?

[crappyice]

Not sure....it may end up as a wall covering at my buddy’s place.

When I did this years ago I struggled to sew or stitch through the hide when trying to make moccasins. Ended up punching holes and using leather from a crafts store(cheating!) to lash parts together. Didn’t love that process.


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[crappyice]

Time to start stretching and softening

 

 

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[kpkot]

Very cool that your utilizing this part of the animal.  Our local conservation club sells hides to a buyer every year.  It fetches a decent amount when you have a couple hundred hides. Love when the animal is given proper respect, and all parts are used.

[crappyice]

So it didn’t come out near as soft as it did in the past but since it will be a wall hanging I am ok with that. For some reason the eggs didn’t soak in well enough(maybe I didn’t scrape it enough before freezing-maybe freezing negatively effects the process?). When I stretched it to scrape and soften it also seemed too damp in spots.
Pics to come after I try to color it through smoke(maybe this weekend).


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