tanning ... hides

B

biglabsrule

New member
Anyone have any advise on how to properly tan a hide, ive never realy saved many... everyone i talk to says to salt the piss out of them and ship them out. I'd like to learn how to tan hides, mainly dear. I've heard to use brain on them but whats the most practical way to tan your own hides, im not looking for pro soft silky results, just something usable, i always feel bad to watch a hide get thrown out...
 
History Channel just had a program about tanning leather , everything you'd ever want to know about leather. The best way, especially for deer is to use the brains .It produces a very soft durable leather. Unless you want to do it with the brains it's probably best to send them out. BTW most people think they get a jacket out of a hide .More likely just a vest .
 
Ship em out

I have palyed around with it a little in years past. I used Alum and Salt for the tanning agent. If properly done you can get a fairly good hide, in a natural white color. It is a lot of work though and you will never have a hide like the tannery can give you. Ya it costs a few bucks to get a hide done, the last elk I had done was $90. Seems something like $60 for a deer. I haven't sent any in for two years.

I would suggest sending them out and working a few extra hours at your job to pay for it. You can earn the money in a lot less time than you will have in the hide.

Of course if you really want the experience, there are Chrome tan kits available that are better than the Alum and Salt method.

Here is the url of a good tannery: http://www.foxvalleyleather.com/
 
I agree with everybody...I once

was a full time taxidermist.....to tan a hide is easy....to get one soft and usable for something requires some machinery.....or hours of breaking the hide....and to get one done for 60.00 is a much smarter deal....believe me! First Freedom.....get as much fat and flesh off the hide as possible....skin the tail out if you wish it to turn out also.....go to a grain elevator and buy a 50 lb bag of feeding salt...about 5.00...cover flesh side GENEROUSLY with salt...next day shake off and re salt....after a couple more days hide should be dry... shake off salt....walla!!! hide will be ready to send off....PS....the faster you get it salted....the better the hide will turn out....in other words don't wait 10 days after you kill the deer to start.:D ...Doug
 
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