tanning hides
- Thread starter impala
- Start date
I tanned a coyote tail last year in a 50/50 solution of Turpentine and Methyl Hydrate. Seemed to work just fine.
I'm going to try it on a full yote hide this year, and possibly a deer as well, though I'll probably use salt and alum for those.
I'm going to try it on a full yote hide this year, and possibly a deer as well, though I'll probably use salt and alum for those.
I used salt and Alum on my Elk hide last year. FYI, you can get alum cheap like borsch at Extra Foods, just takes a day or two to get it in large quantities.
As for the hide, I had a real hard time devoting the required time to it to give it a fair chance. The hide was dried after the alum solution with neats foot oil added to it. It smells like it laid outside the dumpster for the deep fryer at KFC. It is so stiff I had to drive over it with my 3/4 ton to flatten it!
BBB, did you have to "break the fibers" after the alum solution to make the tail flexible after?
Noel
As for the hide, I had a real hard time devoting the required time to it to give it a fair chance. The hide was dried after the alum solution with neats foot oil added to it. It smells like it laid outside the dumpster for the deep fryer at KFC. It is so stiff I had to drive over it with my 3/4 ton to flatten it!
BBB, did you have to "break the fibers" after the alum solution to make the tail flexible after?
Noel
Noel said:
I used alcohol and turpentine for the the tail.
It did come out fairly stiff, but I rubbed in leather conditioner mixed with ammonia as it dried, and worked that over the edge of a table.
I didn't do that really thoroughly though, cause I was just tanning it for a buddy of mine to attach to his ski pole, so I didn't worry too much about how flexible it was going to be. I did treat it with snow-seal though.
I tried a do-it-yourself tanning job on last years deer hide (why not, when you can't find a hats-for-hides depot if your life depended on it?) and I have to say it turned out pretty good. TONS of work, though. Between fleshing and working the hide to soften it, I hate to think how many hours I've got invested. The solution came from an American company called Van Dykes Taxidermy, who will send out a very interesting catalog if you e-mail them.
A neat one-time project, but I doubt that I'd do it again, certainly not before I retire.
Good luck.
John
A neat one-time project, but I doubt that I'd do it again, certainly not before I retire.
Good luck.
John
I have used turps for preserving fox brushes. I stuff the peeled brush in the jar for about 6 weeks then when the wife ids out put it through the washing machine on cold rinse at least twice. She hasnt twigged yet or if she has she is happy with the quality of the natural dusters I provide!
jjohnwm said:
Youve got it right.
There is no magic solution that will tan a hide without manual labour.
Scraping, degreasing, shaving, salting, rehydrating, pickleing, sweating and then the work starts when you have to break it unless you have a fur tumbler.(a steel ring on a rope from the rafters and a 2 day workout)
After all that you have something that is probably 50% of the quality of a pelt from a professional tanner.
I have done 1 bear, several coons and a few fox. Neat to learn but mine go to the tanners now.
http://www.trapsandfur.com/ Go to this site for a tanning solution and a library to learn how to clean hide
