Tanning small game

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Zoughi

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I plan to hunt small game like fox, skunk and coyote and I would like to know more or less the tanning process which can be done at home.

From what I've read (and watched on utube) it's basically removing the fat and skin tissues after the skinning, adding a lot of salt and changing the salt everyday until it dries up and then wrinkling the hide till it gets soft.

Is that how it is done? This would be my first time (skinning and tanning) and I would like to get it right.

Thanks
 
My wife is determined to do a couple deer hides this fall. Searching on the internet she found a recipe that uses battery acid. WTF?
Will salt and borax result in a supple hide? Any other recipes that won't leave me with pails of toxic sludge I have to dispose of?
 
Borax will harden the skin but it can be rubbed down. I'm no expert. I've never done a whole deer hide just patches of one for a friend. She wanted key chains with the long white deer fur. Turned out well. They should be properly stretched scrapped and tanned for best results. Cabelas sells a kit for doing it. The rabbits and squirrels and possum I've boraxed turned out fine. Good luck and I hope someone who actually tans hides can chime in for you
 
So, I have never hunted or skinned anything.

That said, I am going to start. I have been reading and gathering a lot of survivalist / bushcraft information and something interesting and related popped up.

Apparently, every animal on this planet has just enough brain matter to boil with water and make into a paste which, after smothering onto it's hide, will tan it if stretched.

Eliminates the use of battery acid. Google it for more info! :)
 
My middle son (10 y/o) took half of a deer hide of mine from last year and salted it. It dried out very well. Then he took neatsfoot oil and rubbed it into the hide (after scraping all the salt and such off). Now the hide has softened up again from the oil seeping into it. No bad smell or anything. I am happily surprised at how well it has turned out.
 
I trapped for years, but all we did was skin, scrape, stretch and dry the hides. Of course that was enough to teach me I didn't want to be a taxidermist! :p
This whole tanning thing is my wife's idea so hopefully someone here will have a much easier method. The brain tanning thing definitely sounds interesting.
 
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