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Main Boards => PowWow => Topic started by: NCRecurve on January 19, 2010, 10:15:00 PM

Title: Tan deer hide with hair off questions
Post by: NCRecurve on January 19, 2010, 10:15:00 PM
My Dad has a deer skin that stayed mainly frozen in the shed for about 3 weeks and then not quite a week of warmer temps with a couple of days in the 60s.  He fleshed it and salted it today.   He wants to tan it hair off which I've never done.  After waiting so long to get started will he get any decent hide/leather out of this now or is it most likely to far gone at this point to tan?  Is there a way to tell if it is still usable? Any tips for hair off tanning?

Thanks,
Doug
Title: Re: Tan deer hide with hair off questions
Post by: DHR on January 20, 2010, 12:14:00 AM
you could braintan it no problem, at this point it may be a bit stinky but I'm sure it isn't rotted.  pm if you want any pointers.
Title: Re: Tan deer hide with hair off questions
Post by: Ted Fry on January 20, 2010, 12:18:00 AM
Dan is a good one to help with the brain tan  or even his sister, they both do loads of tanning.
Another good source is Matt Richards of Traditional Tanners and his book or DVD called braintan to buckskins.
Title: Re: Tan deer hide with hair off questions
Post by: DHR on January 20, 2010, 12:34:00 PM
Yup if you want to braintan that the best thing you can do is read Matt Richards book it'll walk you through.
Title: Re: Tan deer hide with hair off questions
Post by: NCRecurve on January 20, 2010, 02:06:00 PM
Thank you very much for the help.  I would like to try brain tanning at some point.  Do you usually use the brain from the animal you killed or do you get some from a butcher?  In this case I believe he is going to use some Liqua-Tan tanning solution I had from some years ago.  The meat on the hide had a fairly strong smell before he fleshed it but I think the hide is still in fairly good shape.  I'll open my shed door this afternoon and should be able to tell by the smell as it is spread out inside there with salt on it.   :)

Thanks,
Doug
Title: Re: Tan deer hide with hair off questions
Post by: DHR on January 20, 2010, 11:30:00 PM
any kind of brains will do.  For the most part I use hog brains from a local butcher.  Lots of luck with the hide.  :thumbsup: