A tanning question

[weltercat]

Since I harvested four deer last year I decided to try to tan the hides. I have never done this so I just read some instructions about alum tanning. I fleshed it, removed the membrane on the flesh side, took the fur off it in a lye solution and then tanned it and worked it soft. It seemed to be fine but then I read where in addition to removing the hair you should grain the hide as well. This means removing the membrane on the fur side. I did not do this and it seemed to tan out just fine. My question is what are the consequences of not graining the hide before tanning. I could attach a photo if I could figure it out.

 

[fiddler]

I have done a fair amount of alum tanning. Yes, you should take off the scarf skin (the membrane on the fur side). If you didn't and it still came out soft, chances are you unknowingly removed the scarf when you dehaired it. I have had both situations before I figured out that I needed to remove the scarf. If your hide is staying soft and pliable after it has dried, then you are good to go. Did you smoke it? If you don't smoke it, chances are, next time it gets wet it will stiffen up on you and you'll have tot do the softening process all over again.

 

[tg]

One thing to remember is that with Alum the hide is not really "tanned" but Tawed which means the chemical process of tanning is not done, smoking the hide will add life and a degree of water proofing

 

[paulvallandigham]

A friend of mine tanned a Fox pelt with the fur on. He softened the leather after it dried by putting in the dryer at his home, on COOL, with some old tennis balls, and some old gym shoes( washed and clean) and let the shoes and balls soften the leather in about an hour. It worked beautifully, and was the fastest way I have yet seen to soften leather that has not been smoked.

To protect the long guard hairs on the fur pelt, he put the fur inside one of those nylon knit bags sold to protect women's nylons and "delicates" in the washing machine and dryer.

When the pelt came out of the cold dryer, he removed the pelt from the bag, and simply combed the fur out, then brushed it to give it "body".

I highly recommend the technique to any one finding that their leather gear, after washing and drying, is now "stiff", and needs to be softened again. Its not that you can't do it the old way, of rubbing the hide over a piece of wood, tree limb, or even using a loop of rope or wire over some overhead fixture, so that you can use your own body weight to pull the hide over and through such a loop. This is just a whole lot easier. :grin: