buckskin tanning troubles

[thatoneguy82]

I got a buck skin from my father in law this winter and got it bucked, scraped, rinsed,then froze it. Well it was quite a winter and whe I put it in the creek it dropped to neg 2 and whenI went to get it there were three inches of ice that it had frozen into, so last week I took it down to the creek again for another day to make sure it was rinsed. Got it out and while wringing it out noticed it had a funk to it before imersing in an Ivory Murphys oil soap soak, and that funk is still lingering even though its been dried and strethed. The only operation I have left is to smoke it, but I'm wondering where I went wrong or if its normal to have it smell a bit rank?

 

[KHickam]

As long as it doesn't have an ammonia smell to it you are good to go.

They have some smell too them before smoking sometimes :hatsoff:

 

[MSW]

so, do0es the smell eventually dissipate, or do you get 'eau du nasty' forever?

 

[thatoneguy82]

Thanks KHickam, I'm going to smoke it as soon as it stops raining here in the great mid-west, I might be able to do that as soon as June!

 

[KHickam]

No, once the hide is smoked all you smell is smoke - most people I sell or gift hides too have to air them out a long time because I use oak punk wood for smoking (it is most readily available here in central TX) and it has a strong smell to it even lightly smoked

 

[Rick Son]

Can you use other woods for smoking like mesquite>

 

[omarick1948]

In my younger days and when I would smoke hides, I like to use rotten cottonwood pulp from downed logs. Still smelled like smoke for a long time, but would be a nice soft golden tan color.

 

[tenngun]

Southren pine will give a yellow cast to the leather. Oak will make it brown, Willow or sumac will gray the hide. Cedar will make it a dark gray and easily blackens the hide. Cedar will get rid of about any smell. Willow root, will give the hide almost a fishy smell.

 

[KHickam]

Yes, I have used ash juniper, mequite, pecan cedar, punky pine
:thumbsup: