Dew claw bag flap?

[Birdman]

A friend gave me a couple elk legs a few years back and I skined them out n stretched them to dry(scraped very clean but no salt used). I was thinking of useing them (dew claws still attached)for a flap on a bag in the near future. My question is "what would ya do to the leather to keep it from going bad in damp or just plain wet weather?" Not sure if I should try to tan n smoke them or just oil them up good. Even well dried, they are fairly flexible. And the hair is still tight. Anybody ever use the legs like this n how did ya do it. Thanks much YMHS Birdman

 

[paulvallandigham]

Why not flesh the insides, and then use some tanning compound from Tandy leather, and tan the leather? You will have to stretch or pound the thin leather to break the cell walls and make it pliable, but that should not be that much a task. The hair will shed a lot of the water, otherwise, and if you oil the leather on the inside of the hide, you may be able to escape and wear from bugs, and mold. I prefer to use the tanning compounds, as that seems to protect it longer and better.

 

[Seamus]

Why not brain tan them with the hair on?
This from[url] braintan.com[/url]; [url] http://www.braintan.com/articles/furs/george1.html[/url]

 

[Seamus]

Why not brain tan them with the hair on?
This from[url] braintan.com[/url]; [url] http://www.braintan.com/articles/furs/george1.html[/url]