Egg taning deer hides

[Woods Dweller]

Anyone have the steps to Egg tanning deer hides?

I have brain tanned a few hides.

 

[Flint311]

I've heard of it, never tried. Maybe Google or Youtube it? Good luck

 

[eggwelder]

http://www.unluckyhunter.com/2011/07/how-i-tan-rabbit-hide.html
try this site. have not done it myself, but do have the rabbit skin to try it on. seems simple enough

 

[Woods Dweller]

Thank you Gentleman for responding to my post. :hatsoff:

 

[Billnpatti]

:hmm: Interesting! I wonder what it is in the egg yolk or brain that preserves the hide? If I were to guess, I'd say that it is the fat that you are working into the hide. I would also guess that a hide that is tanned in this way must not stink like rotten eggs or no one would do it. But, if my assumption about the fat doing the desired preservation work on the hide, why not do it with something that would not have the possibility of smelling bad. Perhaps something like Neatsfoot Oil. :idunno: Just a thought. I've only tanned one deer hide and it never did get as soft as I would have liked. I worked and worked that thing but it just never did get nice and soft. So, I'm no expert, just some guy with questions and thoughts.

 

[George]

But, if my assumption about the fat doing the desired preservation work on the hide, why not do it with something that would not have the possibility of smelling bad. Perhaps something like Neatsfoot Oil.

How about some baby corn?

A New Voyage to Carolina, John Lawson, 1709, describing the ways of the Natives:

"Their Way of dressing their Skins is by soaking them in Water, so they get the Hair off, with an Instrument made of the Bone of a Deer's Foot; yet some use a sort of Iron Drawing-Knife, which they purchase of the English, and after the Hair is off, they dissolve Deers Brains, (which beforehand are made in a Cake and baked in the Embers) in a Bowl of Water, so soak the Skins therein, till the Brains have suck'd up the Water; then they dry it gently, and keep working it with an Oyster-Shell, or some such thing, to withal, till it is dry; whereby it becomes soft and pliable. Yet these so dress'd will not endure wet, but become hard thereby; which to prevent, they either cure them in the Smoke, or tan them with Bark, as before observ'd; not but that young Indian Corn, beaten to a Pulp, will effect the same as the Brains."

That "tan them with Bark, as before observ'd" he mentioned was also a quite different way:

"They wear Shooes, of Bucks, and sometimes Bears Skin, which they tan in an Hour or two; with the Bark of Trees boil'd, wherein they put the Leather whilst hot, and let it remain a little while, whereby it becomes so qualify'd, as to endure Water and Dirt, without growing hard. These have no Heels, and are made as fit for the Feet, as a Glove is for the Hand, and are very easie to travel in, when one is a little us'd to them."

Spence

 

[Robert Egler]

I have started using an egg-mayonnaise mixture for tanning squirrel hides. Done right there is no egg smell, but as far as softening it isn't better than any other method I used. Late last year I discovered a product in the classifieds of a trapping magazine with the un-imaginative name of 'Tanning Powder". I did one possum skin with it and was surprised at the result, coat skin, let sit for one week, brush off remaining powder. Done. Not completely soft, but a lot softer than any other method I've ever used. Didn't have to work the skin much to get it soft enough to use. (Made a lunch bag out of the possum.) Based on the bottle and the label it is someone's home-made product, have to look and see what the address is if anyone's interested, but I'm sure its not in the least HC.

 

[davidmc62]

the process is basically to "lubricate" the fibers in the hide AS IT IS WORKED DRY. Egg yolks ( not the whites ) are supposed to contain the same type of oils that the brains do that help keep the hides fibers lubricated while your working it. The soft texture is only achieved if you properly keep the hide stretching and moving and the fibers lubricated as they dry and cure. It is a tiresome process so Im told. Have not done it myself but are friends with many who have and they say it is alot of work.
I have seen a demo of egg tanning on you tube I believe. With brains not being "commercially" available. Im curious also if the method produces a similar product as brain tanning.

 

[Grumpa]

All of these alternatives eliminate the possible exposure to several diseases that can be transmitted by contact with infected brain tissue.
Just a thought.

 

[George]

The corn, yes. The brains, unfortunately not. Ordinary baking, boiling and drying don't deactivate the agent for chronic wasting disease, for instance. And if you have cuts or sores on your hands, you might catch it before the brains even go in the pot.

I won't be tanning any hides using deer brains.

Spence

 

[Woods Dweller]

This is from my son-in-law.

Here is Tanning with egg yoke. Here is a quick rundown on the process.


*24 egg yoke [This is for a deer hide]

*1 table spoon Neat's-foot oil, or, Canola oil

*1 table spoon plain dish soap

*1 gallon of warm water [not to hot you don't want to cook the egg yoke

*tie one end of a good strong rope to the base of a tree. tie the other end of rope to a strong branch about head high.

[process.]

*Remove hair from hide, unless your keeping hair on.

*Stretch hide on frame and scrap meat & membrane off hide. Let dry.

*Mix: egg yoke, neat's-foot oil, plain dish soap, in 1 gallon of warm water, and mix good.

*Start rubbing mixture on dry hide, Hide will become pliable. Cut hide off frame and dip in mixture and ring as much of the liquid from the hide as you can. catching as much of the liquid that drips from hide as you can.

* [1] Lay hide over rope, and work it back and forth over rope. until hide is almost dry,

* [2] repeat process. Dip, ring, work it back and forth over rope. {if hair is to be left on hide, repeat this process one more time.}

* [3] repeat process, but this time work hide till it is completely dry.

* [4] Smoke hide to the darkness you like. [smoking: make a small T-pea with 4 long pols and whatever you have to wrap around pols. Hang hide in the top of T-pea. Lay small pile of hot coals in center of T-pea or pipe smoke in. (You want to cold smoke the hide, not burn hide.)

Lay old rotten Oak on coals, and let it smoke until hide is the color you want.]

* [5] repeat process: Dip, ring, work it back and forth over rope, work hide till it is completely dry.

That it, you should have a soft hide.

 

[Robert Egler]

* [5] repeat process: Dip, ring, work it back and forth over rope, work hide till it is completely dry.

That it, you should have a soft hide.

That's it? Yeah, but that's the pain in the butt part! :haha: I know several methods to use when tanning, what I want is a way to make the skin soft without all that working it back and forth over something! :grin:

 

[Woods Dweller]

That's simple. Buy the hide. Or better yet, Just buy the stuff that has already been made. :hatsoff:

 

[LaBonte]

* [5] repeat process: Dip, ring, work it back and forth over rope, work hide till it is completely dry.

That it, you should have a soft hide.

That's it? Yeah, but that's the pain in the butt part! :haha: I know several methods to use when tanning, what I want is a way to make the skin soft without all that working it back and forth over something! :grin:

Sorry but tanning alone, no matter the method, will NEVER make the hide soft without a lot of hard working it(known as currying in the trade).

FYI - so-called brain tanning(egg, brains, etc.) is technically not tanning - it is only adding a water soluble additive (oil) in order to help soften the hide. It is the smoking that actually tans the hide - the aldehydes (tannins) in the smoke tan the hide.
Unsmoked hides can/will in fact turn back into rawhide when heavily wetted.
Some Native tribes in fact pre-smoke their hides before they soften with a water soluble oil and lots of hard work. While oils such as neatsfoot will work they don't generally work as well as the water soluble oils do - i.e. neatsfoot will make the finished hide heavier than when using a water soluble oil.

 

[stombaug]

Certainly don't want to hijack the OP's thread, but I have a related question. How long can a salted hide sit in a freezer before it would be considered un-tannable? Any thoughts?

 

[Woods Dweller]

I have had hides in the freezer for over a year and it was ok.

 

[Bill Mc]

I use deer or pork brains for tanning. No problem. You must work the hide to make them soft. No short cuts. Takes about 3-4 hours. I use a cable, a pumice stone and lots of "elbow grease" to make them soft.

Best done in cool weather.

Then smoke them to keep them soft.

Another item other than brains or eggs is Ivory soap and neat's foot oil.

Matt Richards has a good book or a DVD on brain tanning.

Deer brains are the best because they come with the hide. :grin:

 

[nhmoose]

http://www.pcsoutdoors.com/trappershidetanformula.aspx

Works great