Need help with a couple deer hides..

Mtn_Guy_79

Mtn_Guy_79

A buddy of mine gave me a couple of deer hides to mess arround with (please don't get offended with that statement). Problem is I've no clue where to start:confused:. Both hides have the hair on and have been frozen. Where do I start? I was thinking or doing one with the hair on and removing the hair from the other. HELP!!! Thanks:D
 
A note about deer hair. It's not going to be soft like fur. Deer hair is hollow and the individual hairs will break causing a helluva mess if you are going to be using the hide for much more than decoration. I absolutely love soft tanned deerskin but I am not a fan of hair on deerskins.

Just my own experience.
SDS
 
Brain tanning produces a beautiful hide. You can use a pork brain, available at any butcher's shop (especially a carneceria).
Defiantly scrape the hair and epidermis from both sides.
The first step would be to make a frame for stretching the hide, then soak the hide overnight to thaw it.

I have found that stone, bone, and wood scrapers are superior to metal for most tasks, and keeping the hide soaked periodically during the scraping process makes it even easier.

just be careful not to slice through the center of the hide when scraping the hair off, it really can ruin your day.

And you can always give them to me if you are having too much trouble, I would be happy to pay the postage.::):
 
I absolutely hate fleshing the hides.

The rest is just time-consuming.

Try it at least once. You have nothing to loose.

Good luck.
 
Thaw,if slightly frozen as soon as you can unroll it, you can use the back of a machete with a cloth wrapped around the end of the blade and use it as a scraper to push the fat and meat off. Soak to relax the hide and wash out the blood. Stretch it to a wooden frame with cordage. Let dry. Make a scraper by attaching a blade (large broken file with edge ground on it from one side, maybe a 45, make it about 4 inches) lash it to a L shaped branch or cut it out of a 4x8 etc. Now that the tool is made, dry scrape the hair off including membrane under the hair. Flip to other side of hide and dry scrape membrane and tissue off. Now you have rawhide. Soak overnite, pull hide till relaxed. Make brainning solution out of brains. You can buy pork brains from the store. Blend one container to one container of h20 in blender. Strain out chips. Cook brains till they go from strawberry solution to light tan. Get a plastic cooler add brains throw in hide and sop up the brains. Wring the solution thru hide many times catching the drippings to use each time. Stretch back to frame. Use same scraper to gently stretch the hide moving the tool in all directions to fluff and stretch the fibers till dry. When done as you move the hide around the fibers will move independently. Take off frame and staple it into a tube. Suspend and smoke each hide. This coats the individual fibers and when wet it will make it more difficult for them to stick together to go back to rawhide. This is the short version. Lots of work. Can do it in stages. Takes me days. Have fun.
 
OK, so, the links yall gave me helped alot. I discovered one of the hides had already been fleshed out and I did the other last night. I made a wood frame to stretch them out, problem is the hide keeps ripping through when I put tension on it. I've not seen anyhting with extensive instruction on stretching the hides. Need more help. Break it down Barney style for me:D. Thnaks
 
There are a few tanning web sites, just do the google, I tried once and it was way to much work, then I found a bay seller, got a fully tanned elk hide for about 30.00 bucks and some deer hides for about 15 to 20 each. I think the seller was distant drums
 
When making holes to stretch the hide, I find a stone awl works wonders (a really sarp pointy knife will work too). lace the holes about 2" apart and make the slits at a 45 degree angle. Make sure there is lots of extra space on the frame as the hide will increase in size. If you are poking through when scraping, use something less sharp to get the job done (shaving the hairs is not as good as pulling them out, gently). I have found that a river cobble rubbed in a circular motion works well for taking the hair off, and it will not puncture the hide as you go (keep the stone wet, and rinse the hair off as you go). If you are brain tanning, the same rocks for the braining step can be used.
 
Bolt-action bultema said:
When making holes to stretch the hide, I find a stone awl works wonders (a really sarp pointy knife will work too). lace the holes about 2" apart and make the slits at a 45 degree angle. Make sure there is lots of extra space on the frame as the hide will increase in size. If you are poking through when scraping, use something less sharp to get the job done (shaving the hairs is not as good as pulling them out, gently). I have found that a river cobble rubbed in a circular motion works well for taking the hair off, and it will not puncture the hide as you go (keep the stone wet, and rinse the hair off as you go). If you are brain tanning, the same rocks for the braining step can be used.
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It is a good idea to poke the holes in the hide and lace them close to reduce tearing out. You could sharpen up a screwdriver to a point and push it through. Holes made with the knife seem to tear out more. I don't knap anything so I don't know about stone knives probably the most sharp of all, or have I used rib bones to flesh. Are you pre treating the hide with wood ash to loosen underneath the hair to take it off in a circular motion? I use the dry scrape method and don't poke many holes through. Just sharpen the blade and leave a slight burr in it. I have thought about shaving the hair off with hair clippers then scrape it. I am not a total traditional tanner but would be willing to try if I had to. Then I would have to perfect stone knapping. Regards.
 
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