green deer hides galore!

[Josh]

My local processing place saved me a few deer hides and legs, 9 hides and around 40 legs, I got all the sinew outta the legs and now I  am salting the hides for fleshing.  I am having a hard time finding Alum, where do you guys get your Aluminum Sulfate at?  I tried all the big box stores as well as a few Co-Ops and Farmers Trading Posts with no luck, they all say it is a seasonal product and will have some this spring.  I am doing hair on tanning any suggestions?  Thanks for your time.     -josh

and some pics!

[HoBow]

Call Brenntag or Univar.

[DanaM]

Check with your local water treatment plant and you can probably get a phone number for their chemical supplier.

Jeff I wonder if liguid alum would work after all its just hydrated aluminum sufhate?
If so most water plants use it as a primary coagulant.

[HoBow]

Yep Dana- it should work. Univar and brenntag sell to the smaller municipalities so there would be no difference.

[DanaM]

Well in tha case we get liguid alum at both plants by the tanker

[ricktrojanowski]

Josh
You are going to be a busy guy. .  Nice score

[Pappy]

Lot of work ahead of you,I use to do them that way but Jesse showed me how to flesh them on a post using a draw knife,much faster and I done a much better job also.
   Pappy

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[Josh]

thanks Pappy, I might need to look into that... My buddy Snakeman is doing half of them so it isn't too bad so far.  I about have them all fleshed now just have 1 and a half more on my part.  He has like 3 left so I might end up doing one of his also, lol.  Peace.     -josh

[jamie]

definetly get a fleshing beam . save a lot of time. cant wait to see the finished work.

[Josh]

Well i did the fleshing beam and drawknife and it was DEFINITELY light years easier than the 2x6 on the tailgate way i was originally doing it.  I am having problems finding Aluminum Sulfate in my state and I had already got one of them to that stage.  I am following Jeffs tan-along and got one just out of the vinegar.  Since I didn't have the Aluminum Sulfate, I just rinsed the hide out, hung it up to dry a little and am going to egg tan it tonight (if it is mostly dry by now)  Will this work?  By the way it is a hair on hide I am doing.  Thanks for all your help and thanks Jeff for the tan-along.  Very informative.    -josh

[riarcher]

Tried a gardening center? Agway?
http://www.google.com/products?sourceid=navclient&rlz=1T4GFRE_enUS321US321&q=aluminum+sulfate+gardening&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=-e12S6eEN5OXtgfmvemYCg&sa=X&oi=product_result_group&ct=title&resnum=3&ved=0CCcQrQQwAg

Probably don't need alum Sulf. anymore anyways. Maybe for ref.?

[Josh]

thanks for the link... I have them all fleshed, dried, and rolled up waiting for the time to tan later.  I kinda got sidetracked with making bows but I will get back to them soon. Thanks again!     -josh

[aero86]

Wow!  Nice haul!  Sure would be nice if you were trading for that stuff.  A hide would be nice, but people keep telling me I need to use real sinew on my arrows.  Care to part with any in a trade?

[HatchA]

Nice work Josh.  I was given 19 skins before Christmas (which was entirely too many for me to cope with and will have to throw out because I didn't have a clue what to do at the time) and another 6 a couple of weeks back.  I'm also curing a skin for hair-on tanning - it's a cross between a sika and a red deer, a lovely colour hair.  I've also got a couple tanning in bark water at the moment too.  Need to add some more solution to the mixture.  It's interesting work but thoroughly enjoyable!

Do you salt before you flesh?  I fleshed first, then rubbed the salt into the membrane surface.  That hide is currently hanging in my shed, hopefully drying out after being salted for a week.  Then I'll rehydrate and scrape off the membrane.  Kinda lost as to what to do then

Any chance of a link to Jeff's tan-along please?  ***EDIT***  found it myself

Looking forward to seeing how yours come out!  You mention you're going to egg-tan them.  Are you going to slosh them about in an egg & water solution or will you paste it on the flesh side?  I imagine the egg would make a mess in the hair 

[Josh]

aero86:  Can't really part with any as I had to split them with my buddy Snakeman we only have 4 apeice...    I definitely would if I had more.  I havent started tanning any of them yet, they are just dry scraped with hair on rolled up with salt right now, seems to be pretty stable... 

HatchA:  I left them with hair on salted the flesh side for two days then dry scraped all the meat/fat off them.  Resalted them and rolled them up to save for later.  With egg tanning I think you just rub the egg in and work the hide as it dries to make it soft.  I think you do it a few times, I really need to read more about it myself before I do it that is one of the reasons i haven't gone farther with them yet.  Good luck on yours!