Hair On Buckskin?

[bushman]

Has any one every tried to make hair on buckskin? Thanks.
Bushman

[JW_Halverson]

Some how I have found a way to make hair on my back and in my ears as I get older.  Not sure I can explain just how I did it. 

What? He wants to ...  Oh. I see.  He wants to make buckskin.  With the hair still on it.  Ok.  That's different I guess.   


I know a young gal that makes brain tan and sometimes leaves the hair on, but she really prefers not to.  The way she describes it: "It's only tanning!  Except it is 4 times harder because you only get to work from half the surface area."  On deer hides it isn;t so bad, what with it being a thinner skin.  But when it comes to elk, moose, and (Lord help you) buffalo you really have to know what you are doing to thin the hide properly.

What is your experience level with tanning hides?  Maybe you could start by egg tanning a squirrel hide to see if you can stand the nastiness.  Some of the people on here are incredible at tanning hides and you'll probably get some good help from them.   

[bushman]

JW_Halverson: I helped my sister tan some rabbit hides and I did one myself when I was knee high to a grasshopper. She used an alum, salt, washing soda solution to tan them, hair on. But that isn’t really primitive.
I was thinking of maybe adding some tannin containing wood bark to the brains or make a separate solution and use it first on the flesh side only to allow the brains to get in.

Has any one ever heard of using stale urine (contains ammonia and is also acidic)? I have read that acids and/or alkaline will brake down the mucus (the stuff that prevents the brains from penetrating the hide and making it soft). Was thinking if you made a weak solution of it with water and let it soak on the flesh side it might make the brains go deeper, easer. But it may just make the hair slip. Any thoughts?
Bushman

[Pappy]

I have read about Urine tanning,never tried it and feel pretty sure I won't.
I do a lot of brain tanning ,just brains ,sometimes add egg white. You can do hair own the same,it is just more trouble and will take much longer in the stretching and drying faze of the process. You don't even have to rack the hide up if it has been defleshed already.Put it in the brain solution and leave for a few hours the first time,take it out and ring it,then back in the brains,then if you plan on pre smoking that would be the time,dry it out some and sew it up and smoke it,flesh side.Then back in the brains 3 or 4 more times,ringing in between each time.then work it until it is dry,this will be the tough part with hair on,it takes several hours of stretching and drying with the hair off,it will take much longer with the hair on.
   Pappy

[Knapper]

Sure you tan just like you would a fox or beaver. the only problem i've found is deer hair is hollow and in the winter time losses the oils that are in the summer pelt.
Helps keep them warm, this makes the hair more brillte and pron to coming off over time!

[bushman]

Thanks for the info Pappy and Knapper.
I was planing on taking a late deer that has got its winter coat on and getting a hold of a few more pelts to make a parka sometime in the future.
It gets a little chilly up here at times and I don't think buckskin leather would cut it. Like
-16 F with out wind right know and the coldest I have seen it was -115 F with the wind for a week a few years back. A bit on the chilly side, need to make an Eskimo parka.
Bushman