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Author Topic: brain tan  (Read 5555 times)

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Offline Niltsiar

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brain tan
« on: April 27, 2012, 01:27:30 am »
hey i was wondering if brain taning will harm and full un-scraped hide ( in am trying to tan a coyote pelt and i have only ever done buck skin after lots of scraping to get the hair off). and it this wont work what way could i do it to get the full pelt
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Primitives for them....they were necessities, to us.....they are heritage

Offline aaron

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Re: brain tan
« Reply #1 on: April 27, 2012, 01:28:35 pm »
not sure exactly what you are asking (typos), but if you want to know if braintanning will soften a hide with hair on it, then yes. You still have to scrape the flesh side, and you put the brains only on the flesh side- trying to keep the brains out of the hair.
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"Good wood makes great bows, but bad wood makes great bowyers"

Offline Niltsiar

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Re: brain tan
« Reply #2 on: April 28, 2012, 12:39:58 am »
ok thank you and ya it was late when i posted it i was just wondering if it would harm the hair and if there was a safer way to tan a hide with the hair on it
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Primitives for them....they were necessities, to us.....they are heritage

Offline Pat B

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Re: brain tan
« Reply #3 on: April 28, 2012, 02:47:14 pm »
I've never brain tanned a hide but I think you still have to set the hair in the hide somehow or it will eventually start to fall out. It might take a alum soak but I don't know that for sure.
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Make the most of all that comes and the least of all that goes!    Pat Brennan  Brevard, NC

Offline Ma Tanner

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Re: brain tan
« Reply #4 on: December 07, 2012, 03:58:22 am »
I've tanned a few pelts. The thing to do to keep the hair from slipping is to try to keep the fur side dry. If it's got blood or yuck on it you can wash it with a mild soap or Dawn dishsoap, rinse well, and then use a blowdryer to get that fur dry immediately.  Massage a warm brain slurry (1 part brain to 2-4 parts warm-not hot-water) into the flesh side of the fleshed hide. Let it sit for a few hours and do it again. Then scrape and stretch it dry. Do not stop till it's dry and no longer cool if you put your lips or cheek on it. If it's a thick hide you may want to let the brains stay on for 24 hrs. If you must leave it before it's dry, fold it along the length of the spine and try to match up the legs and all. Then roll up and put in a bag, in the fridge. It will keep there for a few days. If it doesn't soften up enough for your liking after it's dry, just rehydrate with brains and pull and stretch dry again. You can also smoke it after the first pull-dry to make it easier to pull-dry the next time. Smoke (or re-smokeif you already did it once). Do not put hide in a bucking solution such as lime or lye. This is specifically to make the hair slip.
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