Tanned Critters

[Chief RID]

Will charcoal ashes work for making raw hide?

[---GUTSHOT--->]

Will charcoal ashes work for making raw hide?

I don't think so. I use hard wood ash. It's the lye in it that releases the hair. But remember when doing this method your taking your hide to the edge of rotting it, to get the hair to slip. Warmer the weather the better this works. I'm going to dry scrape my next few hides to see how I like that process. It has to be cleaner. Good luck!

[bjrogg]

Gutshot thanks for the pickling advice. My 1st two attempts at tanning Red Fox both slipped around the ears and tail. I couldn't figure out what I did wrong. Last summer I was watching some YouTube videos from a taxidermy supply company and they talked about different  products they had a what they where used for. If I remember right they basically had a strong degreaser for greasy hides to remove oils. They had a product to set the hair to stop slip and then product to put tanning oils back in the hide to preserve and soften hide. If I remember right they said if you dry you skins like I do on stretchers that this would also set the hair to prevent slipping. I have a few red fox, mink, coon and muskrat that I kept over from last season. One of my cousins stopped in last night and gave me 2 beavers. All these hides where put up really good with all the fat removed. I'm thinking even though they look really good the beaver and coon could probably use the degreaser. I still have that a bottle of that stuff osage showed. It's same product I used on 1st two Red Fox that I had fur slip on. Do I need to pickle these dry year old hides? Thanks
Bjrogg

[Outbackbob48]

bjrogg, your red fox hair slippage around ears is caused by moisture around ears because of cartilage in the ears drys really slow put some borax powder in areas that tend to dry slow and the hair won't slip. Just my .02 worth. Bob

[bjrogg]

Bob I know what your saying around the ears. I actually had split the ears and removed the cartilage on the second attempt. the instructions on the bottle said for green fresh hides to put salt on roll up and then remove any fat or membrane from hide then repeat that step then put in salt water bath for I think if I remember right maybe 24hours. Then remove and rinse. That is when fur slipped. My first attempt it just slipped everywhere I handled it the second time it started to do the same and then I just hung it to dry more then fur seemed to set. I'm not sure maybe I should have taken out of salt bath sooner, somewhere I saw that the thin hide of Red Fox doesn't need to be in bath as long. Appreciate any advice because I do have a bunch of stuff I want to tan this winter. If any one wants to PM me what supplies they use and where they get them I would appreciate it. Right now I'm thinking of getting them from this taxidermy supply place. Thanks again
Bjrogg

[Outbackbob48]

bjrogg, the only tanning that I have done is braintanninng hair off, I have trapped a ton of fur and put up air dryed, I do know that if you want hair to slip just add water, When I do my deer hides I don't use ashes to remove hair and grain just throw in a barrel of water for a few days and it will start to slip, same think happens when water comes up in river and can't remove animals for some time. The warmer the water the quicker thinks seem to slip. Good luck with your tanning and keep us informed with your progress. Bob

[Zuma]

bjrogg, the only tanning that I have done is braintanninng hair off, I have trapped a ton of fur and put up air dryed, I do know that if you want hair to slip just add water, When I do my deer hides I don't use ashes to remove hair and grain just throw in a barrel of water for a few days and it will start to slip, same think happens when water comes up in river and can't remove animals for some time. The warmer the water the quicker thinks seem to slip. Good luck with your tanning and keep us informed with your progress. Bob

Bob,
Are you saying you can de-hair a deer hide in just a couple days in a barrel of water? If so would fleshing work better after the hair is gone?
What I have read is it takes months with ash in the water?
Thanks Zuma

[Outbackbob48]

Don , It works better for me to flesh first  prefably when fresh, if done after hair is removed it seems to bunch up on fleshing beam and end up with a cut, I have done hides in ashes and they were ready to go in 4 or5 days after a month would be pretty ripe , I know that for everyday ash or  water is froze ya need to add a day. Basically you have a controlled rot going on, the higher the temp of water the quicker bacteria grow or rot. When I do my deer hides in just water I don't get that really slippery effect as with ash or lye. It is a little tuffer to scrape grain with just water but I prefer it to the swollen slipperiness.  I know a lot of places try to get you to use salt to dry hides, IMO salt draws moisture out of the air also and keeps hides moist. I only use salt to store hides for future use with out using up freezer space. I flesh deer hide lay out flat and salt over nite pour of any pooling the next day roll up flesh to flesh and put in a 5 gal pail and seal with a airtight lid. Make sure and label for reuse. Lg. buck  Sm. doe and I usually date and store behind garage, most of the hides that I remove as much as a yr. later are still fresh wet and pliable, once and a while a dry spot needs to re hydrated. I probably have 15 or so stored, sure saves on freezer space and works for me , more than one way to skin a cat   Bob



 

[Zuma]

Awesome Bob. You da man.
Our brothers did good in ND.
Thanks for the info.
Zuma

[bjrogg]

Thanks for all the tips Bob, especially how you store your deer hides it's always nice to save freezer space. The only hair off rawhide I made was actually muskrat that I used to back my mini bow for Marshall. I used a little white ash ashes mixed in water put in fridge for about 5 days till hair just slipped right off. Then cleaned real good to stop the lye reaction. It really swells up the hide and loosens the hair great.
Bjrogg

[bjrogg]

Here's a few I have hanging on my walls in my house. At first my wife didn't "want all those dead things hanging on the wall". I assured her it was better than live ones. lol. She always makes a fuss when I hang something on the wall but after a bit you wouldn't be able to take it down and she loves to show it to people when they come over.
Bjrogg

[bjrogg]

1st picture a pair of big coyotes, it's really rare to get one as nice as the one on the left here it's really got nice fur no rub. 2nd a pair of Red Fox my favorite I love everything about Reds. 3rd a grey fox it's my wife's favorite. I also have some more Fox and 3 mink. I want to do a blanket beaver and some muskrat put up like beaver on a hoop
Bjrogg

[selfbow joe]

Very nice looking hides. Did you tan them your self.

[bjrogg]

Thanks Joe, actually these where all tanned by a taxidermist buddy of mine. I skinned, scrapped split the lips and generally did everything but put them in the tanning solution. When he takes them out of bath I get them and work the areas I want soft then put them back on stretchers. I like to hang them on walls and like the head area a bit stiff.
Bjrogg

[---GUTSHOT--->]

bjrogg, the only tanning that I have done is braintanninng hair off, I have trapped a ton of fur and put up air dryed, I do know that if you want hair to slip just add water, When I do my deer hides I don't use ashes to remove hair and grain just throw in a barrel of water for a few days and it will start to slip, same think happens when water comes up in river and can't remove animals for some time. The warmer the water the quicker thinks seem to slip. Good luck with your tanning and keep us informed with your progress. Bob

Bob,
Are you saying you can de-hair a deer hide in just a couple days in a barrel of water? If so would fleshing work better after the hair is gone?
What I have read is it takes months with ash in the water?
Thanks Zuma

Zuma it only takes a few days in warm weather for a ash water mixture to start the hair slipping on a hide. I always flesh my hides first. Once the hair starts to slip your hide is on the edge of starting to rott. So be care full and not leave it in the mixture to long