NadineMarie Report post Posted December 19, 2011 Ok, i am very, very new to tanning my own leather. i have 5 deer hides i want to make buckskin out of. i have 4 currently frozen so they don't waste while i figure out what i am doing with this first one. It looked really good when i first tanned it i cleaned it up nicely oiled it like the insructions said, but my problem is it shrank down so much i don't think i can get any use out of it other than 'ooo ahh look what i did' kind of thing. so i'm wondering if i oiled it up really well and tried to stretch it out slowly by nailing it to a piece of ply wood? Or if i'm stuck with what i have help me please Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tree Reaper Report post Posted December 19, 2011 I have tanned many hides and they all get fleshed then put in the tanning solution, taken out, tacked on a board then just before they completely dry they get broken and oiled to soften them up. The process usually takes a week for large hides. If the oil you used is water soluble I would say re-soak, take them out and tack them to a uniform shape. Is the hair on or off? Kevin. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NadineMarie Report post Posted December 19, 2011 hair off with this one the hair was slipping when i was fleshing it so i just made it bare leather Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tree Reaper Report post Posted December 19, 2011 What tanning method did you use? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NadineMarie Report post Posted December 19, 2011 What tanning method did you use? It's simply called The Tanning Solution. It is an all in one i soak the hide in salt water, for a day, and put the solution on it cover it for a day, let it dry for 3 days, break it, clean it up. the leather i got out of it is very soft and supple, it's beautiful, it's just small. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tree Reaper Report post Posted December 19, 2011 Try soaking it in water then take it out and tack it on a board to see if you can get it to open up again then when it's almost dry oil it and begin breaking it again. You shouldn't have to re-tan it. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ramrod Report post Posted December 24, 2011 i've got one soaking in brine right now. i'm going to buy a tanning solution at tandy tomorrow. i was going to clean up the hide a bit more (just a little bit of meat and membrane still on it) and then stretch it and tack it to a pallet. does it have to dry thoroughly before applying the tanning solution? should the tanning solution be applied while it is stretching? this is my first time at this. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tree Reaper Report post Posted December 24, 2011 The instructions will tell you when to apply it. I use a chrome tan and the tan is applied while the hides are soaking in the pickle bath. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ramrod Report post Posted December 27, 2011 well, the solution is on the hide as of an hour ago. the instructions were to apply it by hand and let it do it's thing. my impressions are that there isn't enough of it on the hide, but i followed the directions. tree reaper - what product do you use? is it hair on? (apologies to the original poster on this - i didn't mean to hijack your thread) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tree Reaper Report post Posted December 27, 2011 I have tanned hair on and off, it is a different process. I have a few beaver tails in a bath right now, they sit in a salt, pickling crystal bath for a few days then tannium is added for a few more days, that's where I'm at now. Next will be neutralizing the bath to stop the tanning process, removing them then tacking them on a board, applying oil as they dry then breaking them over a steel plate to soften them. What I did originally was order the kit, measured the amounts in the kit then ordered bulk. When tanning just a few tails I reduced the amounts by an even amount in order to make just a couple of gallons of solution. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ramrod Report post Posted December 30, 2011 i think what i'm looking for is a solution that is basicaly a bath where you can prep the hide and let it tan in a bath for however long. hair on. i'm not sure if there's anything out there like that . i've done a search on the intenet, but haven't come up with anything like that. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tree Reaper Report post Posted December 30, 2011 Go to a taxidermy site like Van Dyke's http://www.vandykestaxidermy.com/Product-Instructions-C2414.aspx You can order a free catalog. i think what i'm looking for is a solution that is basicaly a bath where you can prep the hide and let it tan in a bath for however long. hair on. i'm not sure if there's anything out there like that . i've done a search on the intenet, but haven't come up with anything like that. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BIGGUNDOCTOR Report post Posted December 31, 2011 Lots of tanning info on Taxidermy.net. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tree Reaper Report post Posted December 31, 2011 Here's a freshly tanned beaver tail in a key fob finished today. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ramrod Report post Posted January 1, 2012 nice beaver - i love that grain pattern. it's like noting else you'd see. also, thank you for the link. i've looked at van dykes catalog. when i get my next deerskin, i'll be ordering from the m. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
