tanning critter hides

[kingsax26]

well then it looks like my only option is to wait until I can find a place to tan them at ...until then its back to the woods

[kingsax26]

guess ill wait til I can go to someones house and stink up there yard lol....lopoks like those pells are gonna be chilling in my freezer

[kingsax26]

ok so i found a method to tan with ivory soap....from post ive read it seems to work ok...however since i ahve never done this ...Im assuming the process is a bit Mal-oderous? i found a place i can stash the hides while they tan..if theyre going to stink thats ok...but im just curious. and if anyone has ever used this method....if the hides are flesh then salted for a day or two...do i need to worry about the hair falling out?

[bugflipper]

It's really a whole lot easier than you are probably going about it. You'll probably have to come up with your own method for lack of room.
You set up a log at belly button height on saw horse legs and slick off the bark with a draw knife. You seal them with an oil so they don't soak up all the foul smell. To flesh a hide you trap the pelt between your belly and the log. Your draw knife is dull so it won't cut the hide. You plow away from you, not really cutting. Just evening up the hide, knocking the high spots of meat, silver skin, growths and fat off. If there is a mucus membrane or slime left that's no trouble. A draw knife can be a butcher knife with the tip made safe with duct tape, a machete, an axe or tomahawk. For not having room I'd suggest you find a downed log in the woods and use a knee to pinch the hide to it, working away from you.

The only way the hide slips is from rot or chemical. Just tanning and drying will actually shrink the pores and trap them in tighter. Sorry no experience with soap.

[R.I.J.]

setting in a chair, put the hide on your thigh, scrap head to tail with your skinning knife KEEP THE BLADE @90 deg. to the hide to prevent cuts Check out Cur-Tan on Mckenzies web site.

[Red Badger]

Wife made a buckskin shirt using ivory - says it will work in your situation as it does not smell bad

[bugflipper]

Please post process and results if it works good for you.

[kingsax26]

ok so i decided im just gonna dry them out for now .... so this is one of the hide that i fleshed out...hows it look?   ive never done it before so im not really sure what it should look like...but im pretty sure i did it right

[bugflipper]

Yep that's fine.

[kingsax26]

that was a red squirrel it actually wasnt to hard ....i started on a grey squirrel but it was all shotup with a shotgun.....the little holes became large very quickly..so right now ive got the red squirrel salted and drying..... i was thinking of drying it for 4 or 5 days since its so small...then on to the ivory soap! unfortunatley the shotup hide did not survive fleshing

[bugflipper]

Small holes can be sewn up, big holes can have patches sewn in, no big deal.

[kingsax26]

ok so ive got some hides drying....nice layer of pickling salt...and now i wait...im think like 4-5 days drying?  and dont laugh at my skinning skills lol...i wasnt worried about pretty....if it works theyre getting squared up any way ...wasnt worried about the legs

[Red Badger]

Looks fine to me!  You should have seen some of mine.

[kingsax26]

took my forst hide of the drying today...this is what she looks like.   let me tell ya, thats a damn thin piece of leather lol. I can see now that im gonna have to back it with something.....what should I use ? thin leather or cloth...

[bugflipper]

What about finding some scrap canvas somewhere? That should hold up for a possibles bag.