# deer hides



## bob clark (Nov 3, 2005)

I have two deer hides that i need to tan. i have tanned rabbit hides with much succes but the process i use leaves the hair on.

i use the salt and acid treatment. anyone know how i can throw the hair off?

I will be useing the hides for chair seats so i dont have to have the hides hairless, but i think it would be nicer

thanks ahead of time for any help


----------



## Guest (Jan 26, 2007)

De-hairing is not too hard to do. It just takes a lot of work to get that deer hide soft once again. Go to a lumber yard or feedstore and get you a big 50# sack of dehydrated lime. It will set you back about 9 bucks of so but it can be used for many things. Take a large plastic trash can and put in about 2 shovel full of dehydrated lime and then fill with about 10 gallons of water and mix well. Place your deerhide(s) into the mixture and stir well. Stir it everymorning and evening for about 3 days or until the hair starts slipping well. Remove from mixture and rinse well and then place over a fleshing beam of some sort and scrape hair off. It comes off very easy. If you want to make suede leather you will have to scrape off the first layer of skin along with the hair. If just for leather crafts, just scrape the hair off only. Afterwards soak hide in clean running water for about 24 hours to rid the lime out. I rinse the trash can out and fill it back up to the top with water, place my hide(s) in it, and then leave the garden hose in it and let the water slowly trickle all night. The next day I ring out the hide and then soften it.

A really good book to learn all this by is called "DEERSKINS INTO BUCKSKINS" by Richards. They teach you how to make suede leather and give you formulas to use for a softening agent. 

My only problem is finding time to do it. Good luck, and happy hunting!


----------



## vicker (Jul 11, 2003)

A couple shovels full of hardwood ashes will work just as well. Make sure to rinse the skins well. soak in fresh water change daily for a couple three days.


----------



## big rockpile (Feb 24, 2003)

vicker said:


> A couple shovels full of hardwood ashes will work just as well. Make sure to rinse the skins well. soak in fresh water change daily for a couple three days.


Yes but make sure you rinse them good.And I would wear gloves.

I lost all the skin and some meat off my fingers using woodash.Took forever to heal.

big rockpile


----------



## hunter63 (Jan 4, 2005)

Use the rubber gloves with hydrated lime also.
Old wood ironing board makes a good "fleashing beem".
Add 1 cup of borax to the rinse, keep rinseing till water comes off clear.
Now you have to deside if you want rawhide of buckskin.

Raw hide at this point pretty much just gets stretched and dried, buckskin needs to be oiled worked stretched etc till soft.
The book:
Mountain Crafts and Skill by David Montgomery from the Lyons Press
Is a very good guide to use for this, have purchased several over the years as the somehow they keep getting "borrowed"?
Anyway got my last copy used on discount books, used for about $2.00 bucks, almost cost me more to ship it.


----------



## bob clark (Nov 3, 2005)

thanks all for the info


----------



## hunter63 (Jan 4, 2005)

Jus fer grins looked it up:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/0882901567/ref=dp_olp_2/104-4624037-8008730
lots of work but keeps ya busy.
Good luck!


----------



## bob clark (Nov 3, 2005)

well, I got all the stuff today. should i tan the hides with the salt and acid and then soak it in the lime or throw the hair off first ,then tan it?


----------



## bob clark (Nov 3, 2005)

what i got was barn lime. did i get the wrong stuff?


----------



## hunter63 (Jan 4, 2005)

Just soak it in the hydrated lime till the hair loosens.
Check on the bag to see if it says "hydrated lime".


----------



## bob clark (Nov 3, 2005)

crap, the bag says ground limestone. it was only 3.50 for 50#. that should have been a clue

I guess i will tan them first with the hair on then take the hair off later.

a friend of mine suggested useing a pair of hair clippers to leave the hair about 3/8ths of an inch long since they are to be used as chair seats. that might be kinda cool. as long as it wasnt too prickly to sit on


----------



## Guest (Jan 28, 2007)

Since deer hair is hollow the hair will break off with use and get all over your car, your clothes, etc. I know, when I first learned to tan deer hides with the hair on we used them for furniture covers. Draped them over the back of the couch, and on my recliner. After a while the hair got to breaking off with use and started making a mess everywhere. That's when the boss of the house says "Get them outa here!" 

If you salt the hides and let dry it will make hair removal a little more difficult. If you have enough freezer space just keep them rolled up in the freezer till you've got the stuff to dehair them with. If no room then go ahead and salt the hides and let them dry for storage. 

Be sure to take the hair off before tanning as the tanning method will make hair removal even more difficult. Plus you will have to re-tan the hides again. No use doing it twice.


----------



## bob clark (Nov 3, 2005)

thanks for the info


----------

