# Tanning a cowhide??



## luvrulz (Feb 3, 2005)

Anyone know how to or a place to go for easy directions??

Fell free to move this to where ever is best - didn't know where to put it!!! LOL TIA


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## barnyardgal (Sep 21, 2009)

Sorry i can't really help...the fox hide i tanned i stretched it out and tacked it to a piece of plywood to stretch it then used salt and 20 mule team borax and let it set a few days then scraped the fat off and added more salt/borax and let it set a while..can't remember exactly how long..maybe try to google it??


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## orangehen (Dec 7, 2005)

10 years ago I tanned a cow hide - hardest thing I ever did alone - it was huge! I got all the directions and tanning stuff off the internet but don't remember the site. Sorry. If it's a cow hide, you'll need a 50 gal. or larger barrel - I had a plastic one. I just know I'll never try it again!


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## luvrulz (Feb 3, 2005)

With using the salt and borax, was it soft and pliable or stiff and crackly??


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## Immaculate Sublimity (Apr 30, 2003)

in my experience the soft and pliable comes from working the hide bending folding crinkling by hand, at least with other hides, I havent done a cow


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## Swamp_walker (Sep 30, 2010)

Tanning a hide is alot of work...actually, it depends on what you want. If its just a wall hanging or rug, its not so bad. Ive3 tanned quite a few hides and i'll tell what to do and why in my opinion. First is skinning of course...lol. Then it needs to be fleshed. Fleshing is scrapeing off every single bit of flesh and fat on the hide. This is also ovious. Next, you'll need to remove the epidermis(sp?) layer. This is a fine layer between the meat and actual leather. This needs to be removed for the tanning solution and oil to 

penetrate. Once the hide is fleshed, you can take your time as it will dry and keep for a LONG time. After all the fleshing, its time for the tan itself...which is just a cure. There are lots of pickle and tanning recipes out there. From borax to brains. I use brains most of the time. Take the brain from the animal and put in a pot of water and mash it up. Add enough water to get a consistency of butter milk. Simmer this mix for about ten minutes and then rub it into the hide. The hide will be stiff so i use a rock to rub all over the hide to "rough" it up so the brains can penetrate.

I add brains every other day for a week...about three or four treatments. The proteins and oils in the brain will tan the hide but it will still be hard as a rock. It can be left like this if its just for hanging or whatever. If you want it soft, heres where the real work comes in. You'll have to break and oil every single fiber in the hide. I use a hickory stump rounded off to "saw" the hide back and forth on. There are plenty of ways to do it though. If its too stiff to even start, cover the hide with a damp towel till it loosens up a bit...about an hour or so. Once loosened up, rub on some oil of some kind. I use olive oil because i get it free. Then start working the hide. you have to work it non stop till its completely dry. If you stop while its still damp, it will just get hard again when dry. 

After you've worked the hide till its dry, your basicly done. Rub in another coat of oil and work it a bit more just to get the oil in. If it ever gets wet though, it will get stiff a little bit. If you smoke it, it wont. Any way you can think of to channel the smoke onto the hide will work. I use damp, punky oak that really puts off the smoke and build a box from a tarp that holds the hide and pipe the smoke in. You want smoke and not heat. I smoke mine about all day on something that big. It will turn the hide a golden brown color. Thats it. Ive used this methed to make buckskin clothes, pouches, you name it. 

Thickness of the hide plays a part as well but i forgot to mention it. The thicker areas of the hide will have to be worked more unless you thin the hide. Ive never tried to thin one...i just work it more. The work part is working the hide dry. It will take all day but you cant stop once you start. Just keep at it till its bone dry. Any short cuts here will lead to a not as good finished product. Again though, it really depends on what you want it for. I wouldnt go thru all that work for a rug but you can always soften/work the hide later if you want it for another reason. They say all animals have enough brain to 

tan their own hides but i like to use a little more than that. If i only had one cow brain, id go buy some pork brain to mix in. What ever size the critters brain is, i like to use that much plus half of that. So three brains for two hides. There is nothing need bought to tan hides unless you cant get to the brain. Eggs will work ive been told. Any of the commercial pickle or tans will work and they make it sound easy...which it is to tan, its the softening thats work. My daddy used an old fur tumbler...which was just an old dryer. He had round stones he'd put in the dryer with the hides and turn it on. No heat. The stones would do a "fair" job but alot still had to be done by hand. Deer size critters and smaller are not bad at all...cow? im not so sure. I "helped" a guy tan a buffalo hide and that monster about killed both of us...lol. We got it done though and it turned out beautiful.


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## luvrulz (Feb 3, 2005)

TY! The brains are gone - the butcher got them.... Will do some research on the eggs and check out this hide - Again - thank you!


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## kreig (Apr 29, 2008)

Agree with swamp walker, it is a lot of work. I have used eggs quite a bit and they work just fine. I have also read/heard that using the commerical products is much easier but I have never tried them. I don't know what your intended use is but if it wouldn't mess up your project you might want to consider cutting the hide in half, freezing one part and work the other. That way you will not be so overwhelmed by the size, cows have a lot of skin! I did that on my first moose and am very glad I did.


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## lonelyfarmgirl (Feb 6, 2005)

tell me please about using eggs for this. I have some rabbit hides.


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## Trisha in WA (Sep 28, 2005)

lonelyfarmgirl said:


> tell me please about using eggs for this. I have some rabbit hides.


Me too. I have several waiting to go to freezer camp this week and they all have great pelts. I want to try some different methods this time for tanning. I have only done the salt and alum before. I heard you can use just salt too. Anyone here ever do that?


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## lonelyfarmgirl (Feb 6, 2005)

I have preserved mine with just salt before. I salted them and let them drain, and then shook out the salt and did it again, then shook out all the salt, salt a third time, then lay them out and when they are almost dry, I wiped off all the salt and left them flat to finish. they are preserved, make no mistake, but stiff as a board.


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## Trisha in WA (Sep 28, 2005)

This fella I met said he uses a salt water cure. I forgot to ask him how long he soaked his pelts, but he worked them just like you normally would so they get soft. He said less than a cup of salt per gallon of water, which is what I really am questioning...that doesn't seem like enough salt. If I recall, when I was using salt and alum it was 2 cups salt per gallon plus the alum. I would have to look it up to be sure...come to think of it, I wonder if my book has anything about just salt. If it does, I'll post it here.


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