Tanning a dear hide...(GraphicPhotos)

So I really like trying new things, and don't do well with people not believing I can do something... So two years ago when at a SCA meeting someone mentioned they had an extra dear hide and offered it for anyone that would use it. This was met with a lot of people talking about how hard it was tan dear hides and that it was about impossible to tan a dear hid without the hair slipping. Well I jumped at the opportunity and brought the frozen thing home. I rally hate wasting and new with all the crafts i do I could find a use for it. I did a tun of research (notice a theme here I love being well informed)I found and pretty much used this videos formula.

I built a frame while the hide thawed out in a trash bag submerged in a big sink. I put hook and eye screws around the frame, to string up and starching the hide. Then put out big painters floor covers and rested the frame agent the wall.

I stretched the skin out and strung it up pulling the string taunt to really stretch the skin, then spent most the night cleaning the thing. Any fat left on the hide will spoil and rot.

Once fleshed I covered the fleshed side with the egg and mayo mixture(not very sanitary but I didn't have the brain nor did I really want it do a brain tan but the basic idea is a balance of lips to protein). From there I got pneumonia from the cold night spent fleshing the hide so I ignored it for most of two weeks, witch worked out fine but I should have gone our and massaged in the mayo/egg mix every other day or so to soften it up. Then we made a kick but fire and with apple wood and Jack Daniel's smocking chips in it made a log tepee over the fire and stetted the hide over to smock for 4-6 hours.

This kills bacteria and keeps bacteria growth down just like smoking fish. Once it was smoked it smelled unbelievably good! At this point it was dried completely, we took it down and rubbed it agents some trees to soften it up some. It still turn out stiff but the hair didn't slip at all and for dear hair that is hollow that is actually quit the accomplishment.

Well over a year later and my hubby goes hunting with a friend and brings back a new hide for me to tan so by this time I've been mulling over what I'd do differently in the future and what I did and didn't like about the process. mostly it was gross and I got pneumonia so this time we covered the couch and I worked inside, cleaning the hide wail watching anime.

Now when it comes to the tanning again most animals have a brain big enough to tan their own hide, brains being mostly composed of protein and lots of fat, the gears stated turning. Girls regularly use a high protein serum with plenty of Oils(I.E. lipids, stuff like coconut oil or olive oil, vitamin E). Shampoo and conditioner is made to make hair stay soft strong and beautiful. So I went to the store, and half for the protein content half for the irony I got main and tale shampoo and conditioner. I really did look at a lot of different shampoos but settled on the main and tale so once the hid was clean(she was a fat one!) I simply gave the whole thing a good lather up and rub down in the tub. On the flesh side I worked it in, and was very gentle with the fur side, it was lathered rinsed and repeated.

I have to say I really enjoyed how clean it was after this most all the bold came out of the skin, and whatever else she was rolling in before becoming food. Then we stretched and nailed it up in the basement (we moved and I couldn't take the frame with me). One final go over to get any little missed bits and call it good to cure.

Now here is were I think I messed up, I chickened out and rubbed salt on it kill bacteria(smocking was not an option and the basement is not a healthy please so it seamed best to stop anything from growing) and help it dry. We left it to dry with a dehumidifier, going down to curry comb it, about every 4 days or so, to make it more swayed like and soft.

Well three weeks later after working on it and brushing the hide the little ends that got the lest amount of salt are perfect! However the main part is far to stiff and almost brittle. I weill say it would make a Great ground barrier for camping or caving!

Do you see how shiny this pelt is! Main and Tail for the Win!

So if I'm ever crazy enough to do this again then I'm not putting salt on any of it!!! I think that a high protein/lipid shampoo and conditioner then smoking will make the best hide for crafting use!