Tanning Pelt-On
 

Hi again--spamming this forum with posts about pred/varminting, sorry 'bout that!
So I was planning on using the Dixietan Paste which is a dry powder you mix with water and spread on the flesh side of a pelt to tan my pelts.
If at all possible, I'd like to tan green without salting skins first.
Is there anything wrong with using Dixietan (or using it to tan green skins)? If not, are there other ready-made, easy to use tanning solutions available that work better?

Thanks,
Wolven

I did a deer hide with the fur on. I used Van Dykes?? for some of the chemicals.

The salt kills the bacteria. If not using it, get it froze or close to it quick. The bacteria is what causes the hair to fall out.

If you do choose to use salt, it needs to be pure salt. Though I started a deer with table salt the first night. Held up ok. But it is just hanging on a wall, not alot of stress.


Not familar with tanning green. I spent some time on taxidermy sites when I did my deer.

Fleshing it out can take awhile. Keep a sharpner on hand. It gets going good, and you go faster, and then cut through.

Other tough thing is submerging it brine. It wants to float. I tried lots of differnt stuff. End up just stirring it lots.

Cutting the lid off garbage can or container, close to the diameter, and weighing may work. That is how some do kraut. I tried bricks in bags, but the hide just floated around.

Thanks for the tips--so if I freeze it, is it the same as tanning green? Or is salt absolutely necessary?

Salt not only inhibits microbial and fungal growth, but it also draws moisture and oils out of the hide - which is a necessary step in the tanning process. Hides won't accept the tanning solution properly if they aren't properly prepared - meaning too wet, or still containing natural oils. It's also the time when the hide is stretched and taught to lay flat, which won't happen at any other point in the process.

Deer hair is hollow, so deer hides (and deer in general) are very buoyant. I don't soak anything unless I'm parlaying the tanning process.

I have no idea what tanning green means is. Using the brains, and no chemicals?

Freezing will stall the bacteria until you are ready to deal with it. Not sure what would happen if you put it in the pickle right off the animal and monitored ph.

Not sure what the adversion to salt is. As said salt it to soak up fluid, change salt. I think I then pickled, then maybe fleshed, maybe pickle again. Then tan. I just googled it. I ended u[ using Vans instructions and chemicals. Common kits you can buy. Probably cheaper to buy indvidually if doing enough.

lots of stuff on the web on this.

"Green pelts" are fresh skins, right off of the carcass. Not yet fleshed, not stretched or dried/salted, "green."

Short cuts in tanning processes usually don't work well. It's not a process for the impatient. Flesh it, stretch it, salt it, and then make leather... I've put up thousands of hides over the years and tanned dozens if not hundreds of them. I really can't see a serviceable process which didn't make rawhide (dried hide) before it made leather (tanned & softened).

:fighting0007:

I have only done it once. Did a fur on deer. I got busy with work and didn't break it well. I could rehydrate and try again, but I won't. It is flexible, just doesn't lay flat. Was a lot of work. I did it just cause I like to learn how to do things. Not saying I wouldn't do another.

Like to do a coyote next, or better yet a bear.

Okay, I'll salt. Should I flesh before or after salting? (Also, Dixietan doesn't really involve "pickling"--salt, rinse salt out (I think), then spread paste on the pelt on the flesh side.)

I only "pickle" when I want to delay putting up the hides for some reason, and frankly, freezing the green pelt is a better process.

Yes, you must flesh before salting. You'll effectively ruin your hide to leave flesh, fat, or oils on when salting. Some guys like to pickle to pull oils out of the hide easier. I just rub in my salt and refresh it consistently. Pickling can turn incredibly nasty, so I tend to avoid it.

Case, brush & wash if needed, flesh, stretch and salt, let dry stretched, rinse, tan & soften.

I have only done it once, and did lots wrong. But I salted. Pickled, fleshed, and picked again maybe. Doing hide on. I froze before doing tan, due to timing.

Being a novice, I was just following what I read.

Hide doesnt flat, but not stiff. But I did not spend time breaking. I had some timing problems.

Was work. Turned out ok, and obviously could get better. But I think a hack, can do one for himself.

Did you not stretch the hide? I'll admit, I don't stretch in a traditional manner - I don't use a center board to stretch, rather, I pull them out over a board, and progressively move my pins further a time or two each day. That way I get a nice, flat laying hide. If I'm making buckskin for anything but a wall hanger, then I use the traditional center board method, but I also don't leave the hair on then.

Hair on deer hides are a pain, in general. The hollow hairs are very brittle, especially when they dry, which is why you never see hair on deer hide rugs - only cattle hides or bear rugs. Deer can't take traffic, the hairs break and leave big bald spots. Equally, a guy has to take care during the tanning process to not beat up the hair too much, making bald spots before it ever even makes it to the wall.

For what it's worth - I've paid $75-100 to taxidermists to do wall hanging deer hides. No fuss, no muss, just take them a green hide, hand them a check, and wait a couple months. Much, much easier than DIY, and just about as cheap once you figure in time and supplies.

I stretched it with salt on it. After I took it out of the tan, I worked it, but should have been worked more. I didn't have the time. I re-hyrdated and did it some more, but not the effort I should. It hangs on a wall fine, and holds the hair. I don't notice any falling out. But it is just hanging on wall. I did not luten tan, I believe.

Doesn't sit compeletely flat. I though maybe airbrush/paint camp name on it some day or a mount on it, or just leave it.


I did find a place on the internet that seamed reasonable, and heard of another place local.

It is a lot of work. Plus dealing with the chemicals when only doing one.

If I got a nice coyote, I would check the prices and look at getting one done nice. If I had the freezer space, and shot enough, maybe I would sit on one until I got some other animals I wanted to do.


I enjoyed learning how. That is pretty much why I did it. Maybe do a hair off leather next.

If I get a bear, I may do mount, and then do the hide myself. Don't want to spend the money for both, the same year.