New to Tanning

Thebe

Active Member
Just got in to tanning, after tanning my 1st Fallow and some foxes, i have been using the K-tan but im looking for an alternative that may be cheaper or has the capacity to do more skins within one pack. Would anyone be able to shed some light on this, and any info would be great!
Cheers
 
Thanks chaps, good idea with the brains, i wonder how good the leather would be like that?

I have found brains makes for a softer hide, but you will need to smoke it afterwards else the Moths will tke a shining to it...
 
Apparently dog crap was used to tan leather for use as belts on pulleys used in mills Ect don't advocate it's use without gloves !!!!
Norma
 
JUST loaned out my two reference books on tanning to one of the local forum members...

Oak bark solution is a traditional one - you sort of make a tea from it & the skins are given a soaking

Fido's little messages are/were used in a different capacity; as with most animals the digestive tract of dogs does not run at 100% efficiency. As dogs are meat eaters the stomach is designed to break down protein. When the dog excretes the digested food, a lot of what is contained is the chemicals that will break down proteins...so they are ideal for use in the tanning process...but only as one stage in a very long process

Alum is a modern quick fix product...I personally steer cleer of chrome/metal tanned hides - prefer to stick with vegetable tanned ones (the end results differ in terms of what the leather can be used for & the properties it will retain) = though if the neighbours have a court order to stop you following their pet poodle with a small shovel then alum may be the way you will have to go

Brain tanning IS also a traditional method - but mainly for turning skins into a soft clothing type of leather - i.e. North American Indian buckskin...you too can shop at Asda in a full Davy Crocket outfit...hat not included

When I get the two books back I will do a thread on here giving some "home recipes" as kits ARE a convenient approach, but you pay for that convenience
You can do things a lot cheaper - even close to free - by spending a bit of time making your own tanning solutions, etc.

Hopefully it may spur a few folk on to try home tanning so more of the deer gets used - plus its another side to the hobby for the long winter nights
 
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Thank you saddler, really appreciate the info. im very keen to look into the oak bark tanning, the book info would be greatly appreciated when you recieve them back and have time of course. Your also very right in the respect of its a great evening hobby and great to make use of the full animal, i currently have a fox skin salted getting ready for tanning, hoping to make it into a Davy crocket style hat but finding it really difficult to work out how to do it! if you have any thoughts on the hat it would also be greatly appreciated!
Many thanks
 
Check out diesel tanning, a mixture of alum and diesel, been done on here B4 I think if not look it up, deerwarden
 
Thank you saddler, really appreciate the info. im very keen to look into the oak bark tanning, the book info would be greatly appreciated when you recieve them back and have time of course. Your also very right in the respect of its a great evening hobby and great to make use of the full animal, i currently have a fox skin salted getting ready for tanning, hoping to make it into a Davy crocket style hat but finding it really difficult to work out how to do it! if you have any thoughts on the hat it would also be greatly appreciated!
Many thanks

One of the two reference books is American, so very biased toward using skins/furs for clothing, etc.

Will let you know when I have them back again
 
Hi chap, have you got your book back yet? Would love to know the name so I can look it up on the Internet. Many thanks
 
I saw Dave the other day, he asked if I needed the books back, but I told him there was no rush...

Sorry, forgot you'd asked about them.

What I'll do is leave the books with him until the end of the month then collect them.

You are more than welcome to have a loan of them, then that way you can decide which of the 2 is most suited to what you want to do & make your purchase accordingly

ATB

Jon
 
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