If that is an Alum based tan, it will get stiff. Are you looking for soft pliable garment grade or just a display on the wall piece?
Fleshing – Pressure hose is a newer trend and can work well. Be very careful to not over do it with the fine tip. If you damage the hair roots in the mid layer of the hide, it can have major hair slippage like over scraping a hide.
Little bits of fat will render out in the process so don’t get carried away with making sure its “perfectly” clean. Connecting tissue and Meat must come off.
Replaced phone and I don’t have any pelt pics to show you on it anymore – sorry
Brain Tanning
Materials:
• Pig or horse brain (pig brain may be available at
local butcher or meat market)
• Chlorine-free water
• Large board or stretching frame
• Smooth wooden tool such as a canoe paddle or
axe handle
1. Prepare the tanning solution by combining 1
pound of pig or horse brain with 2 gallons of
warm water. For best results, use untreated water
such as rainwater. If you do not have access to
rainwater, purchase bottled spring water at your
local grocery store. Water treated with chlorine
may reduce the effectiveness of tanning solution.
2. While the hide is still damp and pliable from
preparation and cleaning procedures, immerse it
in the brain tanning solution. Soak the hide
overnight.
3. Remove the hide from the solution. Remove a
majority of the solution from the hide by
squeezing it thoroughly or running carefully
through a clothes wringer.
4. Nail the hide to a board or stretch with a frame.
A smooth tool such a canoe paddle can be used
to work the hide. The hide should be worked by
pushing and stretching it in a stroking motion
until it dries.
For thick hides, some prefer to reapply the
warmed solution to the flesh side, cover with
cloth overnight and repeat step 4 to ensure that
the solution has been adequately worked deep
into the hide.
5. The final step for brain tanning is smoking the
hide. Brain tanned hides are most durable if they
are smoked for several hours in a smokehouse.
However, be careful not to heat the hide too
much. Use dry, semi-rotten wood to produce
lots of smoke and low heat.
OILING AND FINISHING
Materials:
• Fat liquor or tanning oil (such as Sulfated
neatsfoot oil)–available through taxidermy
supply catalogs
• Household ammonia
• Paintbrush
• Sheet of plastic
• Electric fan
• Sheet of plywood
• Nails (no. 6 finish)
• Gasoline (optional)
• Hardwood sawdust, bran or cornmeal
• Sandpaper block
Let the wet, tanned leather dry somewhat. While it
is still damp, apply a coating of suitable fat liquor
oil (such as sulfated neatsfoot oil). The amount of
oil required will vary depending upon the natural
oiliness of the skin. For instance, a raccoon skin,
which is naturally very oily, will require
proportionately less oil than a deer hide.
1. Make the fat liquor oil by mixing 3 1/2 ounces
of sulfated neatsfoot oil with 3 1/2 ounces of
warm water and 1 ounce household ammonia.
This fat liquor solution is for a 10-pound deer
hide. Adjust the measures accordingly for
smaller hides.
2. Place the hide on a flat surface hair side down.
Apply part of the fat liquor solution to a portion
of the hide and spread it evenly with a paintbrush or your hand. Continue until one-half the
solution has been applied to the hide. Allow the
hide to stand for 30 minutes, and then apply the
remainder of the oil in the same manner.
3. Cover the hide with a sheet of plastic and let
stand overnight. If several hides are fat- liquored
at one time, they may be piled flesh side to
flesh side.
4. The next day, drape the skin, hair side out, over
a pole or sawhorse and allow the hair to dry (the
flesh side should remain moist and pliable). Use
an electric fan to speed the drying.
5. While the flesh side is still moist and pliable nail
the skin, flesh side up, to a sheet of plywood,
stretching the skin slightly. Space the nails (no.
6 finish) every 5 to 6″ around the circumference
and about 1/2″ from the edge. The flesh side will
begin drying and should be kept at room
temperature.
6. When the skin is nearly dry but still slightly
damp, remove the skin from the plywood board.
Work the skin in all directions, stretching it
from corner to corner and working the flesh side
over a stake or a wooden edge, such as the back
of a chair or a board clamped in a vise. The skin
may also be worked this way through smooth
metal rings.
Success in producing a soft skin lies in
repeated working, which must be done while the
skin is drying out, not after it is dry. This process
may be repeated several times if necessary;
simply dampen the hide evenly and work it
again while it dries.
7. After the skin has been softened and dried, it
can be given a hasty bath in white or unleaded
gasoline, especially if the skin is too greasy.
This bath also helps to deodorize some skins,
such as skunk.CAUTION: Gasoline is extremely flammable and should be used outdoors away from fire or flame. The gas must
be used in an appropriate pan or receptacle
and disposed of safely.
8. To clean and brighten the fur, tumble it
repeatedly in dry, warm sawdust—preferably
hardwood sawdust. Bran or cornmeal may also
be used. Clean the particles out of the fur by
gently shaking, beating, combing and brushing
the fur.
9. If necessary, the hide’s flesh side may be
smoothed by working it with a sandpaper block.
This also helps to further soften the skin. If
desired, thicker sections of the skin may be
thinned and made more flexible by shaving off
some of the skin.
