EAST TEXAS HOG DOGGERS FORUM

does anybody know anything about tanning hog hides im in the process right now i just wanna be sure im doing it correctly so far i have skinned the hog quite a bit of fleshing and salted heavily if anyone has any tips i would sure be obliged

Id love to know how to do it.  If you dont mind can you post your steps.

What are you gonna use for a tanning solution? A lot of indians boiled the brain to an oil. They say each animals brain will generally produce the right amount of oil. I have never done it, but I have a friend that does and his hides are great. They also say they will age and preserve better than hides done with modern chemical processes

You will have to run the hide through an acid pickle next....that will take a couple of days at least. Neutralizing is next, then a bit more fleshing. Then you can use whatever kind of 'tan' that you want. Some are liquids, some powders that you mix with water. After it has taken the tan, you start to dry it and break it, in order to make it soft and flexible. Usually oiling it as you break it. Sounds like fun huh?.....lol

 An old man told me once that all animals have enough brains to tan their own hides except for chikens and teenagers LOL!

i have my hide hung and drying getting most the moisture out now depending on how this turns out ill post my steps im trying to do the whole thing all natural no chemicals all natural resources ill list my steps either way that worked, right now its dripping water like crazy i am going to brain tan the hide i have the head in the freezer i noticed someone said to boil i was on the understanding that u keep the water where u didnt cook the brain and could work the hide by hand in the solution anyway i got alot of the fleshing done today i wanted to get it out of the way but prob still a few hours to go i will be using brain out of the same hogs head its in my freezer like i said all natural but i still dont know exactly how to get the brain out please keep the input coming
steps so far

1 field dress and skinned animal out

2 fleshing removing all the fat and meat from the hide

3 salted hide to draw moisture out

4 hung up the hide so it could dran

5 froze the head to retrieve brain later

  what is something natural i could use for an acid pickle

use a sawzall to get the brain out

                     Here you go.

        http://www.fieldandstream.com/node/57386

just got off the phone with my taxadermist and he finishd my steps for me si its gonna take three more days to salt a few more fleshings if i dont have it all off and the brain tan will work just have to work the hide in the solution longer so we will see ill post a pic and all my steps in about 5 more days and its not taking all day i think my time so far in this is about 2 hours

think that would work on a cape to do a shoulder mount?

From articles i have read, the native americans would soake the hides in urine n potash, hang it out to dry, flesh it n continue the p n potash till it is fleshed out n then deied again. Once dried the final time, the brain would as said before, be boiled down to an oil n then rubbed in thoroughly n then chwed for tenderizing.

One bag of fine pool salt, one bottle of safety acid, baking soda, tanning oil. All but the baking soda will do multiple hides. Fleshing is enough work by itself without having to make all the other stuff too. Lol
Anthony

Ive tanned 2 hogs, 4 bobcats, 3 muskrats, and 2 deer and several coons and a fox using the tanning kit that gander mountain sells.  Turned out awesome, but they supply a scraping tool that i personally dont care for.  Everything u need is in the kit, except flour and a few supplies like buckets and such.  I have a book at the house that uses borax and stuff, gonna try that this year, got the book at Hastings book store.

thanks everybody my hide is looking descent at the stage im at its still drying but its drying correctly its hasnt withered or shrunk so far so good

Scroll to the last post, seems like this guy knows what he is talkin about..

http://www.taxidermy.net/forums/TanningArticles/03/j/0387060D3.html

I think some folks use citric acid.

im building a fire out of oak right now to smoke seal the hide a little more softenting it after wards and i should be done

post pics when you get done

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