wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. Tanning Rabbit Hides: Easy Guide to Skin a Rabbit and Tan the Hide. Tanned hides are often used as wall decor or area rugs. of baking soda per gallon of water. If you leave any in place the finished hide will be … Learning how to tan a deer hide is not a difficult task, but it does take some manual labor and a lot of time. If you don’t stretch it, the hide can actually shrink considerably while drying. pelt and turning it into a finished product; also, how much space and what type of equipment might be required. You’ve gone and got yourself a trophy buck, but now you need to know how to tan a deer hide. Always wear gloves and eye protection when handling battery acid, as it is corrosive and can burn the skin and eyes. Another one is after salting and drying it, they put the pelt in some sort of tanning solution, water, alum and salt, soak it for days then dry it up. After a few days the hide should feel dry and flexible. To test to see if tanning is working, cut a thick corner and see if it is blue all the way through. After smoking the first side for half an hour, turn the bag inside out and smoke the other side. Can you tan a hide after it has been frozen? Make sure you are using gentle, uniform strokes. Spray the fur with a bug killer and store inside a plastic bag for a couple days. Wring the hide out, so it will be able to take in the oils. Spread the fur out skin side up and heat the oil in a microwave to near boiling. Use a degreaser and detergent. Currently, she spends her days gardening, caring for her orchard and vineyard, raising chickens, ducks, goats, and bees. Rinse off until clean and check for remaining degreaser or … If you plan to use the hide to make clothing, add a box of baking soda to the rinse to neutralize the remaining acid. Leave the hide in for about three days. Add the battery acid. Salt cure the fur. The more the hide is stretched, the larger it will be once the tanning process is complete. You can also have a partner help you stretch and soften it by taking it off the drying rack and pulling on the edges from either side. How do I tan a hide like a Native American and without using any modern technologies? "In the course of writing a fictional short story, I needed to know the minimum length of time between harvesting a, "Better than those so-called "pros." A little channel tunneled out to one side will allow you to keep the fire supplied. Roll up the hide and store it in a large plastic freezer bag or food storage bag. Treating a hide with a tanning process ensures you'll end up with a supple piece of leather that can be used to make shoes and clothing or hung on the wall. If you hunt deer and other animals for their meat, why not use their hides as well? With the animal hide now off, it's time to get in to the more tedious act of the tanning process: the fleshing. By Jennifer Poindexter. Add the bran flake water and stir until the salt has completely dissolved. After the two days remove as much flesh and fat from the skin as you can without damaging the skin. The hide must be washed and completely rehydrated prior to tanning. After washing the fur, mix garden lime in about five gallons of warm water in a large tub until no more will dissolve. That said, never leave your hide unattended during the smoking process. A heavy rope can also be used to soften the hide. If large enough, you’ll have to stitch it together before tanning. It may take a little more work to get it to soften, but you can keep pelts for six months or more in the freezer. A small amount of degreaser and detergent will suffice, no more than few tablespoons of each. Rub the egg yolk solution into the softened hide. Work away from yourself. To create this article, 28 people, some anonymous, worked to edit and improve it over time. If you stretch your hide over a wall or barn, make sure there's ample space for air to circulate between the hide and the wall, or it won't dry properly. Now that the legs are free, the hide will bind up again once you get to the ears. Squeeze out the excess water by placing the hide between two towels and squeezing, then repeating the process with two dry towels. Shake warm HTF well and apply an even layer to the flesh side. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/1\/18\/Tan-a-Hide-Step-1-Version-2.jpg\/v4-460px-Tan-a-Hide-Step-1-Version-2.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/1\/18\/Tan-a-Hide-Step-1-Version-2.jpg\/aid36825-v4-728px-Tan-a-Hide-Step-1-Version-2.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"