|
Post by wilddreamer on Jan 2, 2012 21:38:08 GMT -5
Greetings to you from Central IL. I found you through my search for making a deer rug. I've been reading ever since. Can't seem to get away so I thought I better join. Thanks for being here and for sharing your wonderful knowledge. I'm just learning what you have been doing for years and hope to one day glean just a bit of what you know. Name's Marsha and I'm glad to be here.
|
|
|
Post by paulette on Jan 3, 2012 10:16:26 GMT -5
Greetings to you from Central IL. I found you through my search for making a deer rug. I've been reading ever since. Can't seem to get away so I thought I better join. Thanks for being here and for sharing your wonderful knowledge. I'm just learning what you have been doing for years and hope to one day glean just a bit of what you know. Name's Marsha and I'm glad to be here. Howdee Marsha! Cool! A new member both joining, AND chiming in! Super! Welcome to the campfire! Reading and researching IS/are a great place to start. It is really how I started tanning hides and skins. Started for me with a prayer because I'd unwittingly killed a couple of goats! I felt so bad for those poor creatures. Put them in with the sheep and goats I had..that probably bashed them to death..bad move, yikes. Yep.. I was horrified and felt guilty as all get out! So felt an obligation to the God's to try to DO.. something.. so it inspired me to jump on the computer and read everything that I could find on hides and skins, pelts.. just anything that popped up.. and there was a LOT! Well, there ISN"T a whole lot out there on tanning the FURS. Especially with little to no tools.. Didn't want to make any major investments! I ended up at brain tan.com before long and eventually through a lot of hands on hammered it all out, nice and soft.. lol.. not really! Made a lot of friends made a few enemies!, but it wasn't without a lot of effort physically and emotionally.. lol... totally changing my life around.. that I accomplished something I was pretty satisfied with. The skins had to be perfect as well as the furs.. They're not DONE till they're DONE. One big thing that I read over on that site, was a big discouragement from tanning deer hides hair on, it wasn't encouraged.. .. well THAT was a mistake.. NOTHING could have hair all over the place like our house dog Bucky. I could have ten deer hide rugs lying about and I would have WAY less hair than what this dog shed's naturally year round so IMO tan them! Much better tanned and even a BAD job tanning will just attract moisture..But it CAN be done and maybe should be.. if that' is really what you want.. most folks here in MI could give a crap less for buckskin.. Most don't want leather, they want hair on deerskins and fur skins. So basics are very helpful to know! First and foremost is to keep the hair dry.. but it's all bloody and dirty right?? well wash it and then get it DRY.. and it's tough when it's really thick. SO a shop vac or leaf blower and a frame to stretch it out in is really HANDY.. but it's got flesh and meat and blood and fat all over it! Well you can find a beam and a simple dull tool to scrap it all off with.. A power washer and a turbo nozzle will do that real quick.. it's just the best thing ever I think! But.. not everyone has one.. My first was a 1600 psi that had a turbo wand on it.. I think it was the only nozzle it did have.. well it worked OKAY but made me want a STRONGER one eventually. Anyway, just do the best you can with what you have. I started out hair on's with chemicals. Alum and salt worked good for me. Just a matter of soaking the skins long enough.. however it was more of a TAW and not really a tan. You can wash alum out! so then what you have left is a salty untanned skin.. and if you use salt in the process and it isn't really tanned (penetrated) all that well.. It will then get moldy.. so it might end up in the trash pretty soon.. short 'shelf life skin'. but.. still a worthwhile effort, you get to enjoy the fruits of your labor for a little while? right?? .. much better than 'getting rid of the skin'. Nice to enjoy just looking at it.. so best if you can put it somewhere where breakage and shedding won't be a huge issue in your home. My dog might have a field day with one on the floor.. especially if it smells like rawhide to him! It could end up a REAL MESS! so Beware! Better than your new shoes possibly.. possibly NOT! It is all common sense. So, a shop vac and frames are handy for accomplishing this tanning thing hair on. There is quite a bit to it and well if you have questions on furthering this quest I'd be glad to try and help. If things go south hair on you can always continue the efforts and tan it hair off! Introducing my faithful follower, Bucky.. named for Buckskin.. looks like Buckskin to me. This dog in the pics below is big hairy house dog.. but loyal and loving and well TROUBLE! NO DEERSKINS COULD LOSE AS MUCH HAIR AS THIS DOG. NO way! LOL.. Welcome to Buckrub forum Marsha. Thanks for joining up. Nothing stopped me from learning to tan hides and skins! Get your mind made up you can do a lot! I never dreamed I could tan hides.. not in my Wildest dreams! lol.
|
|
|
Post by wilddreamer on Jan 3, 2012 10:34:44 GMT -5
Hi Paulette! What a wonderful welcome and post! I love your Bucky! What an adorable looking family member! Great information right there in your post. This is exactly why I joined this site. It's the only site I've seen so far (and I've seen a lot) that doesn't discourage hair on hides. I've been timid to start but I believe with the encouragement here I can begin with confidence. I have tried it once and ended up with a very nice buckskin. lol But I WILL try again! Looking forward to meet everyone and hopefully I will continue to learn. I've gotten pretty burned out on forums as they tend to be so large it's hard to wade through all the different opinions, I have therefore turned into a reader and lurker and not a poster anymore. I think I may just like it here and even post some. lol
|
|
|
Post by paulette on Jan 3, 2012 20:45:37 GMT -5
Hi Paulette! What a wonderful welcome and post! I love your Bucky! What an adorable looking family member! Great information right there in your post. This is exactly why I joined this site. It's the only site I've seen so far (and I've seen a lot) that doesn't discourage hair on hides. I've been timid to start but I believe with the encouragement here I can begin with confidence. I have tried it once and ended up with a very nice buckskin. lol But I WILL try again! Looking forward to meet everyone and hopefully I will continue to learn. I've gotten pretty burned out on forums as they tend to be so large it's hard to wade through all the different opinions, I have therefore turned into a reader and lurker and not a poster anymore. I think I may just like it here and even post some. lol Hello again. Yep.. Bucky's a great pal.. other than being in the way 24/7.. he REALLy sheds! He is always swimming in the pond AND digs some holes.. chases the chickens and terrorizes the cats. Yep.. I guess he's just the best dog ever! He also growls when he's happy. I've done a number of hair on hides and have one in a solution of salt and Saftee acid I think.. It's been on the porch since close to opening bow season day.. so been awhile.. Hope it's okay! Should check on it soon.. It was a real pretty good size shorter hair deer fur skin.. so I hope I didn't screw up with it.. there's a large possibility that I have.. Ooops.. I'll let ya know.. Well if all the hair is still in tight I'll tan it soon and share. Thanks.
|
|
|
Post by whitedove on Jan 4, 2012 3:40:03 GMT -5
Hello Marsha, Welcome...
|
|
|
Post by wilddreamer on Jan 4, 2012 7:48:41 GMT -5
Thanks Whitedove. Paulette what is this saftee acid you're talking about? I was going to use salt and alum...... My Thor sheds a lot too altho he's a shorthair he sheds like crazy. Wierd heh? lol I have one more buckskin to finish and then I'm going to start on the "hair on" hides. I have 7 hides left and would like to get moving on them. It's cold here but that doesn't bother me too much, I do it in the shed and have a propane heater in there and that helps.
|
|
|
Post by paulette on Jan 4, 2012 18:58:15 GMT -5
Thanks Whitedove. Paulette what is this saftee acid you're talking about? I was going to use salt and alum...... My Thor sheds a lot too altho he's a shorthair he sheds like crazy. Wierd heh? lol I have one more buckskin to finish and then I'm going to start on the "hair on" hides. I have 7 hides left and would like to get moving on them. It's cold here but that doesn't bother me too much, I do it in the shed and have a propane heater in there and that helps. Ah, Bruce Rittel is Saftee Acids producer.. not sure which taxidermy supply carries that product now. Been trying different things.. Alum and salt is an okay pickle to use. I think the meaning of TAW is basically that it's a preservative and not 'REALLY' a tan. It's been used for ages, AND it is pretty easy to locate some locally but it's generally used around flowering shrubs and other places in the garden. I found some locally at the mill that sells feed and products like that. Fertilizers, etc. I think the bag read potassium alum.. but it's still alum! I really don't know if it is all that cost effective.. used to be. Anyway I would bring a large barrel in my house where the temps are warm as all this stuff works best when it's in a warmer location! I used to soak a deer skin in 30 or 40 gallons of 'mix' and then use a cup or so of baking soda to neutralize the alum taw. It doesn't take a lot to change the skins acidity and I REALLY am not a person that uses the litmus papers to ensure the skins are IDEAL. I think here in the Alum Tawing Section there is a guide for how much alum to how much salt and water.. I just forgot how much to use, I don't scrimp on the amounts of any of it though. I would soak the skins for about a week! And I'd wash them with some shampoo and conditioner after soaking in the alum too.. The bad part I think of the alum is that sometimes the skins don't feel good and clean! AND you can 'wash the alum out'.. My guess is that the salt largely may remain and the alum can be washed out.. with this washing.. so it's untanned.. I think the only GOOD thing about the alum and salt is that the (well two good things), lol. IS that the skins are relatively easy to soften.. AND that the fur is like 'set'.. a bit. So easier than being REALLY worried that the hair might slip.. almost a bit of a saftee net. I've tawed some fox with the alum that very likely would have had some slippage. So.. hope this is helpful.. My deerskin is STILL on the porch in the same spot! Grandbaby and other pressing work prevailing today! Am curious to see what's happening with it though! Seems like one could wash the alum and salt OUT of the skin after pickling, oil, soften and smoke it. Another thing about the alum tawed skins is that they can tear while softening at the belly areas. Paulette
|
|
|
Post by wilddreamer on Jan 4, 2012 19:50:51 GMT -5
Hey Paulette, Thanks for the instructions. I did read where I think it was Buckskin Billy talked about 5 gal. of water to 1 lb. of salt and 1 lb. of alum. I'll go back and see. I was wondering about the baking soda tho, thanks. I'm getting excited to try it now! I just finished egg tanning a hide, I've never used eggs before so this will be interesting. I don't have time to finish it tonight so it's all wrung out and in the refrigerator and I'll get to it tomorrow after work. Once I'm done I'll go get the alum and some more baking soda. I have plenty of salt. You're quite a hoot Paulette! You still haven't checked that hide yet? Really? I find that hilarious and LMAO when I read it! LOL I'll be real careful softening it so I dont' tear it! Talk to you soon.
|
|
|
Post by paulette on Jan 4, 2012 20:18:03 GMT -5
Yeah his solution is too weak and crowded, IMO..but like he says there is more'n one way to skin a cat. I generally do OVERKILL on anything I do.. lol.. Well I'll take the 'hoot' as a compliment.. must be that coyote totem! If you can't laugh at your own bumblings than you're really screwed, IMO. Yeah I guess I'll dump that bucket and have a look see.
|
|