Tanning deer, coyote and raccoon

This past fall I decided to give tanning a try. I did a lot of research on the net and YouTube. There were many processes of tanning from pre made solutions to brain tanning and using salt and alum.

For my raccoon I used the salt and alum process. The raccoon was the hardest from the beginning due to the amount of fleshing. There was about 3 inches of fat in places. Once out of the solution I hung to partially dry and then worked the pelt until soft. Once totally dry and soft I used a pumice stone to remove tissue and bring to a nice leathery texture. Lot of work but very nice pelt.

The deer was put in a lime solution to remove the hair. I used egg whites and mayonnaise as the tanning solution. Worked the hide over a board until dry and used the pumice stone again to remove existing fibers and tissue. Very nice white leather. Very soft and pliable.

The coyote I used the salt and alum solution the same as the coon. Once the drying process started I worked the hide over a board until did and dry. I still have not used the stone to complete the process and get all the tissue removed.

All in all the process is a lot of work. Very hard work and time consuming. Not for the person with tennis elbow. It is very rewarding and I am very proud of the accomplishments.

Unfortunately I do not have proper tools to do the job more efficiently. This will come with time. For now I've made a makeshift flesher from a lawn mower blade. I don't have a tail stripper. I didn't feel comfortable with the ears and nose. So I cut the heads off. Didn't have a stripper so I cut the tails off as well. All three furs will be used in making some clothing and a scabbard for my 3030. Any advice is appreciated. Please take a look at the pictures and make comments. Thanks. Goose. http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/02/18/hemy3uhe.jpghttp://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/02/18/zyze5ugy.jpghttp://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/02/18/za2yzyty.jpghttp://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/02/18/9ymunu5a.jpghttp://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/02/18/e8ajava2.jpghttp://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/02/18/y4u4yneb.jpg

Oh yeah. With the deer hide to remove hair I tried the ash and water solution. This did not work out well for me. Turned hide black and didn't remove the hair easily. The lime solution is the way to go. For me anyway.

Raccoon and coyote look great, hides look like they are in great shape, are you waterproofing with smoke? The leather sides sure do look nice and soft...What kind of stone is a pumice stone, where may I get one and how is it used... Looking forward to some pics of your finished clothing

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Originally Posted by fratri

Raccoon and coyote look great, hides look like they are in great shape, are you waterproofing with smoke? The leather sides sure do look nice and soft...What kind of stone is a pumice stone, where may I get one and how is it used... Looking forward to some pics of your finished clothing

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Pumice stone. It's one of those rocks that my wife uses to remove dead skin from her feet. I'll post a pic. http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/02/18/a8ebepa9.jpg. It has many uses. Pumice powder is used on violins to mak a smooth finish. Yes. Waterproofing with smoke. Not finished my mitts yet but here is a pick of the prototype. http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/02/18/a9apagyj.jpghttp://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/02/18/u7enujat.jpg

The deer hide is the most impressive the pics don't do justice. The deer skin is like velvet. So soft and smooth.

Very cool..all the pelts looks real nice:thumbup:
If you have time please post some pics of your mits when they are done :)
Good luck and continue your great work ;)

Having handled all of the pieces this weekend I can attest to th efine quality of the first attempt. The deer is really soft and well fleshed, the gloves feel awesome. I will do well to learn from Goose on my first yote pelt.

Goose, I think they all look really good and a first class job especially with the scarcity of normal tools.

You can use a screwdriver on the ears(to remove the cartilage) and the tail(the bone) then just cut/split the tail lengthwise with a razor blade or knife to open it for tanning.

All in all it looks like you took a lot of time and care preparing/working the skins and tanning.

Skypilot. Yeah the tail I'm pretty okay with. The main reason I couldn't get the coyote tail all in one was the fact that my first shot was a direct hit. My second shot got him in the tail. Broke the bone. The ears in the other hand. Not sure exactly what using a screwdriver looks like or how to do it. Thanks for the response.

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Originally Posted by Goosesniper

Skypilot. Yeah the tail I'm pretty okay with. The main reason I couldn't get the coyote tail all in one was the fact that my first shot was a direct hit. My second shot got him in the tail. Broke the bone. The ears in the other hand. Not sure exactly what using a screwdriver looks like or how to do it. Thanks for the response.

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Here is a link I found that should give you some idea on the screwdriver use on the ears.

http://www.furharvesters.com/pdf/earcart.pdf