Some finished home tanned coyote hide.....

[fratri]

Some of my home tan hides..... Now if you look closely you will find the flaws but for wall hangers or decorate couch/coffee table displays, they are pretty good and the only real cost was my time....





This last one (the one below) I finished it off this morning. I have been pulling and stretching it the last couple of evenings while watching tv (an hour or two a night) down in the man cave but when my wife went to get her hair done early this morning.... I put it in the dyer (no heat cycle) to finish softening it up....It came out soft and sitting on the couch in the man-cave as we speak...









(keep in mind during the process these hides have been washed several times with soaps and shampoos making them smell pretty good)
I still got a few more to go.... but everyone needs a hobby.. especially during the off season ....

[skypilot]

Nice job Frank. Certainly highlights the various color schemes and patterns.

Don't worry about any flaw. Even the most perfectly done still has a bullet hole somewhere. Lol

[Bo D]

Frank, don't know if you do this but next time you put the hide in the drier, put it in an old pillow case, your wife will never know that you used it. Any loose hair will stay in the pillow case and she won't be womdering where the hair came from otherwise...

[fratri]

Frank, don't know if you do this but next time you put the hide in the drier, put it in an old pillow case, your wife will never know that you used it. Any loose hair will stay in the pillow case and she won't be womdering where the hair came from otherwise...

That is a very good tip...
I have done that in the past, with tennis shoes placed in the pillow case (large sack in my case)... and it works very well, the shoes beat on the hide and any loose hair is contained.... good tip

[troutperch]

Looks Great! What about making a decoy out of the worst one.

[DGM999]

Great work, lots of patience required

[greatwhite]

Pretty cool. What is your process if you don't mind my asking.

[LiveBates]

I don't see any flaws Those look great Frank. Hopin' for a meet up in the next week or two. Great job.

[fratri]

I don't see any flaws Those look great Frank. Hopin' for a meet up in the next week or two. Great job.

Thanks....

Pretty cool. What is your process if you don't mind my asking.

It’s an alum tanning process....well I guess its not really a true tan....its more of a preserving solution mix...Good for wall hangers and the man-cave, not so much for clothing because getting it wet can ruin it... at least that's my understanding...


There are a lot of versions on youtube…. Here is a good video of showing most of the steps with the alum tanning…. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Re_kdBzbwm8

Below is some step by step info I put together…..
1. skin hide best you can.....remove most meat and fat during the skinning process.....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZBMr3AgWQE


2. You need to split the lips ...I find a razor blade works better
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8p3e-ppyZO4


3. You need to split the ears…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqwYzh9UZzM

4. Salt the hide really good..... then 24 hrs later....

5. Remove the old salt and re-salt entire hide again.... this will harden all the remaining meat and fat allowing you to scrape it off easier.

6. You can begin scraping the meat and fat off with a dull knife or big spoon working it slowly until all the meat and fat is gone.... As long as the hide is in a cool place (garage) you can leave it salted for months on end without any ill effects... A couple ways to flesh, here is a pretty easy, simple way to do it without a fleshing beam...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOfMN8Dxkf0

Once you have the fat and meat removed you can begin the preserving (alum tan) process.

1. Rinse the hide with cool water to remove most of the dirt and blood (5 mins) (laundry sink or 5 gallon pail)
2. Now wash the hide in the laundry sink with dawn soap using cool water. (Scrubbing it for 5 minutes)
3. Rinse with clean water to remove the soap
4. Wring dry
5. Place a half lb of alum (available at Bulk Barn) and 2 lbs of salt in 3 gallons of cool water...mix it well so it all dissolves.
6. Put that washed and rinsed coyote hide in this bucket solution.... mixing, moving the hide around at least twice a day. I leave my bucket solution in my basement laundry sink.
7. When you have time (try and do this once a day) lift the hide out of 5 gallon pail and remove swollen fat and meat with a knife. I usually just pull enough of the hide for it to hang off the outside of the pail and use the top lip of the pail as a fleshing bean and run a duff knife down over it. This running the knife scrapes off a lot of this swollen meat and fat off really well. it just takes time...After about a week in this solution the hide should be done...
9. Remove hide from solution, rinse with cool water 5 mins
10. Wring hide and put back in laundry sink with some cool water and baking soda solution for 5 mins...
11. Rinse hide again and then add some shampoo, wash hide in laundry sink with shampoo for 5 mins, rinse, wring and hang to dry over sink or pail.... I usually hang to dry with fur out so it doesn't dry too fast.
12. Next day while its still wet, I sew all holes and sit in the man cave and start pulling, stretching hide in all directions.
13. Once I am tired of pulling hide I put it away, hang hide fur side out again so it doesn't dry before I get a chance to work the hide again the next night.
14. After a couple of evenings of pulling the hide in the man cave while watching tv, stretching the hide in all directions and it’s just about dry…… now would be a good time to put it in the dryer. Put coyote in large pillow case or sack with a couple tennis shoes and no heat cycle will tumble to help make it soft...
15. Keep pulling hide until it dries completely…. You can always pull; break the hide over a 2x4 or rope…

[COYHUNTER]

You are unbelievable..................I am retired and wouldn,t have the time or patience