Can anyone tell me how to hard tan a deer pelt (I want to hang it on the wall with the fur on)with out using chemicals. I can not afford to buy any chemicals or kits and I don't want to use brains or wood ash. I have six pelts now and there is no one in my area who tans hides anymore so it is up to me to do it. The ones I alread have are stiff as a board and that is the way I would like the ones I do to be. I just need a simple recipe and I don't care how long it takes me to do it I am in no hurry. Thank for any help anyone can give me
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With the stipulations you placed on the process, you've created almost a virtual impossibility for tanning. Those hides are probably green stretched and air dried. I hope you never get them wet.
Ditto what George said. Chemicals done cost much, but if you will research the tanning button, I post a article on how to tan there two months back or so.
It will take you through tanning using Oak leaves.
If your hanging them inside just go to Wal-mart and get 20 mule team borax. They'll be stiff as a board, and as long as you don't get them wet they will last " a long time". Probably at leat the rest of your lifetime. But any tan can be a hard tan if you don't work the hide to soften it.
Send it to a Tanner
Go to the beginning of Taxidermy.Net...look under Tanners...whole slew of them listed.
Ditto on the Borax. After 2 days you can cover with another board and clamp, leave for two weeks,then it will be and stay flat. Good luck.
I'm working against a deadline to update my 1983 deer book, "More Than a Trophy" for re-publication. One of my chapters (a very short chapter!) is about how to do home-tanning. Here, I'd like to describe how to make enough BARK EXTRACT to do bark tanning. Salt would be the only other substance. PLEASE, I sure would appreciate your advice on this. My email address is PEG@MADBBS.COM ...and I don't know if I'd be able to find my way back to this bulleting board, so could you please contact me that way?
Thanks,
Dennis Walrod