Submitted by Don Boyer on 5/16/99. ( dboyer@swb.net )
Can anyone recommend a decent system for making buckskin out of deer hides.
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This response submitted by gary on 5/16/99. ( buxtaxdari@oregoncoast.com )
Don, try Fox Valley Tannery they are located in Utah I can't find the phone number
but they are reasonably priced and they do a great job.
This response submitted by George Roof on 5/16/99. ( georoof@aol.com )
Don,
I get the feeling you are asking HOW to make buckskin, but the answer you got was probably the best solution: DON'T. Buckskin is time consuming and without the proper equipment and tools, can be frustrating and messy. You have to use a good "hair off" tanning recipe. Once tanned, the hide will have to be oiled and "broken". The Indians used urine to break the fiber and chewed it to make it soft. Methods can only get better from that point. It is much quicker and results are more satisfying to send the hide to a professional tannery that specializes in making soft leather versus tanneries that dress fur for our purposes and those of furriers. Also, some of the buckskin tanneries do not guarantee return of YOUR hide. Many, if not most, give you a equal sized hide in return. The only one that I know that returns your hide to you is Quil Ceda Tanning in Washington state. If you want their number, e.mail me. There is a tannery in Wisconsin I think that specializes in tanning hides for garments. They are W.B. Place and their number is 1-800-TAN-HIDE.
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