I just Alum tanned (hair off) my first deer hide. There were some discolorations along the back as well as some scarring near the base of the tail, both natural I assume. After sanding the flesh side with 60 grit I rubbed neatsfoot oil into the hair side in an attempt to hide the discolorations. It appeared to work until I flipped the hide over. Evidently my oily hands got oil all around the perimeter on the flesh side making it look dirty. To further my error I tumbled the hide for an hour and now the oil has marked-up the flesh side making it look dirty and, well, ickey. Can it be fixed? It was nice and white on the flesh side, now it looks like the dog played in the yard with it.
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