I got a bear and deer skin for free. The bear skin had been inthe freezer and the deer was fresh. Thawed the bear and salted both. they are hanging in a sheltered area with a fan on them. Today both are soaking wet I mean they have water doplets on the fur and the salt is off in most places. Should I FOLD them skin on skin and hang them OR leave them open (they are now)? I keep re-salting and when the day is humid they are again soaked. I called a guy in the area and he said I have really messed up and they would be ruined. The hair is on good and I really feel like I have kept them in salt as much as possible --any ideas thanks
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I don't think your skins are ruined, but i have a few questions for you
Are the skins fleshed properly?
Are they hanging up or laid out on the floor?
As you know salt sucks the moisture out of the hide then the moisture evaporates out of the salt. It will also suck the moisture out of the air if it is humid. I lay my hides skin up on the floor on top of some salt. Then I completely cover the skin with salt and rub in. I change the salt on the skin side the second or third day. After I feel the salt has taken effect and it is fairly dry I drape the skin over something and let the air circulate around it for a day or so. Then lightly re salt and they dry up nicely.
Deer have fairly thin skin and dry fairly quickly. Bears are different. Some take longer than others to dry. Access to a wood stove would help, but if you don't have one in your work area try laying them skin side up on a pallet and cover them with salt. Don't lay them directly on the cement. When the salt has penetrated the skin shake it off and let it dry. You may need to run some kind of a heater if it is too humid.
DO NOT FOLD THEM UP SOAKING WET or they will mildew. Air needs to circulate around them. If you are shipping them to a tannery fold them up when they are almost dry or they will rot before they dry.
When you hang them (like Indian actors do on TV) the salt drips away with the body juices. You should lay them on a sheet of plywood or strips of board on a slight slant. Slanted enough to drain, but now to wash away the salt. Place a good amount of salt on the skin (skin side up) a good 1/2" + deep over the whole hide. Doing this somewhere cool is best. Outside in the hot humid sun is not. Salt for 24 hours, knock the old salt off and re-salt another 24 hours. The salt draws out the body juices and that is what you want. A fan will help dry it faster, along with a de-humidifier. Any large parts of meat or fat left on the skin will hinder the salt from working on that spot, this is not a good thing. After the second day, you can re-hydrate then pickle and tan, or let it dry to a stiff, moisture free, ready to hydrate days or years later.
Dont put bears near a heat source to dry them. Thats not the trouble, its pulling additional moisture, thats all. Try a drying compound. Better yet, get them to the tannery, as bears are greasy and until the grease is beamed and washed away, theyll stay that way. You can dry them with a heat source, but I think youll be asking for grease trouble later.
This may help you because I to live in a humid enviroment. After fleshing, salt the flesh side as well as the hair side. Next day resalt the same way and hang. After a day or two if the skin is still pliable, repeat the steps. This works for me.
Sorry I should have explained the stove concept better. Bill is correct about bear grease. And I did not intend to lead you in the wrong direction. In the colder months I use a wood stove in my shop and heat it to around 65. I salt the hides in my salt shed and bring them inside during the day if it is too wet outside. The wood stove is used to take some of the moisture out of the air not out of the bear. I definitely wouldn¡¦t recommend drying them right next to the stove. And I am sorry if I led you in that direction sometimes I think way faster than I can peck on the keyboard ƒº