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Tanning for beginners

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Digital Caveman:
It's about deer season now, and I'd like to try making leather.  What is the best way for a beginner to turn a deer hide into decent leather?  I'm not keen to handle brain yet, and I have little capital for the project.  I feel there must be a catch to every process, or tanned hides wouldn't be so expensive.  I saw something about egg, lecithin, and oil in another topic, how good are these and how should they be applied?

Thanks,

gutpile:
its not capital that increases the brain tan projects.. its time and labor.. brains are free if you know how to get them.. I got a taxidermist friend who just bags the brains for me.. I supply the bags.. all he does is dump them in and freeze.. you can use any of the above... there is no simple way.. its is worth the effort I guarantee you that... gut

Fox:
So... I could explain the method I learned.... but get the book “deerskin into buckskin” you will likely be able to make a very nice first hide if you get and read that book.... I use a method similar to the one in that book just a bit of a variation...the first thing I do is flesh the hide, (removing muscle and fat from it). Second,  you make a bucking salutation, which is a lot of ashes in water and you know when it’s strong enough if an egg floats just barely on top, it’s too strong if the egg is way out of the water. After you make the bucking salutation you put your hide in it for 2-5 days ( I usually do 5). Now you grain the hide, which is removing the fur and the layer under the fur (the epidermis) this is hard work and takes a few hours, and really is hard to tell what’s going on...the book would explain this more in-depth. After its grained you leave it in creek to rinse overnight (very important you use a creek). Then you take the membrane off which the stuff under the flesh on the flesh side. And now this is where the method I use varies from the book, at this point I put the hide in bark tannins you can use oak other bark and leaves to make this and there is more online about this.... you leave the hide in the tannins for probly like just a hour or so. And then you ring the hide out to the correct moister content, and now you add the emulsified oil brains or eggs or all kinds of other things... but I just use lecithin and any kind of oil. And after you soak them in that salutation overnight, you stretch them every ten minutes or so until it’s dry ! The thing that I do differently from the book is I don’t smoke them I put them in the tannins instead, this is to preserve the hide... but really there’s a lot I didn’t explain... get the book...


-Fox

Fox:
Oh and it’s 2 TBs lecithin and 3 Tbs oil in 2 quirts of water.

Hawkdancer:
As Fox said, do some research first.  You can also dry scrape the hair side, or tan with the hair on.  If you don't use brains, it is just tanning.  The purpose of smoking is to set the oils, and help soften and let the stay soft if it gets wet.  It is a lot of work any way you do it, but the end result makes it worth while.  You can get beef or pork brains from a butcher or processor.  Cook them outside!
Hawkdancer

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