Fur and Hide Question

[big rockpile]

I'm wanting to make some Boots using Coon hides leaving the Fur on the inside.My wife is worried about rubbing the Fur off,but I'm thinking it will feel good.What do you guys think?

Now I have some old Deer Hides that are looking rough because alot of the hair has come off.I wanting to take all the Hair off and just using the Leather.What all do I need to do?

big rockpile

[Oldcountryboy]

I believe the coon hide will work but nothing last forever. Just keep that in mind. As for the deer hide, deer hair is hollow and is the reason why they don't last long. They break off easy. I tanned out several hides with the hair on and used them for furniture cover. After a few short years my wife decided they had to go due to the shedding.

If you want to turn the deer hides into leather you will need to let them soak in a solution of builders lime and water. About 1 shovel full per 5 gallons of water is what I use. Let soak till the hair starts to slip. But I am not sure how well this will work since the tanned hides have been pickled which sets the hair. I guess all you can do is try it and see what happens. If all the hair doesn't come off you might could burn the rest off. Good luck.

[OkieDavid]

Coon would make a great fur lined boot, beaver would be better.

For hair one- search "alum tanning". Quickest and easiest way I've ever seen.
For hair off (buckskin)- wood washes (free lye) and water. I use one bucket of ashes to about 5 gal water. Soak hide for a week or so (6-10) days. You'll need to weigh the hide down and keep it under water. Pull it out of the solution and rinse it off well then use something(s) to scrape off the hair. I typically use a knife blade, draw knife, rock et... Note: Do not do this process anywhere in or upwind of the house.......Cleaner the hide is when it goe into solution the better but even the best will stink. Once the hair is removed, tack out where it will get plenty of airflow around the hide and in about 2-4 days (deer) it will be dry enough to remove and begin breaking.

[big rockpile]

OkieDavid I was going to Brain Tan the Coons,use a heavy piece of Leather for the Soles.

I was thinking Woodash as far as losining up the hair.I know about rinsing well.I took all the skin and part of the meat off all my fingers one time with woodash,liked to never healed.

But how will I soften up the Hides afterwards?

big rockpile

[hunter63]

B.R. The deer hides you have, you said they ere old? and the hair is falling out?
The leather is probably rotted, and the standard hair removal methods won't do much good.
I would just shave them, outside, as the hair is gonna get all over, and stick to everything.
As far as the coon hides, the methods for tanning w/hair on, is quite lengthy, I can look it up, and pass it along is you want.
Haven't done any in quite a while, but involves several steps.

[Oldcountryboy]

BR. a book I use for reference when making hides and such recommends that if your going to use wood ashes to use hardwood ashes and to make the solution thick enough to float an egg and it must be stirred well everyday.

For a longer lasting hide with the fur on you would need to pickle the hide first before softening. I use a alum solution. 1 pound alum + 1 cup salt + 1 gallon water. Make enough to completely submerge your hide(s). Some people make a paste using borax soap and water and smear on the flesh side of the hide and let dry.

Afterwards you do the softening by making a somewhat watery solution of the brain and water and apply to the dried out hide (flesh side) and let soak in and let dry. Just about the time the hide is almost completely dry you start stretching the hide in different directions to stretch the fibers apart. They must remain apart till dry. To make it softer, slightly dampen a rag with the brain solution and rub the hide down, place in a tied off trash bag and let sit overnight. Then repeat the stretching again. You can repeat this as often as you like till you get the desired softness you want.

[big rockpile]

Originally Posted by hunter63

B.R. The deer hides you have, you said they ere old? and the hair is falling out?
The leather is probably rotted, and the standard hair removal methods won't do much good.
I would just shave them, outside, as the hair is gonna get all over, and stick to everything.
As far as the coon hides, the methods for tanning w/hair on, is quite lengthy, I can look it up, and pass it along is you want.
Haven't done any in quite a while, but involves several steps.

Originally Posted by Oldcountryboy

BR. a book I use for reference when making hides and such recommends that if your going to use wood ashes to use hardwood ashes and to make the solution thick enough to float an egg and it must be stirred well everyday.

For a longer lasting hide with the fur on you would need to pickle the hide first before softening. I use a alum solution. 1 pound alum + 1 cup salt + 1 gallon water. Make enough to completely submerge your hide(s). Some people make a paste using borax soap and water and smear on the flesh side of the hide and let dry.

Afterwards you do the softening by making a somewhat watery solution of the brain and water and apply to the dried out hide (flesh side) and let soak in and let dry. Just about the time the hide is almost completely dry you start stretching the hide in different directions to stretch the fibers apart. They must remain apart till dry. To make it softer, slightly dampen a rag with the brain solution and rub the hide down, place in a tied off trash bag and let sit overnight. Then repeat the stretching again. You can repeat this as often as you like till you get the desired softness you want.

Ok Guys the Deer Hides have already been tanned the Hair is just breaking off.I was told since they are tanned I can not remove the hair other than shaving it.

Any way I'm going to catch couple Coons see what I can do.Pick out the worst of the Deer Hides try getting the hair off.

The reason I was thinking of this I know the Indians would just take Deer hides use them for Rugs until the Hair started slipping then Tan them.Thought I would try something along that line.

big rockpile

[OkieDavid]

Sorry BR, I didn't read your original question well enough. Hunter63 has it correct, on a previously tanned hide that is losing fur there isn't much you can do other than shave it. It possibly attracted some small mites or the hair itself is just to dried out.
Brain tanning is used to soften the hide after pickling- The method I use was well described by Oldcountryboy. A suitable substitute for brain tanning is using egg whites but I haven't tried it. Google "brain tanning" and you'll find plenty of articles that describe the process in depth that you can print off and use for reference.
As to softening the hide.....the "old way" called for the women folk to sit around and chew the hides to soften them (no kidding)....Try that with the wife and let me know how it works out LOL...

[hunter63]

Originally Posted by OkieDavid

As to softening the hide.....the "old way" called for the women folk to sit around and chew the hides to soften them (no kidding)....Try that with the wife and let me know how it works out LOL...

LOL
I guess hides were different back then, DW says that this will NOT work.
Actually her exact comment was, "No f%$#&^* Way, Sweety!"

[akhomesteader]

It won't help now but the next time you tan leather for soles or when you want thick heavy leather find a good slow bark tan or vegetable tan. They will give you a heaver thicker leather then after tanning smoke them to make the leather more water resistant. To soften leather you can bee's get oil from Van Dykes that works very well.

[GREENCOUNTYPETE]

might just need to find the right old lady ,i was out hunting sunday after noon and come accross a guy dragging a deer out nice sized doe , i talked to him for a few minutes he showes me the pickture of the nice buck he had taken back in october with his bow ,i notced he had shot the deer then went back to the car got a sled and left his gun there and come back to get the deer ,and he was dragging it out o the sled , i also knoticed he had not field dressed the deer , thought this was a bit starange , and asked hiim he said had no knife i offered him one he said no thanks his mom does it , saves all the organs and washes the intestines out for sausage , ok , he was some sort of aisian mung if i had to guess he soke fine english

so how about it any of you get to take a unfeild dressed deer home and let your mom take care of the rest who prefers it that way

like i said you need the right old lady

my cusin was canoeing in northern ontario comes up to a native canadian (indian )vilage and there is an older man there first thing he sias after my cusin sais is hellow is you Americans you think you know everything , i do what i want when i want i work 2 weeks a year , i hunt when i want and fish when i want my old lady does all the rest this is how i like it so don't try and tell me. he sais he was ok with that and he invited him in and they talked for some time. before he canoed on. i was in Canada staying on rezevation as a guest at a resort run by an indian his uncle talked about whn they fidhed they did it on different lakes and used gll nets that last year he caught a hundreds walley they had the women lined up in the garage filletting fish for hours. in traditional Indian communities the women did much or most of the work after the catch or kill

[Oldcountryboy]

Kind of funny isn't it. When the white man arrived he saw the native women tanning hides, doing all the garden work, all the cooking, all the politcs in camp, while the native man hunted and fished. The white man said the natives were uncivilized.

Seemed like the perfect world to me!!!

[EDDIE BUCK]

Originally Posted by Oldcountryboy

Kind of funny isn't it. When the white man arrived he saw the native women tanning hides, doing all the garden work, all the cooking, all the politcs in camp, while the native man hunted and fished. The white man said the natives were uncivilized.

Seemed like the perfect world to me!!!

Man,that sounds like you just described BRP to a T,now if he can get the Mrs to chew them hides. Eddie

[hunter63]

The book I use for reference is:
Mountainman Crafts & Skills (Paperback)
by David Montgomery (Author)
I must have purchased 5 or 6 by now, as they keep getting borrowed and ??????????.
Anyway, if you look at used books, they have them for a low a couple of bucks.
Good luck with the hide chewing.

[big rockpile]

Originally Posted by EDDIE BUCK

Man,that sounds like you just described BRP to a T,now if he can get the Mrs to chew them hides. Eddie

She an't got no teeth

big rockpile

[poorboy]

I was thinking Woodash as far as losining up the hair.I know about rinsing well.I took all the skin and part of the meat off all my fingers one time with woodash,liked to never healed.


big rockpile[/QUOTE]

I heared ya wuz pickin yer nose an a booger bit ya..

[Danaus29]

One nice thing about using raccoon hides instead of beaver, there's plenty of raccons to make another pair of boots out of. LOL

And no, I'm not chewing those hides either.

[big rockpile]

Originally Posted by poorboy

I was thinking Woodash as far as losining up the hair.I know about rinsing well.I took all the skin and part of the meat off all my fingers one time with woodash,liked to never healed.


big rockpile

I heared ya wuz pickin yer nose an a booger bit ya..[/QUOTE]

I went to wash my Hands and the Skin fell off.I went to the Clinic.The Nurse said the Doctor wasn't going to be there for hours so I told her to forget it.She took a look at my Hands told me to get my tail back up there see the Doctor.It took two months to heal.

big rockpile