# Finished my 1st Brain tanned Hide....



## SELFBOW (Jan 3, 2011)

I am putting these pics up for the ones that have never done this. I will say that videos and pictures will not teach you much. You will learn so much more from the hands on experience. I watched tons of videos on you tube, spent time on the phone w several people and even had a sit down with one of the best around.

My thanks go out to Ken Purdy who "texted" me thru alot of the process cause you will not know what you are doing wrong until it is too late.
I 1st started by trying to build a fire and make my own ash and if anyone knows me my patience is minimal so I never got enough "white ash" in my 1st attempt and could not float an egg.
   For those that don't know being able to float an egg tells you when your solution is mixed properly. I found the best thing to do was go to a BBQ joint and get their ashes so that is what I did and had no problem getting it right.
Here is the pics of fleshing and prepping the hide for the bucking solution.


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## SELFBOW (Jan 3, 2011)

Next I made my ash solution and put 2 hides in. I had a young doe and 3 yr old buck hide. The cold weather did not help out at all. I was able to pull the doe after 4 days and remove hair and epidermis and membrane all at once. The buck stayed in another full week and still would not release the epidermis so I threw it out.
   My suggestion would be for anyone starting to go with a young doe to learn the process from. Weather will play an important role if done outside so always pick your days. 
    I used my fleshing beam for every part of the process even when it came to stretching the tanned hide.

The 2 smallest pics are from phone. One of the egg test and other is the stone sitting on top of hides in solution.


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## SELFBOW (Jan 3, 2011)

After that I was ready to brain, December was extremely cold so I waited til it was gonna be high 60's to brain the hide. I did a 30 min soak, wrang it out then let it soak over night. After that I started the stretching/drying process. That is where the work begins and never seems to stop. It was still cool to watch and feel the hide dry and turn into soft leather.
    Although my 1st hide did not finish out perfect I learned so much I am confident the next will be right. This one has a few harder spots that I didn't break enough before they dried. I learned to make sure all the edges are worked completely because they will dry the fastest. 
   I can also rebrain this one after smoking and break the harder spots if I decide to.
  All that is left now is the smoking process.


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## dpoole (Jan 3, 2011)

congrat !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## Ohoopee Tusker (Jan 3, 2011)

Congrats. Looks a lot better than my first attempt. What's that you are fleshing with? I use an old cow rib bone.


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## chehawknapper (Jan 3, 2011)

Don't forget to smoke it!


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## SELFBOW (Jan 3, 2011)

deepwoodshermit said:


> Congrats. Looks a lot better than my first attempt. What's that you are fleshing with? I use an old cow rib bone.



It's a piece of c channel aluminum. after a little working it ,it's rounded to match the pvc pipe. Basically has 4 edges to work with.


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## Al33 (Jan 4, 2011)

Good job Martin and I appreciate the pictorial! I have a hide I am about to flesh out and brains in the freezer.


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## Nugefan (Jan 4, 2011)

good job Dude ...


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## Tailfeather (Jan 4, 2011)

Nice!!  I'll be texting you for tips when we start on ours.


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## deersled (Jan 4, 2011)

martin, did you rinse and acidify it after bucking? I'm learning more and more every day, but still got a long way to go.


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## SELFBOW (Jan 4, 2011)

Yes I did it several ways. Let it soak n changed water out and I also added vinegar to the water the day before I brained it so I actually did 3 cleansings


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## Nugefan (Jan 4, 2011)

Tailfeather said:


> Nice!!  I'll be texting you for tips when we start on ours.



but your fleshing partner is much better lookin' than Martin ....


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## SELFBOW (Jan 4, 2011)

Also I mixed up 2 deer brains and about 3 blenders full of water to make my final solution.


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## deersled (Jan 4, 2011)

I got two soaking in a creek for the last two days and 3 more ready to take a swim. You are way more of a man than me......hand softening is for the birds! I built a frame and string em up after braining. To me, you get a better stretch and the hide dries very flat and my hands don't get as wore out. ha!


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## Tailfeather (Jan 4, 2011)

Nugefan said:


> but your fleshing partner is much better lookin' than Martin ....


You got that right.


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## Jake Allen (Jan 4, 2011)

Good job Martin!


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## SELFBOW (Jan 4, 2011)

Nugefan said:


> but your fleshing partner is much better lookin' than Martin ....





Tailfeather said:


> You got that right.



I'm offend


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## TNGIRL (Jan 6, 2011)

Martin, that's a cool tanned hide you did!!!! I'm still not brave enough to try the brain tanning, not yucky to me just seems like alot of steps and time!!! But you did good!!!!! (you misspelled offended tho.....just helping out a friend!!! you're special too and doggone purty iffin you axt me!!)


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## Apex Predator (Jan 6, 2011)

Good job bud!  That's on my list to do one day.


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## choctawlb (Jan 10, 2011)

Welcome to the club Martin, glad I could be of help to ya.  Really nice tutorial you put together as well, should be helpful to others wanting to give braintan a try. As I told you earlier when we were texting, you will learn more from that first hide , than anyone will ever be able to explain to you. If you have hard spots in the hide chances are those areas didn't get enough brains in em, not that you didn't work the hide enough. I usually soak and wring my hides 4 to 5 times in the brain solution before breaking em. You can not over brain a hide, but it is really easy to under brain one. If the hide is not totally saturated with brains, you will have hard spots. Also as you said earlier, always start with a doe for your first hide, bucks are better left to dry scraping. Outstanding job and congradulations brother.
Ken


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## dm/wolfskin (Jan 21, 2011)

Martin, here's  two quivers I made from brain taning.The brown one is about 20 years old.  The white quiver I made for David a few years back. I did smoke it but I didn't have it set up to good. Mike


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## dawg2 (Jan 21, 2011)

buckbacks said:


> Also I mixed up 2 deer brains and about 3 blenders full of water to make my final solution.



My wife would kill me

Looks great.  I have a buckskin in the deep freezer I need to do.  I like the aluminum scraper.  I think I will use your idea


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## SELFBOW (Jan 21, 2011)

dm/wolfskin said:


> Martin, here's  two quivers I made from brain taning.The brown one is about 20 years old.  The white quiver I made for David a few years back. I did smoke it but I didn't have it set up to good. Mike


I think this is what I will make out my 1st hide.Thanks for the pic.



dawg2 said:


> My wife would kill me
> 
> Looks great.  I have a buckskin in the deep freezer I need to do.  I like the aluminum scraper.  I think I will use your idea


I bought one from Wally World for $13 just for this


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## Katera73 (Jan 22, 2011)

Nice man I got 5 skins in the frezer to try and get buckskined good job. You will have some leggins and a warshirt before to long keep at it.


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## GT-40 GUY (May 4, 2011)

buckbacks said:


> Also I mixed up 2 deer brains and about 3 blenders full of water to make my final solution.



OH MAN, I never thought of that. I thought you were supposed to chew up the brains and spit them in a bucket like the Indians did.  

gt40


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## David Payne (May 7, 2011)

blenders and deer brains soon bring Wife into the picture....just when you think you cleaned the blades real good and she will never know, she pulls the top off to use it and that smell hits her and all the devil  breaks loose.  Anybody else run into this?  LOL


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## deersled (May 7, 2011)

I had to go buy a new blender as soon as she found out I had used the one we had. Now we got one for the house and one for the brains. problem solved.


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## Bill Mc (Jun 27, 2014)

I bought a margarita maker at a yard sale. Works fine and it stays in the basement.

Trefer prefers "fingers"


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## Trefer (Jun 28, 2014)

buckbacks said:


> Also I mixed up 2 deer brains and about 3 blenders full of water to make my final solution.



I don't use the blender to mix brains anymore....it really makes the next few batches of margaritas taste funny.


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## Bill Mc (Jun 28, 2014)

Kinda like "licking your fingers?"


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