# Hide tanning x 10



## scoggins (Nov 28, 2009)

Here is the situation....


Found one of F-i-L's cows that had a broken hip. So instead of just putting her down and waisting her I had the BRILLIANT idea of skinning her out and cutting the loins and hind quarters out of her.  With that being said I have one heck of a hide that i am gonna make a rug out of for my loving wife who saw a cow skin rug and wants one , hair-on, for somewhere...



?: Where to begin?


I have it salted and folded and letting it get cold right now


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## Nugefan (Dec 2, 2009)

get the salt off ASAP .... scrap the hide clean of all flesh and use 20 Mule Team Borax 

there are several modern chemicals that you can use , I am not familiar with them .....

or go here for a brain tan ....  http://braintan.com/

hope this helps ya out ....


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## Nicodemus (Dec 2, 2009)

And be ready for a tremendous amount of work!! This is one timeI would recommend a tannery. Ask your taxidermist about it.


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## Lowjack (Dec 2, 2009)

Nugefan said:


> get the salt off ASAP .... scrap the hide clean of all flesh and use 20 Mule Team Borax
> 
> there are several modern chemicals that you can use , I am not familiar with them .....
> 
> ...



No sir, Borax is s desiccant or preservative used in taxidermy for preserving the skins of birds and small mammals , it is not a  step in tanning, the correct step was taken by salting the skin which will kill all bacteria thus preserving the Skin, it must be spread out instead of rolling it and the first salting should be shaken out after 24 hours, then salted again for 2-3 days and then hung to dry.
After it is dry you want to reconstitute or rehydrate the skin in a strong salt brine, then you begin the tedious work of fleshing and thinning the skin, after it is thinned evenly to your satisfaction, then you mix your pickle bath, which consist of Aluminum sulfate water and Salt, this is a formula which it is for 10 gallons of solution, if the skin is large you might need to mix 3 or 4 times more solution.

10 Gallons of soft water , 5-6 Lbs Of Aluminum sulfate add 10 Lbs of Iodine free salt, test the PH with a PH testing paper, keep adding aluminum sulfate until you reach a PH of 3 or less 2.5 PH is perfect but 3 will work, keep the hide down in the solution by using cement blocks or rocks, everyday pull it out and re dip so every part of the hide is submerged.
Use Plastic container to mix the solution, use gloves to handle the hide.
After 3-4 days ,cut a little corner of the hide and make sure it is white all through the skin, if you see blue , it is not pickled yet, re submerge for another day, test the solution every day for PH of 3 or less .
after the skin is all the way white , take it out and wash in a mild soap solution, thin so more.
It is now ready for the tanning solution, you can buy pickle crystals and tanning chemicals from Van Dyke's' Taxidermy supply, but since home tanning never turn out OK and as you can see you will probably spend as much for chemicals and oils and time tanning it ,it is best to send it to a tannery.
Never dump aluminum sulfate in the soil, it will poison the earth and water table for ever.
I have being tanning and used to owned a tannery for many years.


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## scoggins (Dec 9, 2009)

I think that I have bitten off more than I can chew so to speak.

I have a cow hide that I have fleshed out and have soaking in a brine of salt and water.

waiting on the weather to clear up long enough that I can string it up and let it dry out  a while

my intention is to make a hair-on rug 

what do I need to do after it dries?
I am indifferent if it is doft or ridgid.


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## scoggins (Dec 24, 2009)

*update*

Well well well
Hung the hide out a few days ago and the hair is turning loose so I guess it is goona be on heck of a piece of leather

built a rack to stretch it on and just waiting on the weather to cooperate long enough to get it strung up and de-haired to make it rawhide until I can brain tan it.


thanks for all the help everyone


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