I then rub dry the hide as best as possible. While there are more modern methods, this one is the most satisfying in my opinion.Īfter you have brained it, I insert a sturdy old axe handle as I dangle the hide from a tree, pole or something along those lines, insert a ring and spin to squeeze as much of the water out as possible. I doubt you’ll want to drink a glass of this rather gross concoction, but the brains actually help to preserve the hides. Mix up the brains in a blender with a little warm water and soak the hide in the mix. Brains? Yep, the best and natural way to preserve the hide is by using the animal’s own brains, or the brains of another. After it is dry, rub the hide to soften it. I then place the hide on a stretcher with many control points and allow it to dry for 24 hours. I soak the hide overnight again, using a bucket with rainwater or fresh stream water.ĭiscover More Than 1,000 Secrets For A Healthier, Safer Off-Grid Life! After the animal is de-haired, I use a fleshing tool which I also use for de-hairing, and carefully flesh out the hide by removing all fat and any meat that I missed during the skinning process.
#CHEMISTRRY OF ANIMAL HIDES HOW TO#
If you don’t know how to de-hair a hide, it is very easy to find videos on YouTube showing you the process. I know folks who only use rainwater, but I also use water from natural springs and wells as well. I soak the hides in this solutions for three to four days. I soak the hide or hides in several gallons of water with 1/2 to 3/4 of a box of baking soda and 1 ½-pounds of unslaked lime. The method I use – which I found online in a trapper’s forum years ago – is a simple method used in the US for a very long time. The farmer can preserve cattle hides for all sorts of uses from boots and jackets, to selling to leather buyers.Īfter an animal is skinned, be careful not to damage the hide and remove as much of the flesh and fat as possible. Fine pelts can be sold to fur buyers and give a trapper cash on the side. Hides can make a hunter a fine jacket, or buckskin pants that would make Tecumseh jealous. Hides can provide clothing, blankets, tools, shoes, wall decorations and scores of other items.
There also is the hide available for use. When we butcher a deer, elk, bear, cow or any large mammal, we don’t just harvest it for the meat. But every hunter, farmer, homesteader and so on should know how to handle hides. I will admit I have never been much of a trapper.
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