# Self Sufficiency/Living off the Land or Off the Grid > Hunting & Trapping >  Buckskin Tanning

## Sparky93

I want to learn how to tan deer hides and have found several different instructions.

Does anyone have any tips on tanning buckskins and the easiest way to do it, and what tools I would need?

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## Rick

Why not stop by the Introduction section and tell us a bit about yourself. You might also want to take a look at some of the threats. There are active threads on tanning and if you use the Search button I'm sure you'll find them as well as some tutorials on making it.

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## your_comforting_company

To me, wet-scrape buckskin is easier, less tedious, and self regulating. It doesn't require the attention that dry-scrape does.

You'll need a beam to support the hide while you scrape, and a scraping tool like a draw-knife that is only sharp enough to bite into your fingernail a little, but not sharp enough to cut you.

You'll need a couple buckets with lids, some wood ash or pickling lime, and running water.

A stretching frame really just takes extra time and makes a 'tighter' buckskin, where hand-stretching will make super soft and super stretchy buckskin. I recommend hand stretching. If you do use a frame, you'll need a staking tool.. a stick that's been pointed on one end (not sharp!).

There are a few miscellaneous items.. like a rock to weigh down the hide but you'll get all sorts of little things like that along the way. An egg if you need to test pH.. so on.

This isn't a complete list, but should be all you need for basics.

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## your_comforting_company

I'll try to post a few pics when I get home from hunting, or you can check my photobucket album.

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## ravenscar

> You might also want to take a look at some of the threads.


Wait, what?
anyhoos...... ive read red oak bark soaked in water is a tanning solution

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## Rick

Why, what on earth are you saying is wrong?  :Innocent:

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## crashdive123

Ah - I see somebody is practicing their LNT skills. :Innocent:

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## Rick

Move along folks. Nothin' here to see.  :Whistling:

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## randyt

I like the dryscrape method. basically I flesh the hide with a drawknife, then string it up with binder twine in a frame and let it dry. after drying I take a scraper and scrape the hair and scarf skin off. then I mop on the brain solution, after the hide is pliable I cut it out of the frame and and ball it up and soak in a container of brain solution. then I keep wringing and soaking for a bit. then I wring it and hand soften.

I've wetscraped  fresh deer hides, no soaking required. I don't like soaking my hides, I don't like salt on my hides I like em fresh of the animal.

I haven't been able to master wetscrape.

I like dryscrape because after the hide is strung and dried in the frame it can store there for a long time right in the frame. If I get called away it's there for me when I get back.

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## ravenscar

oh noes!!! he altered it!!!

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## Rick

Why the nerve of that guy. Where's he at?

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## ravenscar

^^^^^^^^^^^^^ above me!!

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## Sparky93

Does the temperature matter when you are tanning?

Will I be able to wait a day or two after the animal is skinned or should the process be started immediately?

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## randyt

you could roll the skin up in a ball and put it in the freezer, that way it'll keep until you have time to work with it.  one of the benefits (at least to me) of dryscrape, once it's fleshed and strung into a frame it'll keep a while.

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## your_comforting_company

randy is correct. once it's in the frame it's there till you get to it. stop and start at your leisure. I have fooled a few master tanners with my wetscrape buckskin. And I NEVER get washboarding on my hides.
perhaps if you started "bucking" your hides you would have better results? it certainly makes graining a lot easier. 

ravenscar. I guess I should point out the differences in the leathers. The OP was about "buckskin" which presumably would mean "braintan buckskin" whereby a soft leather is produced by soaking a prepared hide in the animals brains and pulling to and fro until it is dry and soft. It is much like chamois. Very nice for clothing.
Bark tanning produces a much tighter leather. It is stiff (usually) like boot leather, or belt leather. Not exactly something you want to make undies of, but would make good shoe soles or the like.

Sparky. temperature always matters. When I skin a deer, I immediately roll it on itself flesh side in, and quarter the deer. Once the food is taken care of, wash the blood off the skin and flesh it. A this point it's safe to store in the freezer (or fridge) till you are ready to work it. The next step would be bucking, or framing depending on which method you choose.
If you have an afternoon or two to dedicate to working a skin, wetscrape.. it's too easy to mess up. If you might only have 30 minutes at a time to mess with it, dryscrape will ensure it is "always ready" in the frame, so you can take it in small bites.

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## Sparky93

I am unsure of which way I should way I should tan it. I am leaning toward the bark tan since I want to make a woodlands bag out of the skin similar the one pictured below to hold all my black powder accessories.

I read YCCs thread on bark tanning and I like how his finished skin turned out. How easy is bark tanning, should a beginner start with a simpler method?

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## your_comforting_company

Tell you what. Check with RWC tomorrow. He's starting one now and might get the most labor intensive step done tomorrow. That thread is here
To me, it requires the most prep and time, but the least labor. I believe it's so easy that anyone that wanted to do it could. After a little prep, it only requires a little attention each day till it's done.
It's perfect for the hobbyist who likes to make all his own goodies.

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## rwc1969

I chose bark tan because it seemed easier for a newb, and also because it will hopefully give me water resistant leather to make pouches, sheaths, belts and such.

One thing I've read and maybe YCC or RandyT can confirm is once you flesh the hide you can just let it dry out without salt into rawhide and continue the process later, up to a year or more later.

Fleshing the hide went very quick on my deer, maybe one hour time. I just used an old dull machete to scrape the fat and flesh bits off and cut away small bits of skin around the legs that were torn or small and thin. 

I figured by removing the small thin areas it would give me a more uniform piece to work with and hopefully make the "first time" go of this easier.

If you want to do a dry scrape John and Geri McPherson's book "Ultimate guide to Wilderness Living" has a pretty in depth how to on making brain tan buckskin using this method.

I'm going to be wet scraping mine today, as a matter of fact I'm headed out to do it right now.

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## randyt

I've had rawhide lay around for years and years. With deerhide with hair on fleshed but not tanned usually bugs will get into the hair and ruin it after several months. I have a pair of moccasins that had belonged to my great grandpa that were made in 1888 or there abouts. I can post a picture if wanted. these were made from deerhide, I presume braintan because they were made by indians. I've wetscraped fresh hides with out bucking and soaking, right off the deer to the beam.  I play with this stuff, I have nowhere the experience that YCC has.

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## your_comforting_company

I'd have to say the best book on dry-scrape is the one my Mr. Jim Riggs "Blue Mountain Buckskin".

I'd imagine you had a helluva time getting the grain off a fresh deer. I've tried it once or twice and after an hour of not much success, I'd go for the buck. Since it's as easy as saving a few ashes and floating an egg in them, I think you'll find the bucking step invaluable in making buckskin.
This hide is a year old now, tho it has been smoked, and I've had no problems with bugs.
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This hide is over 2 years old with no bug problems (smoked also).
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Randy, I'd love to see a pic of those mocs, if you get a chance!!

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## randyt

I've tried bucking a few times. it seemed like the hide wanted to wad up and little divets wanted to come out rather than a nice mellow strip. The challenge for me or at least at the time is I could be called off at anytime. not so much now. I should try it again. I like stringing a hide in the winter too. it'll freeze dry and fleshing can be done right in the frame. winter temps can be cold, cold around here <g>

graining the fresh hide didn't seem to bad to me but on the other hand I have never really grained a bucked hide so I wouldn't really  know the difference.

you're smoked raw skins, do you reckon the smoking keeps the bugs out? or are bugs not much of a problem in your locale? How do the pre-smoked skins tan up compared to a salted, fresh or frozen hide? interesting info.

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## your_comforting_company

If your schedule is a little iffy, dry scrape is the way to go. It's always ready whether you have 5 minutes or 5 hours to work it.
If your schedule isn't so iffy anymore, you should try the bucking step. I think you'll be surprised at how much easier it is. Doesn't help much on the neck but the rest is like spreading jam on bread (to me).

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## Sparky93

Hopefully I get a deer this coming muzzleloader season. The freezer is starting to get bare and I really want to try this.

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