Tan Your Hide with Nature's Tools!

by Jim Miller

Our ancestors lived very close to the circle of life. Thankful always for the food, tools and clothing that came from a successful hunt. Warmth, color, protection and camouflage are shared with us by our four-legged brothers through the giving of their pelts. Today, one need only walk the roadside to find animals whose lives were taken. Thoughlessly, and sometimes without knowing, left there to become crow food.

Whether you are seven or seventy, for the beginning tanner a roadkill could become a rewarding first project. Many of these pelts are in perfect condition. My hat is made from the first pelt I ever tanned. It was a large, fluffy, roadkill raccoon I named Ricky. But whether from the trap or the road, each animal comes with a complete tanning package-- no chemicals are needed. The process is an easy one and will start you on the way to using all of the animal when you take it's life. So, let's get started.

Chapter 2: Tan Your Buckskin
Whether from the hunt or the road, each animal comes with enough brains to tan its own hide. No chemicals needed. The process is an easy one and will start you on the way to using all of the animal when you take its life.

Removing the skin from the animal requires very little use of your knife. After the initial cuts to loosen it, pull off as much as possible.

Now to remove the fat and plastic-like membrane, drape the skin flesh side up over a log. Using a fairly dull draw knife press down hard and forcefully push away all fat meat and membrane. Start in the neck area, it's thicker and you're less likely to punch a hole in it. Go easy around the belly area, the skin is thinner there.

Because no harsh chemicals are used, a thorough fleshing job is important. So go over the hide a second time, after you tie it on a frame. I use the same scraper (and frame design) that is used for fleshing the buffalo hides (see drawing in buffalo chapter).

Allowed to dry at this stage, the skin would be stiff as a board. Great for a door... but nor for moccasins! The natural oils in the brain are the necessary ingredients. They tell the skin one last time to relax.

To prepare them is easy. In a half galloon of water bring them to a light boil and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Allow the mixture to cool until you can hold your hand in it for a slow count of 5. Too hot will scald and ruin the deer skin, not to mention your hand.

With the hide tied out on a frame take about half of the brain solids and mash them into the skin by hand. To do this lay the frame and skin flat on the ground. Add enough of the hot liquid to make it soupy and allow it to soak into the the skin's fibers and cover with damp towels. Wait about an hour or so for the surface to get tacky.

Next, lean the skin against the barn or tree and begin to push gently on it, working the oils deeper into the skin. A shovel handle or canoe paddle works good for this. You can really press quite hard as you see the skin begin to stretch. Press in and down as you negin to notice the surface drying. When you begin to see the skin surface getting a buffed look to it lay the hide down and add the other half of the very warm brain mixture, mashing it into the skin as before. This time cover it with hot towels and let it set overnight.

The following morning uncover and begin to stretch your skin. Push, pull, squeegee, tug, from head to tail and side to side. Take breaks whenever necessary but continue to work it until dry. When the skin is dry, soft, and no longer cool to the touch, it is ready to be smoked.

Using the holes from framing the skin, lace the hide together like a pillowcase leaving one end open. Suspend the skin over a campfire but use rotten wood. We want smoke not fire! A bucket with the bottom knocked out works great for directing the smoke into the skin bag. A couple of hours of strong smoke will help keep the moths away and make the skin water resistant, allowing you to enjoy the skins year round. I've even used them as rain parkas after a full day of smoking!

Chapter 3: Tan Your Pelts With Natures Tools
To remove the pelt from the body or carcass, tie both back legs to a tree limb about head high. With knife or sharp stone in hand, make an incision from the hock to the vent. Next cut the tail on the underside from the vent to its tip. Using the knife gently, begin pulling the pelt up away from the leg and cut the film or membrane that holds the skin to the meat. As much as possible, pull the pelt off the carcass. Only use your knife if absolutely necessary. If the racoon is a fairly fresh kill and still warm, the membrane and pelt will pull away easily. However, if the carcass is cold, this stuff acts like rubber cement and must be cut carefully, particularly at the head, neck and tail. Always leave as much of the fat and meat on the carcass as possible. It will sometimes want to pull off with the pelt. Cut through the cartilage beneath the nose. Pelts taken in this manner are called "cased". They're great for bags and pouches to flip over a belt. Also very warm as socks though usually the fur is short lived.

To simplify your first project, slice the hide open all the way up the belly to the hair of the chinny-chin-chin (sorry, it's an old butchers saying). Now, throw it over a very smooth log or tack it out flat on a piece of plywood. Buffaloes I stake out right on the ground. Definitely not a good beginners project! You can use a fairly crescent shaped knife held at a 90 degree angle to the pelt. Now push and scrape. Remove all the fat, meat and membrane until you begin to see the pores of the skin. Sometimes hair will pull back through the underside of the skin. Just move on to the next area and keep scraping. The membrane on the head or mask is the toughest to get off, so take your time. Of course, if the animal was struck by a car and has Good Year stamped in the facial fur, you may want to cut the mask off entirely. The tails generally have a lot of fat on them. Clean them well (soap and water?) but go gently, they can break fairly easily. Fortunately, they're so fluffy they can be sewn back together without a sign of the disaster.

You've finished the first step referred to as "fleshing". Set the pelt in a warm spot to dry for a day or two. Pelts and skins used for brain tanning require a thorough fleshing job. The fine oil that is used is the reason for this. No harsh or toxic chemicals are used. This is the only way for me. The way it was created to be used. This leaves you with a pelt that is soft, light, fluffy and very natural feeling.

When the animals life is taken, it gives you a complete tanning package as a bonus. Every critter has enough brains to tan it's own hide, except buffaloes (and some people I know). Remove the brain from the racoon's skull and mix with about 1.5 cups of water. Cook this mixture for about 10 minutes. Then mash, mix or blend into an oily liquid. This will be divided into two equal amounts. Buff up the pelts surface with some sandpaper or granite rock. Apply the luke warm mixture and rub it in by hand. Go ahead ladies, it'll make your skin soft. Allow to dry overnight. Thicker pelts require more brain and more applications but most racoons can be done in just two coatings. Buff the surface again and apply a second coat. Now cover with a very warm and wet towel and let it set overnight. The following morning uncover and begin to stretch your hide. Pull side to side and head to tail. The back of an old wooden chair works well for this. Pull the pelt down over it, stretching and buffing over the full length of the pelt. Take breaks whenever needed, but continue to stretch until dry. If for some reason the pelt dries tough in some spots, mix another solution of brains and reapply and stretch until dry. If you do enough tanning you will get some tough ones. Take it as a lesson from mother nature and keep trying.

The fibers in the skin are a lot like a baby diaper, crossing and overlapping each other. Applying oil to these fibers and rubbing them together fluffs them up making them soft and airy. When the pelt's dry and no longer cool to the touch, it's ready to be smoked in the tepee. The skin can be hung at the top and rotten wood placed on the fire to smoulder and smoke. At the campfire the pelt can be suspended on sticks downwind but out of reach from a possible wild flame. Remember, you want smoke, not fire. Moths like tanned pelts of any kind, but smoking deters them allowing you to enjoy them year round. So clear out a corner of the garage and brain tan those pelts. A beautiful and respectful memento from the hunt or a well earned reward for salvaging a roadkill. Hey, honey, stop the car. I think I saw something back there!

Click for map

Jim Miller is a noted traditional and primitive skills instructor from Mikado, Michigan. His authentically prepared skins appeared in the movies "Legends of the Fall" and "Indian in my Cupboard". He continues to supply skins to these craftsmen.

Note: clicking on images with the

enlarge icon will load a larger version.

Home Page : Classes : Demonstrations : Products : Calendar : Villages : Contact Us : Rustic Log Cabin