The rubber for your apron is called EPDM and it is an amazing material to work with. Especially if you combine it with the ZIP tape for siding. You could make a pool with those 2 things.
I don’t hunt and don’t plan on tanning anything but I like learning about it. It’s cool to be familiar with this stuff and a lot of outdoor skills are being lost.
Thanks, Dave! The skunk fur has been shedding a lot and I’ve been worried the fur is slipping. UA-cam has so many ideas on setting the hair that I wasn’t sure which direction to go. Time to grab a bucket and get to pickling!
I watched your beaver tanning video last year and tanned a deer hide with its brain right after and smoked it. The hair stayed on fine without pickling it.
When it comes to breaking, I've found that rubbing the hide on concrete is the fastest, easiest, and most effective way to break and thin a tanned hide. Its the most abrasive surface there is pretty much, and it works wonders especially on the edges of hides where they get thick and hard.
Very glad to see you do this, especially for fur on tanning. I’ve done some brain tanning with mixed results, mostly good, but it certainly is a chore.
I would use a small paddle to move the hide around and a rock to hold hides down in the solution. We would use the brain and kidneys when I was a kid, that was how an old trapper showed us.
Great information, thanks Dave! I recently started hunting and wanted to tan my own hides and pelts. I want to use as much of the animal as I can, most of the time. So this was just what I was looking for.
Good stuff. I use an old clothes dryer to tumble mine & a mechanical defleshing machine these days but your methods are pretty much the same as my father taught me as a youngun.
Just wanted say I watch you all the time to help teach my 12 year old son you taught the both of how to thrive rather then survive our outdoor adventures have definitely gotten more comfortable but also safer in so many ways my son and I hope to one day meet you
You seem highly experienced and knowledgeable. I have a question: I did a method where a sheepskin is soaked in a brine of salt and alum for a week. This time around, one of the sheepskin's smells funky after the week of brining. There's no meat attached or anything. I think I just didn't clean the wool well enough. So my question is can I just scrub it with detergent to get it clean and then do the egg yolk step? Or will that undo the brining? If I scrub it, do I need to re-brine it? I'm not sure about this scenario and want to avoid wrecking the sheepskin (it's beautiful black wool). But it's also too smelly to use for anything. If you have advice on how to get rid of the smell, I'm all ears. Thanks!
fun fact ::when parents of the past said " I'll tan your hide" they did not mean like this. 😂😂 #bringbackbuttwhoopins. #notleather#willowswitches #makingaccountabilitygreatagain. On a serious note , this is extremely useful if you are even considering going into the woods or if you want superior winter garments . Fur in buck/moose/elk/ caribou and bear skins when used properly ( usually the old viking design with shoulder frock is best) it retains as much or more body heat as a high end set of modern winter gear. More people should know these sorts of skills IMHO . Society in general would be better if we retained these and many other old skills and consciously integrated them with modern concepts instead of leaving them as relics of the past. There is a damn good reason we always go back to the old ways. Be it purposely or " accidentally" ... Often it is as " new" discoveries which is just rediscovered tech. As the saying goes " everything old is new again ".
I have a question. I have a dry deer hide that is not fleshed. It’s been hanging in my woodshed for a couple of years. Is it possible to reconstitute it and tan it with the hair on?
Can a person skip the stretching stage? I just fleshed, pickled and degreased a wolf hide and want to jump straight into braining it. You are such a wealth of info!!! Thank you for sharing. I did a bison once but stopped after fleshing and stretching and took it to a pro haha.
Dave, could I get more information on the borax on the deer feet. I have some from a deer we just harvested and would like to make a gunrack with them. Thanks!
Lecithin is an emulsifying agent, not an oil. The fats in the brains get emulsified to better penetrate the hide. Soy and Sunflower lecithin can be had and most health stores and will last you years. My preferred oil is coconut. I use 2 to 1 ratio, lecithin to oil, and get great results.
I have never been able to rehydrate a dried pelt in a pickle brine, to much salt. I use 1/4 cup of salt, 1/2 cup of aloe, per gallon of 90 degree F water for rehydration, then transfer to the pickle as quick as the pelt feels like the day it was skinned. I use the 1lb per gallon salt, but I use 3 oz of citric acid, and put industrial degreaser directly in this, keeping ph at 1.5 to 2.0. Soak for a week. Then I neutralize the pelt. In a baking soda mix, if the skin is acidic the tan won't take and the pelt will be stiff. I use a handful of salt 1/4 cup of baking soda per gallon. To neutralize the pelt I soak pelt in this solution about an hour. Then I rinse and wring the pelt dry in a towel or painters cloth. Then when the pelt is about dry the way it felt when it was skinned off, I apply the tan. This can be something you paint on, or something you soak it in.
Fur might not be selling for much but brain tan deer is expensive. I don't see hunting, trapping etc. lasting much longer after us old guys die off. The majority of the young Americans are braindead, brainwashed robots who see hunting, trapping, fishing as brutal, primitive and even consider it cruelty to animals. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and time. I appreciate it.
Forgive me if this is a stupid question, but what do you do with coyotes or fox other than tanning the fur? Do you have other uses for them like food? I have seen where some people eat them but was curious as to what your preferences are for these particular animals. Thank you for your time and I really enjoy your content. Heck of an education! 👍🏻
Question, if I were interested in making something like a deer hide blanket or rug, would it be better to leave hair on or remove? Would it be possible to get a video on how to do that and which critter would be best to use?
Is there a pickling solution to use that DOESN'T use bleach? I know its not a whole lot used in this mixture but i happen to be severely allergic to bleach and really dont want to risk it even with PPE
I want to take a few of your classes hiw much are they and were do I go. I live I'm western kentucky and have several acres maybe you can come and show me how to live off the land in my own back yard?
This is the start of a great series. I also find I need to review tanning videos every year.
Thank you for keeping this and other self-reliance skills alive and well. You are very detailed with your descriptions without being so academic.
Dave on the expressway to 1M subscribers. Because he teaches real skills. In my opinion.
Madness that this is a free video. Thanks Dave! Learned so much this video.
Thank you so much for the years of great information and instruction. I have been a fan since 2009 at Dirt Time. Many thanks.
Thanks Dave, Best information out there.. You are one outstanding instructor, As always Take Care and Stay Safe.
The rubber for your apron is called EPDM and it is an amazing material to work with. Especially if you combine it with the ZIP tape for siding. You could make a pool with those 2 things.
I don’t hunt and don’t plan on tanning anything but I like learning about it.
It’s cool to be familiar with this stuff and a lot of outdoor skills are being lost.
Perfect timing! Hope you mention birds too, retaining feathers for decoration.
Meat preservation would be a good series.
Learn everything you can. Knowledge is something the Government hasn’t figured how to tax…yet. Great job sir!!
Thanks, Dave! The skunk fur has been shedding a lot and I’ve been worried the fur is slipping. UA-cam has so many ideas on setting the hair that I wasn’t sure which direction to go. Time to grab a bucket and get to pickling!
I watched your beaver tanning video last year and tanned a deer hide with its brain right after and smoked it. The hair stayed on fine without pickling it.
I'm so excited for this series! Thanks brother! ❤
When it comes to breaking, I've found that rubbing the hide on concrete is the fastest, easiest, and most effective way to break and thin a tanned hide. Its the most abrasive surface there is pretty much, and it works wonders especially on the edges of hides where they get thick and hard.
Great lesson. Please keep them coming.
Very glad to see you do this, especially for fur on tanning. I’ve done some brain tanning with mixed results, mostly good, but it certainly is a chore.
Thanks for sharing you knowledge that way we can learn the old was the good ways
I would use a small paddle to move the hide around and a rock to hold hides down in the solution. We would use the brain and kidneys when I was a kid, that was how an old trapper showed us.
I love these videos. I know I'll never do any of it. Shoot. Camping is even unlikely. But I love the dream of it
Great information, thanks Dave! I recently started hunting and wanted to tan my own hides and pelts. I want to use as much of the animal as I can, most of the time. So this was just what I was looking for.
Can you touch a bit on using egg yolk for tanning. I've done it a bit and works well. Almost everyone has eggs.
Did you even watch the video? I only mentioned that about 4 times? Thank you thought
Great video, thanks for your hard work and I'm looking forward to seeing the next one.
Good stuff. I use an old clothes dryer to tumble mine & a mechanical defleshing machine these days but your methods are pretty much the same as my father taught me as a youngun.
Thanks Dave
Ive watched you beaver tanning vids Dave.
Im a big fan of your work!
Just wanted say I watch you all the time to help teach my 12 year old son you taught the both of how to thrive rather then survive our outdoor adventures have definitely gotten more comfortable but also safer in so many ways my son and I hope to one day meet you
Howdy, Brother! That's how we do! Drive-On, Cowboy!! 🤠
Thank you so much for making this video.
Awesome idea, especially doing the brain tanning at home. I appreciate your videos. Thank you
Thanks Dave I currently have 4 deer skins on salt till spring.... Plans are 2 hair on 2 hair off. This will be helpful come spring
Wow. Excellent information. Thanks for the video!
Really fascinating video Dave, looking forward to the rest of the series.
Great instructions! Thanks!
Could you reuse the pickling solution a few times or would it be better to change it after every batch of skins?
Great information as always. I appreciate you.
You seem highly experienced and knowledgeable. I have a question: I did a method where a sheepskin is soaked in a brine of salt and alum for a week. This time around, one of the sheepskin's smells funky after the week of brining. There's no meat attached or anything. I think I just didn't clean the wool well enough. So my question is can I just scrub it with detergent to get it clean and then do the egg yolk step? Or will that undo the brining? If I scrub it, do I need to re-brine it? I'm not sure about this scenario and want to avoid wrecking the sheepskin (it's beautiful black wool). But it's also too smelly to use for anything. If you have advice on how to get rid of the smell, I'm all ears. Thanks!
Brilliant 👏
That's for taking time for making this video
Thank you for this video Dave! Cant wait to take a class with you one day!
Thank you for sharing very carefully. I also learned a new skill.
Good Job, Dave
Thanks..
fun fact ::when parents of the past said " I'll tan your hide" they did not mean like this. 😂😂
#bringbackbuttwhoopins. #notleather#willowswitches
#makingaccountabilitygreatagain.
On a serious note , this is extremely useful if you are even considering going into the woods or if you want superior winter garments . Fur in buck/moose/elk/ caribou and bear skins when used properly ( usually the old viking design with shoulder frock is best) it retains as much or more body heat as a high end set of modern winter gear. More people should know these sorts of skills IMHO . Society in general would be better if we retained these and many other old skills and consciously integrated them with modern concepts instead of leaving them as relics of the past. There is a damn good reason we always go back to the old ways. Be it purposely or " accidentally" ... Often it is as " new" discoveries which is just rediscovered tech. As the saying goes " everything old is new again ".
I have a question. I have a dry deer hide that is not fleshed. It’s been hanging in my woodshed for a couple of years. Is it possible to reconstitute it and tan it with the hair on?
Can you skip the drying/stretching and go straight from fleshing to pickling?
Can a person skip the stretching stage? I just fleshed, pickled and degreased a wolf hide and want to jump straight into braining it. You are such a wealth of info!!! Thank you for sharing. I did a bison once but stopped after fleshing and stretching and took it to a pro haha.
Thanks man! I was just talking to my buddy about this !
Thanks so much for this series
Dave, could I get more information on the borax on the deer feet. I have some from a deer we just harvested and would like to make a gunrack with them. Thanks!
Love this!
Lecithin is an emulsifying agent, not an oil. The fats in the brains get emulsified to better penetrate the hide. Soy and Sunflower lecithin can be had and most health stores and will last you years. My preferred oil is coconut. I use 2 to 1 ratio, lecithin to oil, and get great results.
Noted
I have never been able to rehydrate a dried pelt in a pickle brine, to much salt. I use 1/4 cup of salt, 1/2 cup of aloe, per gallon of 90 degree F water for rehydration, then transfer to the pickle as quick as the pelt feels like the day it was skinned. I use the 1lb per gallon salt, but I use 3 oz of citric acid, and put industrial degreaser directly in this, keeping ph at 1.5 to 2.0. Soak for a week.
Then I neutralize the pelt. In a baking soda mix, if the skin is acidic the tan won't take and the pelt will be stiff. I use a handful of salt 1/4 cup of baking soda per gallon. To neutralize the pelt I soak pelt in this solution about an hour. Then I rinse and wring the pelt dry in a towel or painters cloth.
Then when the pelt is about dry the way it felt when it was skinned off, I apply the tan. This can be something you paint on, or something you soak it in.
Good information Dave
Fur might not be selling for much but brain tan deer is expensive. I don't see hunting, trapping etc. lasting much longer after us old guys die off. The majority of the young Americans are braindead, brainwashed robots who see hunting, trapping, fishing as brutal, primitive and even consider it cruelty to animals.
Thank you for sharing your knowledge and time. I appreciate it.
Forgive me if this is a stupid question, but what do you do with coyotes or fox other than tanning the fur? Do you have other uses for them like food? I have seen where some people eat them but was curious as to what your preferences are for these particular animals. Thank you for your time and I really enjoy your content. Heck of an education! 👍🏻
What can these furs be used for? I wonder since a lot of them are small - thanks
Question, if I were interested in making something like a deer hide blanket or rug, would it be better to leave hair on or remove? Would it be possible to get a video on how to do that and which critter would be best to use?
Is there a pickling solution to use that DOESN'T use bleach? I know its not a whole lot used in this mixture but i happen to be severely allergic to bleach and really dont want to risk it even with PPE
I want to take a few of your classes hiw much are they and were do I go. I live I'm western kentucky and have several acres maybe you can come and show me how to live off the land in my own back yard?
I use a rolling pin anchored to a board to break it and loosen it up lol
What can you do with a hide? Can I make a fur backpack?
Nice❤
😂😂 there not eaten any groceries 😂😂😂 great video brother🔥🔥🔥
The value of trapping and tanning hides isn't in the money, it's in the food and clothing value for us prepper survivalist types. Learn it.
Hey Dave
I've done a fair amount of tanning here and there. I don't think you're going to do a garment quality tan at home.
For the algorithm
I don't think a possum has enough brains to tan their own hide
I wonder how big a blue whales brain is if it can tan it's own pelt.
This video haven't the french translation. It's a very big problem for me to see it. I don't understand, so I don't see it. Sorry