Adventures in tanning.

I have been a taxidermist for so long that sometimes I forget the simplest and easiest ways to do things. I recently received a letter from a gentleman who has been tanning hides for 45 years. Mr. Johnny Carcass of California wrote me a nice letter and reminded me of the "simpler" side of tanning. When I first started out in taxidermy I used a simple salt and alum recipe that Mr. Carcass sent to me. I have been so wrapped up in using the "commercial" way of doing things that I had forgotten the simple way of "trapper" tanning. I would like to thank Mr. Carcass for his letter and for reminding me of this simple method. I also would like to share his recipe for tanning as well.

For those of you who did not see the first two articles in this series I will briefly recap the major steps of tanning a hide. The first is to remove the skin and cut any large hunks of meat from the skin. Next salt the hide using farmers white salt which can be purchased from a grain elevator for about $6 a bag. (These bags weigh 50 pounds.) They may sell you 10 or 20 pounds, but most likely you will have to buy the whole 50-pound bag. Now don't worry that you will never use that much, because there are several options for using the salt (if you don't use it all on hides). One option is to use the salt that comes off the hides in my driveway during winter to get rid of the ice and snow.

The next step in tanning a hide is to salt the skin. I roll my hides up over night and let them drain. The next day I unroll the skins and resalt them. The purpose of doing this step is to kill any bacteria or organisms that may cause the hair to slip or become loose and fall out. This step is not necessary if you are making buckskin. That is covered in part three of our series. After the hides are salted the next step is to make up a pickle solution/tanning solution.

The simplest method I know of for tanning is the salt and alum method. I used this method when I first started out in taxidermy in 1976 at the age of 12. However when I went to Europe and worked as a Tier Preparation (or assistant taxidermist), I started losing sight of the "simple" side of my employment.

This method is simpler and more cost efficient, plus it is not as harmful to the environment and it gives you a nice white tan with just a little more work and is more forgiving than the previous methods discussed. This method only requires two ingredients, both of which are readily available through Vandykes Taxidermy Supply in South Dakota. Their phone number is 1-800-843-3320.

The first is your choice of potassium alum or ammonium alum. I have used both in the past and they both give good results. The second item is a softening oil called "Protal" which is a neatsfoot oil based solution.

The solution I am quoting is Mr. Carcass's recipe, because it is the simplest one I have found in all my 27 years as a taxidermist. Take a medium-size sauce pan and heap it full three times with alum. Place 20 pounds of salt into your tanning vessel of choice. (I use an old discarded water softener salt container. I have also used those cheap $4 tubs with lids from Wal-Mart. Mr. Carcass uses 3/4 of a 55-gallon drum.) Fill the drum half full or about 25. gallons of water. This would work for any hide but is especially the right size for a deer skin(s).

For a rabbit-size skin you would want one pound alum, one pound salt and about three gallons of water. I know several people asked me about tanning rabbit hides and this is the easiest method for tanning thin skinned animals but will work on all size skins.

You want to leave the skin in this solution for three or four days until the membrane tightens up. Then take the skin out and flesh off the membrane using your choice of tools. I have used scissors effectively, knives--especially those with a downward curve on the blade point, draw shave, fleshing knives, or a homemade tool I made from a wide flat-blade screwdriver. To make this tool, heat the screwdriver up in a fire or with a torch until you can bend it. (If you are really strong you maybe able to bend the screwdriver in a vice.) Then after the screwdriver cools cut some teeth into the tip with either a file or grinder. This works well for getting the membrane off the hides.

Once the hide is fleshed off the membrane it goes back into the tanning solution for 2-10 days depending on the thickness of the skin. An average deer skin will take four days before you flesh the membrane off and then four to six days after it has been thinned. After you have soaked the skin you can neutralize the skin in a solution of 10 gallons water and a half box of baking soda, or a pound or so of borax. This recipe is not absolute, but you will get a "feel" for it after having done it a few times.

Hang your skin up to drip dry for a couple of hours. After it quits dripping take it down and oil it with Protal. Let this sit on the hide for 45 minutes and then rub the hide over the edge of your fleshing beam, the corner of a table or a staking tool made from an old shovel. Work your hide back and forth over this. After a couple hours add another thin coat of Protal tanning oil and again work the skin as. before. The more you work it the softer the hide will be.

The final method that I know of is a new tan called an "oil based tan" or "cream tan." It is available from VanDykes and many other taxidermy supply stores. Basically you follow all the same steps as before. You pickle your hide for a couple days in the alum solution to tighten up the membrane to make it easier to flesh. Then you apply the cream tan and work it until it is dry. I have used the cream tan method before and had satisfactory results following the supplied directions with the tan. This works especially well with thin skinned animals such as rabbits, fox and the small game, on up to a deer head in size.

Another aid in breaking the fibers in a skin is to use an old dryer with a broken heating element. Plug off the inside holes with fiberglass mat dipped in fiberglass resin(which has been catalyzed--the liquid hardener added to it) and placed over the holes. You will have to work quickly as the resin usually sets in 25-45 minutes depending on how much catalyst is used. Avoid breathing the fumes as much as possible. After it has set up and had a day or two to dry use either clean sawdust or four or five tennis balls in the drum to help break and soften your hides. I have even used my old tennis shoes! My shoe size is 13 so my shoes are over 12" long. I throw two in and my hides come out nice and soft and fluffy.

This recipe is from our wild game cookbook. It has 150 recipes including 30 sausage making recipes, sausage making tips, and 120 other original recipes. It sells for $15 postage paid. We also have a 73 recipe wild game sampler which includes 16 sausage recipes, sausage making tips, as well as 57 original recipes. This sells for $7.50 and it is also postage paid (PO Box 114, Beaverton, MI 48612).

The recipe I would like to share with you is:

Caribou Caribbean

   3 pounds caribou backstrap (or any
type venison)
   1-1/2 teaspoons salt
   1/3 cup flesh squeezed orange juice
   1/2 teaspoons tabasco sauce
   1/4 cup dry red wine
   1/2 teaspoons turmeric
   2 tablespoons vegetable oil
   1/2 teaspoons ginger
   1 tablespoon vinegar
   1/2 teaspoons dry mustard
   2 cloves of garlic, crushed

Combine orange juice, wine, oil,
vinegar, garlic and spices. Mix well.
Place the backstrap (or a 3-pound
hunk of hind quarter works well, too)
in a shallow dish and cover with the
marinade. Let it stand for 2 hours at
room temperature, turning the meat
several times to ensure that the marinade
reaches all parts. Remove the
meat and broil to the desired doneness,
basting with the marinade. Serve with
the remaining marinade over meat
slices.