docteurshepherd
Songster
@docteurmccoy - I’ve brain tanned before but it ends up a terrible idea for me in the South. Even in Alabama “Winter” we have bad flies and yellow jackets, and I had flies ruin an entire brain tanned cow hide one yer even though it was in the shop. I want to try egg tanning, but we’ve got older rescue hens who don’t lay often anymore and I’d prefer to use their eggs instead of store bought. I’m 98% of the time salt and alum tanning, but recently bought some of Cumberland trapping’s hide tanning formula to try since it’s allegedly been around 20 plus years and tried on raccoon. Was quite satisfied, but needs to be smoked. I’ve gotten to using neatsfoot oil on my alum tanned hides to soften them as they are stretched and had great results with that, then smoking. I built a tripod style setup with poplar saplings over a fire pit and hang the hides on that and cover with a tarp to hold it in. Gather downed wood to get the smoke from. Want to eventually build a smokehouse for meats, but use one part of it and see how smoking hides in it would go. I’m not traditional about it all, but I think being resourceful about tanning and putting more of the animal to good use is really important. I’m the odd one that even takes deer legs and saves the hide/bone/sinew/hooves.
Don't put your hides in a smoker! We have a smoker but you're not supposed to use them for hides. Smokers get too hot, and cooks the hides, making the hairs fall out and not actually smoke it like you want it.
Yeah I set up a sort of teepee and took strings and lay the hides over it. I wrap a tarp around the teepee partially, with an opening on the top, dig a hole underneath, and throw punkwood in. You want to use partially rotten punkwood so it smolders and smokes more and monitor so it doesn't get too hot for previously mentioned reasons.
I've heard of alum tanning but also heard it isn't good for you, like just isn't good to be having on your skin, etc, how much of that is true I don't know but I have plenty of eggs and works great. Just mix a teaspoon or so of water in with the egg yolk to make it absorb easier.
I've had a bottle of Cumberland's tanning solution for some years but still haven't used it I don't think. Speaking of raccoon I have one that's cured waiting to tan and smoke, just haven't gotten around to it yet.