help with bear hide needed

[olympia]

i wasnt sure which section to post this in so here goes, i tanned my own bear hide a month ago. I leftout the paws and head because i didnt know how to "turn them" but the hide still looks good to me that way. I dipped the hide in an solution of acid,salt and bran flake water. Everything turned out except for the fact the hide is really stiff and not soft and pliable like others i have seen. I have even put neats foot oil on the back of it while it was drying and it did nothing.The fur is really soft but the back is so stiff. How can I softenen it up?

[dakoda62]

Normally I believe you can break or Soften the hide by working over an edge of wood, fur side up.

[lip_ripper00]

:mrgreen:Chew it!!

[Argali]

You don't know what stiff is until you see the bear I tried to tan!
Think 1/8" plywood with hair.

[BlacktailStalker]

Down side to a dry tan.

[open-sights]

There is a few threads regarding DIY bear tanning and softening of stiff hides on another trapping forum, some common ideas were to wire wheel, belt sand, soak and oil before stretching over wood (hair out). The one guy that tried the wire wheel cautions that it will make your tanning room look like it has been snowed in

[boxhitch]

What directions came with the tanning solution ? Softening oils work , at the right time
vandykestaxidermy.com/Typical-Scenario-for-Tanning-a-Hide-W52.aspx

[olympia]

What directions came with the tanning solution ? Softening oils work , at the right time
vandykestaxidermy.com/Typical-Scenario-for-Tanning-a-Hide-W52.aspx

I looked my tanning solution off Google so it comprised of non iodized salt,acid and
Water that had bran flakes soaked in it. I dipped it in four 45 min and then immersed in fresh watef for a few and then hung to dry on a plywood sheet and when still little moist I spies beats foot oil on the skin

[OutdoorsOk]

Be wary of rehydrating the hide. I tanned my first hide with that same technique. When the hide dries the acid becomes concentrated. When it's rehydrated it turns to oatmeal mush. Down the road after a few tries you'll find a fleshing beam quite handy for shaving down the hide. Large critters have a thick hide, makes it much more difficult to break. Bears aren't too big a little stiff if it's just a floor rug or hung on the wall. Also if I may suggest next time try liqua tan, it's $25 for a fair size bottle and easy as can be. Congrats on the bear :)

[olympia]

Be wary of rehydrating the hide. I tanned my first hide with that same technique. When the hide dries the acid becomes concentrated. When it's rehydrated it turns to oatmeal mush. Down the road after a few tries you'll find a fleshing beam quite handy for shaving down the hide. Large critters have a thick hide, makes it much more difficult to break. Bears aren't too big a little stiff if it's just a floor rug or hung on the wall. Also if I may suggest next time try liqua tan, it's $25 for a fair size bottle and easy as can be. Congrats on the bear :)

thanks, I will keep this in mind

[chickenfarmer]

what do you mean you left out the paws and head, cause you didn't know how to turn them. What do you mean by that? Are the paws and head still within the so called tanned hide.

[olympia]

what do you mean you left out the paws and head, cause you didn't know how to turn them. What do you mean by that? Are the paws and head still within the so called tanned hide.

I read the term "turning them" on google somewhere, what I meant was I didn't know how to include the head and paws with my hide without them decomposing. I don't know how I would have pulled out the brains from the skull and how to include the foot pads and claws , so the hide has no head and no paws. . This was my 1st attempt.

[seizuresalad]

As the hide is drying from the tanning treatment, you have to work it over something thin and stiff, like a length of cable, or a 2x4, or anything you can lay it over and draw it from side to side with constant downward pressure. You have to do this, sometimes for hours, until the hide is completely dry. If you just take it out of the treatment and hang it up, it'll turn out like rawhide, basically.

[Walking Buffalo]

Olympia, Did you just apply the oil and let it dry?

It sounds like you didn't work the hide while it was drying. To obtain a soft hide, you need to apply warm oil before the hide is too dry and then stretch it while it is drying, working the oil into the hide and loosening the fibres.

Did you degrease the bear hide before tanning?
I also wonder about your tanning process. A 45 minute dip in a tanning solution sounds pretty fast. What exactly did you use?

[olympia]

Olympia, Did you just apply the oil and let it dry?

It sounds like you didn't work the hide while it was drying. To obtain a soft hide, you need to apply warm oil before the hide is too dry and then stretch it while it is drying, working the oil into the hide and loosening the fibres.

Did you degrease the bear hide before tanning?
I also wonder about your tanning process. A 45 minute dip in a tanning solution sounds pretty fast. What exactly did you use?

no I did not work the hide, I didn't know I had to work it over. I just applied oil and let it dry. For the 45 min dip I used acid,brine salt and some water I had soaked bran flakes in. I basically followed directions off of google. I will know for next time about to "work it" over something as it drying. Looks like I made a few mistakes. I also did not degrease the bear before tanning I just sprayed it down with a pressure washer after removing all the fat/tissue. On another note, the pepperoni I had made tastes great.

[Walking Buffalo]

no I did not work the hide, I didn't know I had to work it over. I just applied oil and let it dry. For the 45 min dip I used acid,brine salt and some water I had soaked bran flakes in. I basically followed directions off of google. I will know for next time about to "work it" over something as it drying. Looks like I made a few mistakes. I also did not degrease the bear before tanning I just sprayed it down with a pressure washer after removing all the fat/tissue. On another note, the pepperoni I had made tastes great.


Gotta love pepperoni!

More questions. Did you pickle the hide before tanning? What kind of acid did you use, battery acid?

It is possible that the hide is not tanned in its present state and you might be able to simply start over.

The online bran flake/battery acid tanning formula and directions is not a very good process for tanning. Brain tanning or using commercial products like Knoblock's brand will give you better results/longer lasting hides with less expense and will be safer for yourself and the sewer.

[olympia]

Gotta love pepperoni!

More questions. Did you pickle the hide before tanning? What kind of acid did you use, battery acid?

It is possible that the hide is not tanned in its present state and you might be able to simply start over.

The online bran flake/battery acid tanning formula and directions is not a very good process for tanning. Brain tanning or using commercial products like Knoblock's brand will give you better results/longer lasting hides with less expense and will be safer for yourself and the sewer.

I did not pickle the hide before tanning. I used muriatic acid. I will use the Knockblocks brand you speak of if I get a deer in the fall because deerskin looks pretty nice and I like the color of it . If I decided to take a bear again I will taxi it by a pro so I can have the head and paws on it and have it nicely mounted with its mouth open