Bear Hide Tanning

[Part_Timer]

Easiest way to flesh and tan a bear hide? Curious is fleshing and drying will suffice to use hide over the back of the couch. Have one in the freezer I need to do something with but it’s smaller and not worth me paying someone else to do it.

thanks in advance.

 

[Opah]

OK I did one a long time back and it turned out good, soak the hide in sulfuric acid and water, or you can urinate on it ( it worked for the Indians) Or i believe rubbing the brains on it works. Either / Or this process locks the hair on, I believe it was over night. Then rinse really well and let drip dry, when it is damp not wet to the touch you could rub lanolin on and work it into the skin to keep it supple and playable. Not sure of the mixture of acid to water it wasn't a lot of acid but enough to remember ALWAYS add the Acid to the water NOT the water to the acid very violent reaction.
I used a topical yard trash can 35 / 40 gallon in a well ventilated secure location, away from Cats dogs and children. It can be done without a bunch of hassle, who knows you just might start a cotton tail collect to make some gloves and coat for Mama ?

 

[Fitzwho]

But one of the kits from Van Dykes and watch some YouTube videos. I self-tanned a bobcat in College. That was more than 12 years ago. Hide is still in great shape. My wife doesn’t want it in the house, so it’s hanging at a buddy’s place.

 

[idelkslayer]

Fleshing and drying will not result in a soft hide. If you do not get some kind of lubricant between the fibers of the skin they will lock up hard like rawhide, because that is what it is.

Tanning is easy. I use Lutan F and oxalic acid. You will also need a degreaser and a tanning oil. You can purchase the supplies from Van Dykes Taxidermy or McKenzie Taxidermy. The supplies are cheap and they come with instructions.

The basic process is to flesh and salt the hide. Soak in a acid bath and then use the degreaser. Then soak in tanning solution. Stretch and dry using the tanning oil to keep it soft.

The salt will draw out a lot of moisture. The salt will also prevent bacterial growth which is what causes the hair to slip and fall out. When stretching and drying you have to constantly break the skin to allow the tanning oil to work between the fibers. If you end up with some stiff areas you can rehydrate that spot and work it again.

Traditional tanning sometimes called brain tanning is a different process. You can find tutorials for that online and on youtube. Basically you flesh the hide and then soak it in the emulsified brains, or rub the emulsified brains into the skin. The brains act as a tanning oil. You then have to stretch and break the hide to make it soft. The oils from the brains should work between the skin fibers and prevent them from locking back together.

 

[rtaylor]

I use the stuff in the orange bottle and it works great. The softness will depend on how much elbow grease you want to put in. I highly recommend a fleshing board and a fleshing knife. Makes your life easier and your back less sore. Buy a 50 bag of salt from your local tractor or hardware store. You can tan a hide that looks great and last forever but it not be soft. The softness comes from breaking down the hide. I do it by stretching a rope between 2 trees and running the hide over it.

 

[Bryan B]

Bear hides need to be degreased as part of the tanning process.

Been doing taxidermy for 20 years and I personally would not do a home tan on a bear.

Flesh it well, then salt it. It will not dry totally hard due to the grease. Fold it up and send it to a reputable tannery.

 

[Part_Timer]

Thanks for the information folks! Appreciate it.