How to Remove Hair From Hides Before Tanning

Buckskin leather is smooth and supple and has many uses.

Animal hides may be tanned with or without the hair. If they are tanned without the hair, the finished skin is considered a buckskin. Buckskin can be used for clothes, leather goods and household items. Buckskin is often softened and sanded until the hide is very supple and soft, making it ideal for garments and and bags. Hair removal is performed after salting, soaking and cleaning the hide but before the actual tanning process.

Things You'll Need

• Hydrated lime
• 5-gallon nonmetallic container
• Rubber gloves
• Wooden spoon, paddle
• Flat board
• Dull knife
• 10-gallon nonmetallic container
• United States Pharmacopoeia lactic acid, white vinegar

Instructions

1. Mix 4 to 5 qt. of hydrated lime with 5 gallons of water in a large nonmetallic container. Hydrated lime can be purchased at most landscaping and garden supply stores.

2. Make sure the hide is completely submerged and that no air is trapped in it. Press the hide against the sides of the bucket with your gloved hands or a large spoon to release any air bubbles.

3. Soak the hide until you can slide the hair off easily with your hand. This should take six to 10 days of soaking.

4. Remove the hide from the solution and lay it over a smooth, flat board. "Scud" both sides of the hide by pushing off all the hair with the backside of a dull knife, held nearly flat against the hide.

5. Soak the hairless hide in clean water for four to five hours. Remove it and scud it again.

6. Fill a nonmetallic container with 10 gallons of water. Mix in 1 oz. of United States Pharmacopoeia lactic acid. If you cannot find the lactic acid, substitute 1 pt. of white vinegar. Thoroughly mix the solution with a wooden spoon or paddle.

7. Soak the hide in the lactic acid solution for 24 hours. This stops the action of the lime on the hide.

8. Remove the hide from the solution and soak it overnight in clean water, before moving on to the actual tanning process.

References

• New Mexico State University: Tanning Deer Hides and Small Fur Skins; James E. Knight; October 2004
• Tanning Your Own Deer Hides
• Purdue Four-H: Tanning Hides
• Manataka American Indian Council: Deer Hide Tanning