People have processed and used animal hides for clothing, shelter and other purposes since the Paleolithic, or Old Stone Age. Based on direct archaeological evidence, hide processing goes back at least 400,000 years. Fur clothing was also used by other hominids, including Neanderthal Man. As humans migrated out of tropical zones, clothing was a necessity. The movement of people south into North America would not have been possible without warm clothing and a knowledge of building shelters while on the move. 

Shooting 101: How to Tan Animal Hides

Throughout the world, many methods of tanning leather developed. Tannic acid from plants, such as oak, and certain chemicals such as chromium sulphate, were used in historic times to tan leather using a process that left the grain intact. 

Early chroniclers recorded a variety of tanning methods being used by Native Americans. One such method is commonly called brain tanning, although it could be more properly called “fat liquoring”. It results in a soft but tough leather with its top grain removed that can be made into clothing, shelter coverings, bags or any needed items that would normally be fashioned from leather or cloth. Brain tanning relies on lecithin, a fatty substance occurring in the tissues of certain animals and plants, blood, organs, bile, roe, avian egg yolks, brains and other substances. 

Brain tanning of leather for certain clothing items such as shirts and leggings may require the removal of the hair. It is also possible to tan the hide with the hair on by applying lecithin only on the flesh side, or inside, of the hide, but this requires a different technique from that described here. 

Fleshing

The first step in most hide tanning processes is fleshing. This is the removal of flesh, fat or membrane from the side of the hide opposite the hair. A fleshing beam made from a smooth debarked log or one made from a large piece of plastic pipe works well. Stretch the hide over the beam and use a sharp tool such as a drawknife or planer blade held at a perpendicular angle to remove this material. Canon bones, stone scrapers and other items were used primitively. When finished, the entire hide is scraped again to remove any remaining membrane. 

Wet or Dry Scrape

The two methods most commonly used for removing the hair and epidermis from a hide in preparation for brain tanning are wet scrape and dry scrape. In wet scrape, various methods of soaking the hide using plain water, wood ashes, lime or other substances are used, followed by scraping on a fleshing beam to remove the hair and grain. 

The dry scrape method involves lacing the hide into a frame, letting it dry and then using a sharp tool to shave or scrape off the hair and grain. Both methods have their advantages and disadvantages depending on the situation and how the leather is to be used. For example, wet scrape doesn’t require cordage the way dry scrape does, but it is messy and if plain water is used for the soak, it can breed bacteria that can cause dangerous skin infections. Dry scrape can get a hide ready to scrape and process faster, but it requires lots of cordage and a frame. This article will focus on the dry scrape method. 

Racking

In dry scrape, the hide is first spread on the ground. Any trimming of parts of the hide that will be hard to lace in the frame should be done now. Holes are punched around the perimeter with a small knife. The orientation of these holes should be parallel to the sides of the hide. Holes should be about 1/2” in length and are spaced about 4-5” apart and about 1 1/2” in from the edge. A Mora knife is an excellent tool to punch these holes.

Next, build a frame made of saplings or 2 x 3s around the hide. The frame can be lashed or nailed. Leave about a foot on all sides between the hide and the frame to allow for stretching as it is laced in. With the frame and hide still on the ground, temporarily tie the two top corners of the hide into the frame, so its orientation will remain straight when it is laced in. 

Stand the frame against a wall or tree. Tie one end of a hank of cordage in a corner and begin lacing the hide into the frame. Once it has been laced in completely, go around the hide again, tightening the lacing evenly. This may be need to be done a couple of times, as the hide needs to be as tight as possible. Tie off the lacing and allow the hide to dry at least a week. It may be necessary to pull the rack up in a tree or store it inside a building to keep animals away. Keep it as dry as possible by keeping it under cover or at the very least, only exposing the hair side during rains. Once dry, the hide should be as tight as a drum.

Scraping

With the frame leaning on a wall or tree, use a scraping tool to shave the hair and epidermis from the hide, getting as close to the holes as possible. Be careful however, as it is possible to pop through the hide if the scraper goes sideways or into a hole. Scrapers can be made from old files or purchased. Be sure to use a sharp tool, press down firmly and hold it at the proper angle to avoid tool chatter. If chatter occurs, it will leave unsightly marks on the hide’s surface. If there are chatter marks, press down firmly and scrape in the opposite direction to remove them. 

To insure a uniform finish and a clean hide ready for braining, as a final step, the hide may be sanded on both sides with 80 grit sandpaper or pumice. Finally, cut the hide from the rack using the punched holes as perforations. At this stage, the hide is essentially like parchment and can be rolled up and stored or processed immediately. 

Braining/Egging

Lash a dry debarked sapling or 2×3 between two trees at belly button height. Next, take some animal brains, or a dozen eggs and place in the bottom of a 5-gallon bucket. Add four times that amount of warm water and stir. This recipe may need to be doubled or more for larger hides. Make sure the water is not so hot that it cooks the brains or eggs. Mix well. 

Place the hide in the bucket and slowly work it into the solution until it is fully saturated. Lift it from the bucket and ring by hand, allowing the excess to go back in the bucket. Drape the hide over the lashed sapling so that the head end is at one end and the tail end at the other. Arrange the hide so that it makes a tube over the sapling. Beginning at one end, roll this tube into a donut shape.

Get in There

Place the bucket under the hide to catch the solution. Put a stick through the donut and twist it as far as possible, first one way and then the other, being careful that the solution goes back into the bucket. Remove the hide from the sapling and stretch it out. Place the hide back on the fleshing beam and go over both sides again with the fleshing tool.

Any remaining epidermis or membrane can now be removed. Afterward, place the hide back in the bucket, leaving it there for about 20 minutes and then repeating the wringing process. Soaking and wringing will need to be repeated, sometimes as many as ten or more times in order to remove the ground matter (think glue) that surrounds the individual fibers of the hide and replace it with lecithin. When the hide begins to stretch significantly in all directions like a rubber sheet, it is ready to be pulled dry.

Pulling

Sitting in a chair, place the hide over the knees, grab each end pulling it down with the hands and spreading the knees as it is pulled tight over them. Do this in all directions and on both sides until it is dry. This could take four hours or more. If tired, place the hide in a plastic bag and put it into a freezer until ready to work on it again. Once the hide is dry, inspect it for any irregularities or chatter marks from the scraping tool. These can be removed to an extent with the pumice or sandpaper. 

Smoking

The dry hide is smoked in cool smoke as a final step to protect it from moisture and give it a golden color. This is accomplished with a smoker grill, a metal trashcan with stovepipe, a smoking shed, smokehouse or by hanging the hides in a tipi or other dwelling containing smoke.

If a metal trashcan with stovepipe is used, an old blue jean leg can be attached to the stovepipe with duct tape, providing distance between the heat and hide. The hide can then be clipped or sewn into a closed bag shape and attached by sewing or clipping to the blue jean leg. Dry, non-resinous punk wood, corncobs and the like are placed on a small fire or on charcoal briquettes inside the can to generate smoke. A little warmth is OK, but in general, the smoke should be cool. The trashcan method will take about six hours on each side of the hide. Remove when a deep golden color is established on both sides. Now the hide can be made into a myriad of useful items!

Tips and Tricks

• Test for dryness of a pulled hide against the face. If it feels cool, its not completely dry.
• After scraping, and before removing the hide from the rack, use sandpaper or pumice to sand it in order to remove any remaining epidermis on the hair side, or membrane on the flesh side.
• Use a brick band or cable secured to the side of a building to pull the hide through to squeegee out remaining moisture, remove bits of epidermis, remove stiffness and give a uniform finish. Be careful not to allow the hide to get bunched up, so as not to cut or damage it. 
• Hides can be colored by putting different substances, such as iron filings, into the brain or egg solution.
• Place freshly smoked hides into a closed paper bag for about a week to even the color of the hide.