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Thread: Help! Brain tan issues!

  1. #1

    Default Help! Brain tan issues!

    Hi
    I'm in the middle of brain tanning a deer hide and need some help. One person told me I have to really get every bit of membrane off right in the beginning, big mistake there as it unnecessarily damaged the flesh side a little, wasted hours. Bucked with red oak ashes and pulverized limestone which took longer but came out beautiful, snowy white and fluffy, hair and epithelium hosed off on most of the hide, scraped it all just to be sure. Scraped flesh side a lot, unnecessarily, had trouble telling membrane from hide. Stretched, dried, realized this was much easier on flesh side with pumice on a couple stubborn spots. Got hide minimally wet to introduce brains, painted on thick coat per instructions let sit. Hide began to look like oilskin, found new instructions and realized hide not soft enough for good penetration. Added more water, soaked hide. Squeegeed and wrung and reapplied, squuegeed and worked in with hands for a long time. Wrung. Hung hide and began working it.the hide is looking like oilskin on the hair side. Is it just that I need to work it more? Its dried out enough again that I'm afraid I'll have to rebrain it. Hair side looks amber in some places, like rawhide. Am I doing this part right? The hide is very thin. Its a southern deer and small.
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  2. #2
    Senior Member randyt's Avatar
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    you have to work it as it dries. If you run out of time, put it in a plastic bag and put it in the freezer for later. For breaking a hide, I like a stake.


    here is a link to a thread on this forum

    http://www.wilderness-survival.net/f...ighlight=brain
    Last edited by randyt; 01-22-2015 at 09:27 PM.
    so the definition of a criminal is someone who breaks the law and you want me to believe that somehow more laws make less criminals?

  3. #3
    Senior Member wilderness medic's Avatar
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    Also, if i'm reading correctly you rewashed it. Brains are water soluble. So you have to smoke it to lock in the brains before re-braining or you're just washing them out.

    Good luck trying to tell the membrane apart. I still can't. Right now leaving more membrane on as i'd rather have a grease burnt/stiffer hide than one full of holes.
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  4. #4
    naturalist primitive your_comforting_company's Avatar
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    smoke it and then rebrain
    both posts above are correct

  5. #5
    naturalist primitive your_comforting_company's Avatar
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    also, the membrane is just tatty bits that cling to the hide. don't worry about this so much as getting the grain off. and It must be worked from wet to completely dry. I mean DRY. so dry that when you touch it with the back of your hand it feels warm.

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