What to do with fresh Hide

[Newfoundlander]

My buddy just shot a caribou, and has some hide. I would like to prepare it for tying(spinning bugs). don't want some long exasperated process, just a quicker fix if possible.

How do I tan(what does it mean to tan?)? & What is borax and were do I find it?

thanks
Mike

[rainbowchaser]

You can find borax in the laundry section of your local supermarket. Take a sharp knife and scrape all of the meat and fat off of the hide. Tack it down to a board fur side down so it can't curl up and work borax into the skin. Add more borax and work into hide over the next couple of days until flesh feels dry.

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all leaders tangle; mine are just better at it than most. Jim

[Newfoundlander]

Thank you so much, funny I work in a Grocery store stocking shelfs filled the borax hundreds of times, just never dawned on me that it was the same borax, , that's just to funny.

later
Mike

[Pisco]

I don't believe it's the Borax Laundry detergent. I think, in Canada at least, you will have to go to a pharmacy to get the borax your after. Not 100% on this but anytime I've used it it was from the pharmacy.

[Newfoundlander]

Heres the borax I fill, same stuff?
[url=http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c196/IslandBrookTrout/borax.jpg:bbc07]http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c196/IslandBrookTrout/borax.jpg[/url:bbc07]


thanks
Mike

[biot midge]

Pisco,
Borax is not a detergent. It is sold as a laundry booster to be added to the detergent. The stuff I use is called 20 Mule Team Borax and is sold with the laundry detergent.
Steve

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"If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went"-Will Rogers

[rainbowchaser]

Newfoundlander that's the right stuff. One thing I forgot to mention earlier is that you may want to wash the fur first to remove blood,dirt and small insects.

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all leaders tangle; mine are just better at it than most. Jim

[Newfoundlander]

Thanks a bunch all.
Apparently there is a bit to do, he needs his done too, .

later
Mike

[AgMD]

Tanning a hide is a LOT of physical work. You may wish to send it off to a commercial tanner, after you have treated/dried it w/borax.
If you do tan it yourself, may I recomend
"Tan Your Hide!" by Phyllis Hobson -- Garden Way Publishing. Excellent how-to descriptions of many tanning methods. It is still in print but Garden Way Publishing is now owned by Storey Communications. 210 Mass MoCA Way, North Adams, Ma. 01247 ph# 413-346-2100. For the 11 or 12 bucks it makes an interesting read even if you don't tan yourself.
One question you need to decide is leather or fur. Tan with the hair on or off. I don't know jack about caribou, but I do know that deer hair is brittle and will shed endlessly. It is OK for a wall hanging but if you want to make anything functional out of it, well it just sheds hair and makes an endless mess.
AgMD

[AgMD]

Oh yea-- I should point out that the book recomends salting the hide (no mention of borax) .
Wash the hide, scrape the meat/fat off the hide and RUB in salt ( NOT iodized --canning or Kosher salt is good) using one pound of salt per one pound of hide. Fold the hide, flesh side against flesh, roll the hide, and place on inclined surface to allow the juices to drain. After two days brush off the excess salt and repeat. After another two days Brush off the excess salt, and lay out flat in a cool dry place. It will hold for 4 or 5 months waiting for tanning.
AgMD