misadventures in egg tanning...suggestions welcome

[paulc]

So I tried my hand at egg tanning this first week of the new year...it does not seem to have gone well:-)  I am pretty sure I did everything wrong that possibly could be done and yet the deer is holding onto its hair still.  I scrapped with a draw knife like Pappy says he does; I removed many, many dime to quater sized divets in both the hog and deer hide I was working with.  I slathered with eggs; left them sit all night; decided using cold eggs on cold hides was wrong so I bought two more dozen eggs and tried again with warmed up eggs.  The weather here was warm and foggy so there was very little absorption as near as I could tell so I changed course, got out the salt and slathered the hides with salt.  Left them sit overnight...third night so far in process I think?  Next day got my 3rd 2 dozen eggs, warmed them up slathered on hides and then stretched hides and nailed to old plywood.  I then forgot about hides all week while at work.  Today attempted to break hides and smoke them...after 2 plus hours dragging the hides over a fence slat my hands are now so tired and sore I may not be able to tie my shoes in the morning.  I tried using the "fence slat" method like Ryan did on the muskrat but made very little progress.  Got frustrated and threw the stiff hides over a smoky fire...made them stiffer although they smelled nicer.  I would let one sit over the fire while I worked the other over the fence slat...pretty much got nowhere.  Then the deer hide started ripping, the pig hide got stiffer.  So I called it a day...Is it not realistic to think I can break a hide with an hour or two working it?

Could I rehydrate the pig hide, soak it again in eggs and maybe then get it soft?  If you have any insight I am willing to listen.  I will make leather some day!!!  Paulc

[HoBow]

Paul- sorry, but I laughed through your story I can't offer any insight as I've never egg tanned, but I've tanned many hides and sometimes they just do not want to soften!  I've spent hours on some hides and gave up with raw hands so sore I couldn't write ...and still didn't get it broke in. Once it happens though, the hard work is worth it looking at your first piece of leather. Good luck!

[deersled]

are you doing hair on or off? Never done a pig, but I've heard many say they are nearly impossible to do. I have done some buckskins (hair off) and no I don't think you can break a stiff hide to be very soft in an hr. or 2.

[paulc]

I tried to do both which is part of what I screwed up.  I had a real pretty hog hide that was black and white haired, the white had brown and red highlights in it...and I shaved it all off to try and make just straight leather.  Stupid stupid stupid!!  And the deer hide I tried to shave but the hair was so nice and thick and soft I had a hard time shaving it...but I tried long enough that I put a nasty bald spot right down the middle of the back... .  Experience is sometimes a costly teacher! 

I am thinking since the deer hide is beginning to tear maybe I should just let it go?  The hog hide did not tear but it is really tough.  Maybe I just work it a little bit at a time over the next 6 months or so...   thanks,

[Pappy]

Sorry I had to laugh to,sounds like a night mare. First I scrape the hair with the racked up,so they are tight,I use the draw knife to flesh and another scrapping tool to take the hair off, I have never egg tanned,but when I use brains I make up a slosh,med. thick liquid and soak the hide in it till is gets soft,then pull it out and ring it,then back in the liquid again.Were you using the whole egg,we have only used the white of the egg. After 5 or 6 times in the liquid and ringing it and stretching it in between it will soften up and you couldn't rip it if you tried,the first few time you have to be gentle,it is just wet raw hide at that point and will tear fairly easy. 
   Pappy

[JackCrafty]

I've never tanned a hide but I've watched someone do it.   

First off, all the hair should be removed and the top layer of skin needs to be removed too.  On the underside, all the membrane needs to be removed.  This can be done with wet or dry scraping.

Then the hide needs to be "expanded" by soaking in a lye or vinegar solution.  This soaking makes the hide look a lot thicker and it will feel very slimy.  Then it is rinsed COMPLETELY, then rung out or dried, then put in a warm egg mixture for several hours.  Then it is taken out of the mixture, rung out, stretched in a warm, dry place until dry and soft.  Stretching can be done on a rack or by hand.

Sounds easy.  It's not.  I'm afraid to try it myself.   

[eorr]

I've been braintanning and teaching braintan for a while.  I've done deer, bear, coon, otter, fox and egg tanned several deer skins.  You can still salvage what you have, but I would bark tan the pig.  Never tried pig, but, as deersled said, I've heard it's almost impossible to braintan.

First you need to soak the deer skin.  If you're not using lye, soak it in fresh water (no chlorine) for a couple of days (depending on temperature) or until the hair slips easily.  If you can't soak it in running water, change water at least once a day, preferably twice a day.  You want bacteria to break the grain down but not so much that the skin is falling apart and it's a health hazard.  I got staff once from scraping too ripe skins.

Then you scrape the hair and grain off.  Don't pull the hair out first or you won't have a frame of reference for what's already been scraped.  It can be really hard to tell if the area you're working has been scraped.  Lye makes it easier to see, but it's still hard.  If you don't get all the grain off, don't worry about it for your first hide.  You can actually tan it with grain on (or hair on).  It just won't be as supple and it will have a slick full-grain finish instead of the suede-like texture that good buckskin has.

You can work on the flesh side, too, but it's not necessary.  It is helpful to hit it a few times with the scraper to break the membrane up.  You can also sand some of the membrane off after you've finished the skin.

Once you've scraped, wring out the skin well.  This is the hardest part.  If you don't get enough moisture out there's no room for the brains or eggs to penetrate the skin fibers.  You can get details for wringing on http://www.braintan.com. 

Then soak your moist skin (not too dry and not too wet) in your warm egg solution working and stretching while it's in the bucket.  Do this for at least 15 or 20 minutes.  You can also leave it in overnight.

Then remove and repeat the wringing and braining (egging) 2 more times.

Wring once more and then start to stretch and soften.  Don't expect a perfect buckskin your first time.  You can always throw it back in the eggs if you get to a point where you think an area is getting too stiff.  Each time you re-brain, it'll make the process easier the next time since you've already stretched it so much.  Then smoke when you're happy with it.

Good luck!

[aaron]

good advice given by those above....
i have egg tanned a few and use the same method as brains. I see a few places where you deviated from what I would do-

1. the salt- after egging, you salted the hides. why? salt can preserve a hide before tanning, but not used during tanning as far as i know
2. left them for a week with eggs and salt on them- this may have caused some rotting, leading to the deer hide tearing- if you need to leave 'em in future, freeze 'em.
3. put them over a smoky fire while breaking breaking in a hide takes 4-8 hours, not 2. the heat from the fire would dry them too fast and lead to stiffening, also heat from the fire could damage the hides- smoke after they are dry in future and take pains to ensure smoke is not too hot. when smoking  sew hide into a bag and create a special fire for smoking which is smolering rotten wood- no actual flames. , not just any old fire

there are many ways to do tanning, but many ways to go astray. i suggest get some detailed directions and follow them to the letter.

in a foggy climate in winter hides take forever to break in - i live in the foggiest town in the lower 48 and only attempt hides in summer.
seems you also had trouble getting the hair off- soaking in water for 3 days will cause it to almost fall out.
and when you soaked cold hides in cold eggs overnight, that was probably fine- the hides don't noticeably soak up the stuff, as long as it was fully scraped, it would have soaked up eggs fine.
good luck, try again!

[jamie]

didnt read everybodies posts so if im repeating something i apologize. eggs work best with a wet scrape. hair off. also a little neets foot oil helps. the wet scrape is what i believe jackcrafty was describing. it is a longer process but produces a better hide in the end. it removes all the outer membraines from the hide so the egg or other material will soak in easier.