BREAKING HIDES - Already Tanned, Stiff - What to do now?

[TheGDog]

I have 2 hides I already tanned and never got around to breaking. So they are dry and stiff. These are NOT for capes/mounts.

I had purchased some Neet's Foot Oil, for the purpose of breaking/softening the hides.


I've read different things about how to proceed at this point. If you know anything about this process, chime-in and tell me what's right to do and what's wrong to do or not needed. OR additional steps they've left out?


What I've gathered so far:
Use a spray bottle and mist the hide to let it re-hydrate a little and soak-in with that spritz of water for like an Hour, in order for it to THEN be able to take in the oil in a brushed-on 50/50 solution of oil-water (lukewarm water) afterward.

Let this soak in. As this is drying, but not yet dry and still pliable, do the mechanical/physical steps for breaking/stretching the hide.

Rubbing across some surface (a cable, or a piece of wood, or a PVC pipe opening, or a metal pipe opening) back-and-forth like a shoe-shine. And one guy was using a common wide/thin pry-bar as a tool to push down and outward on the hide away from his holding hand, with it laying down on a bench, looked like probably the best bet for me, at least for doing the edges of the hide anyway)

Then people are saying they go back and sandpaper the hide to really make it soft. And thin-down areas where the leather is thicker like around neck and shoulders.

Sandpaper by hand? Is a Mouse Sander Ok? What grit should I use?

SIDE NOTE: I'm presuming here that a person is going to want to barely use just enough oil to get the job done. I'm assuming slowly, if needed, brush-on another thin amount again and let it soak in some more then repeat the physical/mechanical break-in steps, if you're not achieving good stretching and whitening of the breaking-apart skin fibers during the physical steps, yes?

 

[TheGDog]

@BOWUNTR ... this sounds like info you'd know, yes?

 

[TRICER]

I am pretty sure Ed and most Taxidermist just flesh their hides and send them out to professionals to get tanned.

 

[TheGDog]

Hrmm. Well... at least I've got two of them. I guess at least if one way proves to be less successful I can know to try a different method with the next I suppose.

It's just that all these vids and notes people post about the topic... the people are often not thorough in their discussion of the subject.

Especially when it comes to which events to occur in what order in the line of time. And gotchas and things to beware of.

I was just looking to confirm that my understanding and interpretation of all the incomplete info I've taken in.. was correct in my assumptions where I had to fill-in-the-blanks in terms of info they did not provide.

 

[BOWUNTR]

Commercial tanneries use tumblers to break down the fibers to make it soft. Put it in your dryer with a dozen baseball size rocks.... let us know how it turns out. Ed F

 

[longbowhunter2]

pumice rock , scrape the C out of it.....

 

[TheGDog]

Put it in your dryer with a dozen baseball size rocks.... let us know how it turns out. Ed F

Yeah that's hap'nin. ... NOT!!!

Sheeeeeit.... I ain't about to go doing something dangerous like that inside Mama's H.E. Washer/Dtyer Machines, Helll-to-the-Naw... and you know... it's perfectly acceptable to say "I don't know" if you really don't know. What if some young 'tard came along and reads this post and thinks you guys were being serious with that??

 

[nicapopolis]

... it's perfectly acceptable to say "I don't know" if you really don't know. What if some young 'tard came along and reads this post and thinks you guys were being serious with that??

He does know. He told you exactly how the commercial tanneries do it and then followed up with a joke.

The internet is full of jokes and fake news. It is good for "young 'tards" to learn how to filter through the BS in life.

Internet hunting forums are an extension of a campfire... shit talking is welcomed.

 

[BOWUNTR]

Sorry if I hurt your feelings ... didn't mean to. To most it was obviously a joke. I lose sleep every night thinking about all the young kids who read your posts... some will be confused for the rest of their life. Ed F

 

[CazadorSuerte]

I hate the internet

 

[TRICER]

Ed you owe me a dryer.

 

[longbowhunter2]

Ed you owe me a dryer. View attachment 40236

OMG LOL , rolling on the floor , dude

 

[ilovesprig]

Ed you owe me a dryer. View attachment 40236

Classic...….

 

[MJB]

Lol......I love to see the butt hurt!

 

[Kellendv]

That was amazing, I laughed so hard I cried!

 

[TheGDog]

He does know. He told you exactly how the commercial tanneries do it and then followed up with a joke.

The internet is full of jokes and fake news. It is good for "young 'tards" to learn how to filter through the BS in life.

Internet hunting forums are an extension of a campfire... shit talking is welcomed.

Negative. It's good for people to be polite and courteous. Up until the moment they are not afforded that same courtesy by others.

He does know. He told you exactly how the commercial tanneries do it and then followed up with a joke.

The internet is full of jokes and fake news. It is good for "young 'tards" to learn how to filter through the BS in life.

Internet hunting forums are an extension of a campfire... shit talking is welcomed.

1. I did not ask how the commercial tanneries do it.
2. I listed what I have researched, and what I've gleaned from it so far.
3. I listed what I felt was the plan of action they seemed to be indicating.
4. I ask for confirmation of if those steps I outlined for how to proceed seemed right.
5. I respectfully reached out to whom I considered a knowledge-expert in that field. In this instance, Ed F.

RE: "The internet is full of jokes and fake news. It is good for "young 'tards" to learn how to filter through the BS in life."

Perhaps... but it's also good for them to learn have respect... and be courteous, wouldn't you agree.


RE: "Internet hunting forums are an extension of a campfire... shit talking is welcomed."

Negative... a campire is a campfire. And even at a campfire, responding in like-and-kind is welcomed. If I begin dialog with you in a courteous and respectful manner... it makes you look like a dick when you don't respond to a man in like-and-kind.... you know..."The Golden Rule"?.. Ring any bells? No?... I thought not.


So tell me... are you saying here that you... nic... to complete strangers... (which is what anyone visiting a site like this is, at first) lead right off with shit-talkin' and trolling? I'm genuinely asking you in earnest.

Ya know... they have several places for that. YouTube and Reddit comes to mind.

The rest of us? We've got shit todo, and ain't got time for disrespectful jawl-jacking mofos to be yankin' our chains and wastin' our damn time... especially when WE lead-in with courtesy, respect and tact by taking the time to write well-formed questions which are as clear and concise as we can possibly make them in order to not waste anybodies time with a bunch of back-and-forth questions needed to clarify things.

At least... that's what we do at the grown-ups table. I don't know about you.

 

[Kellendv]

Negative. It's good for people to be polite and courteous. Up until the moment they are not afforded that same courtesy by others.


1. I did not ask how the commercial tanneries do it.
2. I listed what I have researched, and what I've gleaned from it so far.
3. I listed what I felt was the plan of action they seemed to be indicating.
4. I ask for confirmation of if those steps I outlined for how to proceed seemed right.
5. I respectfully reached out to whom I considered a knowledge-expert in that field. In this instance, Ed F.

RE: "The internet is full of jokes and fake news. It is good for "young 'tards" to learn how to filter through the BS in life."

Perhaps... but it's also good for them to learn have respect... and be courteous, wouldn't you agree.


RE: "Internet hunting forums are an extension of a campfire... shit talking is welcomed."

Negative... a campire is a campfire. And even at a campfire, responding in like-and-kind is welcomed. If I begin dialog with you in a courteous and respectful manner... it makes you look like a dick when you don't respond to a man in like-and-kind.... you know..."The Golden Rule"?.. Ring any bells? No?... I thought not.


So tell me... are you saying here that you... nic... to complete strangers... (which is what anyone visiting a site like this is, at first) lead right off with shit-talkin' and trolling? I'm genuinely asking you in earnest.

Ya know... they have several places for that. YouTube and Reddit comes to mind.

The rest of us? We've got shit todo, and ain't got time for disrespectful jawl-jacking mofos to be yankin' our chains and wastin' our damn time... especially when WE lead-in with courtesy, respect and tact by taking the time to write well-formed questions which are as clear and concise as we can possibly make them in order to not waste anybodies time with a bunch of back-and-forth questions needed to clarify things.

At least... that's what we do at the grown-ups table. I don't know about you.

Man, you gotta lighten up. Seems like every time you don’t get the answer you want you’re bemoaning how it’s someone else’s fault. Have a laugh at the image of ruining an appliance with some rocks and move on. Why don’t you just try your method out and let us know how it works?

 

[TheGDog]

It ain't about "lightening up". It's about being respectful.

Somebody shows you reverence... shows you respect... shows you that they value your knowledge, experience and input... and because of their respect for your time and input.... they know they don't want to burden you with twenty questions.... so.... they go out of their way to basically present you with a detailed question that's as close to a Yes or No answer as is humanly possible... and y'all think it's cool to respond with "throw some rocks in a dryer"? Really now? Seriously? That's just a damn shame. Hmmph... bet you'd all be real happy if some teacher answered your child like that in a school one day. Eh?


RE: "Why don't you just try your method out and let us know how it works?"

Well... as you well know... it's quite a bit of effort to score these hides and hike'em outta the forest. You can imagine a person not wanting to blow all that effort by making an incorrect step and in one fell swoop EFF up all that work and effort that went in to getting and processing that hide so far. I have to imagine you could sympathize with how upset a person would be with themselves if they ruined a hide by getting a step wrong in the processing. Yes? You can't un-take-out oil applied to a hide, right? So you can imagine a person wanting to be as sure as they can be before they proceed to these steps, Yes?

Hmmph... it's funny... y'all wanna complain about how hunter numbers are dwindling... and yet... when a newer person... mind you, with proper respect and courtesy... consults you on something... y'all basically diss 'em and shit all over'em. Well there's a formula for success, huh!

I'm sure there are several other forum posts that are lighter and less serious in nature, where all that Grab-ass-tic Tom-Foolery would blend in just fine... so why...oh why... would you go out of your way to respond in such a manner to a serious and thoughtfully laid-out
question in that way? Just makes no sense. And isn't even funny.

 

[CazadorSuerte]

Oh it’s funny all right. ..... respectfully, of course.

 

[HATCHET1]

Everything about this is hilarious...internet at its finest...Larry, are you considering tanning a rabbit hyde?