UKC

Anyone got any advice on curing a deer hide without loosing the fur? The mother seems to have got into the habit of 'finding' deer on the roads. Couple already in the freezer and the latest has a lovely coat on it. Once skinned, how do I treat it etc. and keep the fur? I want a nice rug! Ideally looking for something that I can stick in a big bucket with whatever necessary chemicals ad leave for a while.

In reply to David Barratt:

I've tried nailing a deer hide to a board and using the salting and scraping method, this is incredibly tedious and after hours (weeks!) of working on it it still smelled of deer, wouldn't recommend that method. I've got a muntjac hide in my freezer at the minute as I haven't quite got round to buying the bits to tan it with yet, am planning on buying a kit from the Snowdonia taxidermy supplies shop as I've heard good things about their stuff.

In reply to Ashley:

From what I read, it sounds very tricky to keep the fur. Ever paid to get one done? how much does it cost? I might leave it this time. I suppose I've got the venison to keep me happy (Stole some for my freezer).

In reply to David Barratt:
I'll ask my daughter who lives in Canada how the mule deer hide is getting on (it was nailed to the outside of the old cabin last summer).

One of her friends who is half 'First Nations' reckoned she'd done a pretty good job with it.

It did involve a lot of elbow grease, salt and scraping.

She's also cleaned and dried the hide off the cow they used to have after it was consigned to the freezer.

She did draw a 'line in the sand' when it came to trying to do anything with the hide from their goat -- though apparently the meat was OK. That goat had to be the smelliest most disgusting creature on the earth.

All in all she's done pretty well for a 'reformed' vegetarian.

In reply to David Barratt:

stretch is out over a frame and dry it with salt (the quicker it dries the less fur will fall out)

once its dry (several week later) wash it with soap, dry it, scrub it with a wire brush, repeat wash dry scrub loads of times

I have done this with rabbit skins and I have a salted deer skin hanging in the kitchen waiting for warm weather and some spare time

In reply to David Barratt:

http://www.rivercottage.net/forum/ask/processing-and-other-crafts/25881how-...

In reply to David Barratt:

Thanks everyone. The salt has been bought, and assuming the weather on one of the days this weekend will be crap, I'll make a start!

In reply to David Barratt:

I salted one that was nailed top a board and I used some salt petre in the mix. it dried out fine and still has fur on fine, though it needs me to sit and play with it to soften it as it's pretty stiff. I seem to recall there is a tutorial on how to tan skins in the book My Side of the Mountain (where I got the name Baron Weasel from) that involves extracting tannins from oak which could also be worth checking.