Thread: Stiff deer hide

I have a nice Sika Stag skin that I did with the Leders tanning kit but it seems I let it dry too much (stretched out in a frame) as I assumed the leather lube would soften it up. It didn’t. So now it’s as stiff as a sheet of 7mm ply and too hard to work it over a post so my plan is as follows, please let me know if this sounds about right or what a better approach might be…
1. Lay down a tarp with the skin on, chuck some wood under the four sides to make a shallow bath then hose it down and soak for a bit. Will add some salt if it ends up soaking. Hoping it will soften enough to roll or fold up.
2. Ring it out and Whack it in a rubbish sack and either put it in the fridge over night or leave out for a Waikato winter night to chill and sweat.
3. Try dry it out a bit slower and work it over a wooden rail as it does dry.
4. Rub down with neatsfoot oil
5. Work over the rail, add more oil, more rail, more oil… probably have a go with a pumice stone at some point too.
6. Finish with some talcum powder on the leather side to sort any excess oil.

Thoughts? Better ideas?
Any power tool tricks like a wire brush or disk on a grinder?
Will the neatsfoot oil turn it yellowish? Is there a better alternative product such as more leather lube/moisturiser?