Tahr Skin Tanning Problem Leder Tanning Kit

Hi guys,

First off hopefully this is the best subsection to post this on, let me know if I need to move it.


So my first attempt of tanning with a leder tanning kit was a bit of a flop.

I got it fairly well cleaned I thought but its come out looking pretty average. The white parts have come out like Suede Leather but the dark colour is like dried skin, all the hair is held in firmly and not falling out though.
I think because I didn't move the skin around in the solution enough it hasn't had the tanning agent absorbed into the hide properly.
I'm wondering if it's a write off or salvageable if I soak it to loosen it up and resoak in the solution again, since the hairs held and its not smelly i'll use it as a wall hung skin but would be nice if it was better than it is.
Was a bit of a learning exercise regardless.

Cheers,
Andrew



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has it dried and have you "worked it"...I had similar results using chemicals multiple times....bottom line,if hair holds and pelt doesnt start to go off...it be fine.

Kind of looks like you left the flap meat on the skin to me but your explanation of not agitating the skin sounds like it could be the issue.

Cheers for the responses so far.
Yeah its dried completely now, I used a water blaster to work it a bit which worked quite well on the white parts and its really loose and malleable and feels like my professionally tanned sheepskin rug now on those areas. When I work the other part it does loosen up a bit but I just thought it looked wrong so I thought I'd ask some advice.
I initially thought that the white parts where the flap skin also because they were quite green before I water blasted them but once it dried it looked and felt like what I'd consider properly tanned hide although I'm only guessing since its my first attempt. Saw a post on facebook about water blasting them after tanning so I thought i'd give it ago since I was bored during lockdown.

never heard of water blaster being used...never heard of getting them wet once done...BREAKING over a rounded post yes...BRICKING with either brick or pumice stone yes...but never water blasting......can possibly see water blaster being used BEFORE tanning to help strip the membrane off...but not afterwards.

Haha yeah maybe I misread it and they were talking about doing it afterwards. It's not stinky and hair isn't falling out so maybe I didn't completely destroy it. It also looked pretty inconsistent before I water blasted it.

The white marks look like areas where chemical hasn't penetrated the hide, each mark looks like you could fold it over on itself (mirror image if you like) which says you had hide on hide contact while it was in the solution.
Hopefully enough chemical has soaked in and the hide is ok.
I tanned rabbit hides commercially for a few years and had the same issue if I tried to squeeze too many pelts in the Barrel at once.
Never heard of water blasting them either, once dry you want to keep them dry.

I used the water blaster to clean skins before putting in the solution, but never after. It works well.
Treated hide is supposed to be green, and gradually dries to a black colour. I’m wondering if the brown areas still have the membrane on them, but the white areas do sorta look like liquid flow and puddle patterns.

I have just taken my skin out of the Leder tanning solution. Is it normal that it is blue?
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Originally Posted by Friwi

I have just taken my skin out of the Leder tanning solution. Is it normal that it is blue?
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Yep, and supposed to turn darker as it dries.

Agree, the blue finish is normal and once dried then broken in with the leather tool, will end up whitish.

I've only done 2 deer skins so far with the leder kit. Found the tool to be hard work. From a tip I saw somewhere I gave pumice a go instead. Found that really good for softening it up.

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I use the end of a 2x4 , while the skin is pegged out on the board and do it randomly as it dries , on three or four separate occasions , then again when adding the softening lube stuff and once more when its dry . just lay the board on the shed floor and get my weight over the 2x4 . seems to work ok .

Done a few deer skins with the leder kits. Finished product has been good but definite blue ting to hide. I use a waterblaster on the green hide to strip all the membrane and flesh off. Works a treat, results in a very clean hide. This is before it goes in the tanning solution. Use a big container and move the hide at least once a day.

My understanding was that the leder kit wasn't really suited to tahr as the skin is too thick for the solution to penetrate in some parts. The commercial guys grind them down to a uniform thickness before tanning.

Done a heap of skins over the years, using Leidretters or Leders products. Firstly, salt it, and then salt it again. Then deflesh it using the double hailed fleshing tool across a post running from about waist height to the ground. Then when you put it in the solution, carefully place it in edge down, so the skin is vertical and try to make sure it has no bubbles. Stir it up every day for 2 weeks, always checking to make sure there are no bubbles. When you place it out to dry, or stretch it, leave it an hour or 2 just to get rid of the excess solution. Then weigh it to give you an accurate weight for your leather lube. Always dry it out of the sun, around the back of the shed and with a decent airflow. Then when you think its all done and ready, I found the easiest way to break it and make it soft and pliable and white was to use a coarse Cintride disc in the drill, sand it all over. And if you've dried it all strung out in a big wooden frame, then it scrubs up even better cos you've got no hard material behind it to cause you to sand through on any edges etc and the skin is flexible and forgiving.

the process of sanding hide after tanning isnt called "bricking" for nothing.....old red house brick,preferably picked up out of riverbed so has nice rounded edges works well...pumice stone works even better..."breaking" over top of a rounded post/stairwell banister/banister post helps soften up hide by breaking fibres up .
Ive used a few different systems including a home brew,that turned skins blue but were hard as stink...the thar I tried went hard too... very thick pelt.

You mentioned stretching the hide when it is drying. I have a tahr skin soaking in the leders kit at the moment and have conflicting advice about whether I can just remove it from the solution and hang it to dry or have to pin it out to a frame. Can anyone confirm if it does need to be stretched out?

And the answer is that you don’t need to pin it out.

Took a short cut and just hung it over a wooden horse. Probably took a bit longer to dry is all but as I put heaps of leather lube on it the skin doesn’t dry out as such it kind of just cures, turning from blue to white.

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Originally Posted by SPEARONZ

You mentioned stretching the hide when it is drying. I have a tahr skin soaking in the leders kit at the moment and have conflicting advice about whether I can just remove it from the solution and hang it to dry or have to pin it out to a frame. Can anyone confirm if it does need to be stretched out?

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the skin pictured at start of post looks to me like very uneven distribution of tanning chemical by not turning or agitating skin or to cramped in tank perhaps - now I would pin it out - use very thin nails - trim later - it gives a much better finished product and its easier to work on - you can dictate the final shape - just loose over a frame it could crease badly - without pegging it if it creases at all very difficult to remove later - try a nylon bristle brush on a drill or angle grinder - but go gently - pumice block good - or timber -two of you pull back and fowards over a piece of rounded 4x4 or 4x2 - commercial tanners have all kind of machine at their disposal to work up nice smooth finish - a point here consider your self lucky you were not born years ago as an Innuit lady - you would be required to use ya teeth to soften hubbys new caribou leathers - and thats after a tanning involving urine and charcoal

it looks very good, you are doing everything right