What Do Commercial Tanneries Do to Buffalo Hides?

With a tannin solution, machinery and time, commercial tanneries transform, or tan, raw buffalo hides into leather. It is a specialized and messy craft not recommended for those without training. Even skilled taxidermists who tan smaller animals such as deer often use commercial tanneries when a customer brings in a buffalo hide.

  1. History

    • Tanning animal hides is one the world's oldest crafts, and leather was crucial to many ancient societies. Eventually it was discovered that drying the skins with salt and soaking them in animal brains or certain tree bark would help the leather become softer, more flexible and durable. Brain tanning, the process practiced by most American Indians, uses the fatty acids to break down the hide, allowing it to bend without becoming brittle. This is the method most commonly used for buffalo leather, which is heavier and thicker than other hides tanned with heavy chemicals.

    Preparation

    • Before a buffalo hide can be tanned, it must be stripped of the animal's tissue and thick areas must be thinned. It can then be dried with salt. Drying the hide kills and prevents the spread of bacteria, which can eat away at the hide and weaken it. Many commercial tanneries require the hide to be dried before being shipped for tanning.

    Tanning

    • Commercial tanneries often use machines to thin the hide if the fur will be kept, or shave it if the hide is destined to become leather. Tanneries then stretch the buffalo hides -- but not as much as other hides -- with machines and soak them in a solution that softens the hide. Some tanneries might smoke the hide to further soften it and help it withstand getting wet.

    Uses

    • If hair is left on the skins, tanned buffalo hides can be used as warm winter robes or rugs. Buffalo leather can be used for nearly every product cattle leather is used for, and tanned buffalo hides can be used as decorative pieces. Tanning buffalo hides is more time consuming than tanning most other hides. There are some private programs that teach the craft (see Resources).