Use of Water in Hide Tanning

Learning how to tan hides on your own requires a great deal of patience and hard work. Understanding the components and solutions used during the tanning process is of the utmost importance in mastering this technique. Using water properly can make your first hide tanning a rewarding do-it-yourself project. Water is necessary to complete several stages of the process including cleaning, soaking, removing hair, finishing, as well as the tan itself.

  1. Water Use in Hide Preparation

    • You will need to clean and soak the dried or salt-cured hides after you have removed the flesh. Doing so requires water at a few different points. Fill a 5- to 10-gallon plastic or wooden barrel with water. The barrel size depends on the size of your hide. Soak the hide in water for two to three hours. This softens the skin for further scraping. Soaking longer than three hours can damage your hide or render it useless.

      Use lukewarm water to clean your scraped hide by mixing it with 1 ounce of washing soda or borax and 1 ounce of household soap to every 1 gallon of water in your barrel. This water solution helps to clean, soften and degrease your hide.

    Water Use in Hair Removal

    • Water is essential to the hair removal process as well, provided you intend to remove the hair or fur from your hide. You must use water to create a hydrated lime solution. Mix 1 quart of hydrated lime for every 5 gallons of water to complete the solution. Soak the hide in the solution for seven to 10 days before testing to see if the hair slips off easily. Keep the hide fully immersed in the water and hydrated lime solution until hair comes off the hide easily.

    Water Use in Tanning Solution

    • Chrome tanning is a popular method for do-it-yourself and beginning tanners. The process requires two separate water-based solutions. For the first solution, mix 3½ pounds of soda ash and 6 pounds of salt to every 3 gallons of clean cool water. Stir it until the soda ash and salt have dissolved completely before using the solution. The second solution uses 1½ pounds of chrome alum for every 9 gallons of water. This solution does not dissolve quickly, but frequent stirring assists the process.

      After the two water-based solutions are complete, add the soda ash and salt solution to the chrome alum solution. This is what you will soak your hide in to tan it. Consult the Oklahoma State University link in the Resources section for complete tanning instructions.

    Water Use in Finishing

    • Regardless of your preferred tanning method, you need to use water for the oiling process after tanning has completed. Water is part of the post-tan coating known as fat liquor oil. Mix 3½ ounces of warm water with 3½ of sulfated neats foot oil and 10 ounces of household ammonia. You will then use a paintbrush to apply even coatings of fat liquor oil to your tan hide as desired.