Hide Tanning - Making Rawhide

A co-worker brought me a buck for meat and other projects. Since I didn't get one of my own this year, I was quite grateful. I have wanted to tan a hide for some time now. This is my first time to do this. So this weekend I got it out of the freezer to get started. It was already skinned, so that was done. Once it thawed out, I soaked it in a trash can with a mixture of ashes and water. It soaked over night.






















Hide soaking in lye.

The next morning i propped it up on the beam to scrape all the goop off. I used an old file to scrape it. it worked okay. I need to make a proper scraper.
























After scraping.

It is back in the tub to soak for a while till the hair slips off. I'll need to make a stretching rack thingy in the mean time.

I'm just planing on making rawhide from this hide.

If you have any suggestions or if I'm doing anything wrong, please let me now. I have been reading alot of material on PaleoPlanet and appreciate all the help I have received there.

I'll post the next steps, maybe next weekend.

God Bless Yall