The second fleshing step is key to a supple, leather hide. I wasn’t able to complete this step but now that my fleshing beam is completely ready for me to use I will do so going forward. It is recommended to take the hide back to the fleshing beam during the last 24 hours of soaking to thin the hide further. There is a visible change in the color of the hide. Regularly check the hide and rearrange it within the solution. Part of this step is to ensure all sections of the hide are in the solution and not folded over onto itself. I filled a gallon container full of solution, sealed it with its lid, placed it on top of the hide, and weighed it down that way. The instructions included with my kit were to ensure that the hide did not float in the pickling solution. You’ll want a scale to measure the product accurately. This solution is actually very acidic so wear rubber gloves when you work with the hide during this process. The first step is to place the hide in a pickling bath for 48-72 hours. When the tanning supply kit from Van Dykes Taxidermy finally arrived the anxiety began again. But I still did not have the tanning solutions so I re-salted it and tucked it away in an air-tight plastic container and waited for the supplies. A sharp fillet knife did the trick well enough. I needed to flesh the hide but I did not have a fleshing beam or flesher, which would have made this process much easier and efficient. When we took it out of the freezer, it was laid in a dark shed, instead of in the sun so the excess moisture would start to dry from the wet hide. I folded the hide up and stuck it in the freezer. I salted the hide but didn’t have the tanning supplies yet (the company from which I ordered from was back-ordered on every tanning product). I skinned the hide and because it was cold outside with snow on the ground I laid the hide side down in the snow overnight…for two nights. However, the methods recommended to me were to freeze or salt the hide since I wanted to tan it to create a soft and supple hide. There are some suggestions to rehydrate dried deer hides and then tan them.
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