How To Make A Rug Out Of Deer Hide

Work only the bare side of the hide as rubbing the fur will break the hair.

How to make a rug out of deer hide.

Remove the animal hide and place it in clean cold water for another 24 hours changing the water at least 6 times during the process. Add one pound of ammonium alum in the small bucket and add one gallon of water. Pour the alum water mixture into the garbage can with the salt water and then put the hide into the solution. The next day there will likely be a pool of fluid sitting on top of the now wet salt.

After four days remove the hide and rinse with fresh water from a garden hose. Hold the hide with one hand on each side of the rope and rub the bare skin side of the hide in a back and forth motion across the rope. Rub both sides of the deer hide with a thin layer of warm baby oil. The salt essentially preserves the hide but if you aren t going to continue the tanning process now then simply roll the hide up and freeze it until you re ready to continue.

Use 3 5 pounds of salt depending on how large the hide is. You can cover the skin in salt and let it dry out by the sun or you could take borax and cover the skin and leave the skin out for a day and then take the borax off. The salting process takes a day or two if the proper amount of salt is used. The more you work the hide the softer the skin will become as rubbing the hide breaks down the collagen fibers.

Use a cloth to remove any excess. Drape the hide over the rope. Of borax to 20 gallons of lukewarm water in the second 30 gallon trash can. The salt method will leave the skin a little hardened but if you use the borax method the skin with be very supple.

Scrape the old salt off and reapply a fresh layer. Make sure you put down a fairly thick layer of salt to draw out the moisture from the pelt. Moisten a cloth and use it to dampen but not wet the deer hide. Let the water drip from the animal hide.

Leave the hide sit overnight. Stir until the alum is dissolved. Soften the skin by rubbing the hide over the saw horse applying baby oil sparingly. The purpose is to draw out all moisture and dry the hide out.

Submerge the animal hide for 24 hours stirring it around frequently. There is two ways to cure a deer skin if you want the hair on it.