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Do any of you guys know of a simple and cheap way to tan a hide. what methods do you guys use and how long does it take. Trying to do my first hide any advise appreciated. thankyou matt

The big problem with doing a home tan for as cheap as possiable is that you will likely end up with just that, a cheaply tanned hide that will be thrown out in a short time.
If you have a hide that you feel is worth the time and efforet to get tanned why not get it done the right way from the start by a tannery.
I've seen about every method you can immagine and 90% of the home tannining ends up in the trash.
Your farther ahead time, cost and product wise to send it to someone that does it for a living.

Sorry I'm not going to answer your exact question but I have to agree with Brent. Tanning by a proffessional tannery is extremely cheap. You can't even do it for what they charge especially if you factor in your time. There are a bunch of very good tanners around that you will end up with a hide that you can enjoy for the rest of your life.
I just had a buy bring me a deer mount he had done last year from my competitor down the road. He tans his own hides. The hair is already falling out. Its going to cost this guy a new cape and mount. My competitor charges $50 less then I do. But it's going to cost this guy a heck of lot more then that now.

thanks a lot for the advice guys.

Peachtree, I agree with these guys, but on the other hand, if you never tried it, you will not ever be able to give advice to someone saying "well, I tried it once and..."

I once met an old man who had done many furs himself, and made skunk skin and coon skin hats and sold them etc. I hunted the guy down because I had heard of him. I tried his methods and it was difficult, but I probably would still have my skins except I just can not keep stuff I dont use once a week or so because of how I live.

Also, I grew up on an indian reservation during a time when they were tanning their deer hides for the moccasins and beadwork purses etc that they did. That stuff was so amazing, soft, looked and felt beautiful and had a beautiful smell that I crave right now as I type this. These were deer hides without hair though.

I also have made rawhide from deer skin that was attractive and usefull, and realatively easy to make.

So my vote is, if you have the desire and energy, do the research and try it once. Statistically speaking, you will only try it once. but then you can say you did. Who knows, you might beat the odds and try it about three times as I have, or make dozens of hats like the old man.

Also, if you are a beaver trapper and live near an area where tourists pass, a simply preserved beaver skin stretched on a willow hoop with raw hide or cord, decorated with a couple turkey feathers or something, can sell to folks decorating their cabins. A muskrat will to the same thing if skinned like you would skin a beaver.

I think a search on line would provide you with recepies and methods but basically, the old skunk skin man did it this way:

1 part alum, 2 parts salt disolved in just enough water to cover the skin (about 3 parts water). Alum is a white powder coagulant that can be bought at a drug store, but there have to be cheaper ways to buy it. Search on line.

The skin had to be meticulously fleshed, and washed with Dawn liquid detergent, and thoroughly rinsed and wrung . Then it is placed in the solution until you see the change in the skin. It turns kind of milky white-ish instead of looking like flesh, and it feels different than it did. Take a slice with a knife to make sure the tanning it goes all the way through. Seems like it took a few days for this to happen.

Then, he had a stout cord or rope fastened to his garage wall from about knee high to about seven feet high. (I remember he actually had the top of the cord going through a pully and fastened over at an angle, but I never could figure out why that would be better than fastening it solid at the top.) Take the skin out, wash it again, rinse it thoroughly and as it dries, do this: pull it back and forth across that rope; every inch of it must be pulled and worked often and hard (fur side in, on a case-skinned skin). This is where the skin turns out soft and nice or stiff and unpleasant, depending on how hard you pull it and work it and abuse it.

This part is a little foggy in my mind but, as it dries, you also work some "Neats Foot Oil" into the skin. for some reason I can not remember doing this step myself. I think I did, but cant remember it for some strange reason. (it was 30 years ago). But I know it is what he said to do.

The indians used a brain solution, and smoked the skin as they dried and chewed it. I think I tried this before I met the old man. It did not work out for me, and I was long gone from the reservation by the time I tried it. So, I know I lacked the knowledge, or the desire to chew on deer hide, or something like that. All I remember is it did not work for me. I am sure every step had details that mattered and I did not know how to do. Like, I am sure the smoke was specific, and I have no idea what they burned for it.

But if things are headed back to where we have to make our hats and clothes out of animal skins, I will have a little jump on most folks. Only a little jump though.

my older brother did it with cow brains (so he would make sure to have enough) and his turned out really well if you have the time to work the hide like it should i liked his and turned out great if your willing to put forth the effort and research.
bj

go to braintan.com primitive web site they'll help you out . also georgiaoutdoornews has a primitive section with tanning info . hope it helps been reserching this myself last couple days