# tanning hides



## provider (Jan 17, 2011)

I always hated throwing out hides from the time I shot my first rabbit, but I never knew how to tan. The furthest I got was salting hides for a very stiff product. 

I bought "Deer Hunters and Trappers Tanning Solution" and another product called Lutan recently. I took my daughters rabbit hunting. We got a pair of cottontails, cooked them up the next day, and tried a different product on each hide.

The lutan took longer and was more involved, but I can now say I completed a soft skin tan!!!

The other product worked, but it is stiffer. Maybe it just needs some leather conditioner like what was included in the lutan package. 

I look forward to doing this again next year.


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## Groganite (Nov 14, 2012)

Where did you buy Lutan, how much was it, whats the biggest hide you can tan with it, and on a scale 1-10 how hard was it for a novice tanner, 1 being easy.


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## JWM (May 20, 2012)

Van ***** Taxidermy sells the lutan kit for $20 and their own kits which are easy and produce pretty good results. They usually tan 1 deer hide or the equivalent in small game. It's a pretty simple process as long as you get all the meat and fat off the hide and calculate your measurements correctly (an accurate cooking scale helps a lot).
The kits don't come with salt but you can buy bulk pickling salt at most grocery stores.

If you don't already know how to, I would suggest learning how to case skin for the best looking hides


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## JWM (May 20, 2012)

I would rate the actual tanning process a 2 out of 10 if your doing small lean game like rabbits. Aside from the kit you just need a bucket and a work bench. Fattier animals like raccoons require more effort to get the hide clean enough to tan. Larger hides like deer require a lot more space and a 55 gal drum.


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## provider (Jan 17, 2011)

Grogite,

The lutan cost $20 and the Deer Hunters & Trappers cost $15. I ordered from Cabellas and spent $47 after shipping and tax. 

The rabbit pelt hardly put a dent in all of the product I have. 

The one comment is right that you also need salt. It shouldn't contain iodide for a reason I don't know. 

It was easy to use the Lutan, but DHT was easier. The lutan just made a better product. The hardest part isn't using the product. It is preparing the hide. Rabbit hide is thin and I made a lot of tears when I thinned it. The leather came out pretty well though. I look forward to trying a few more rabbits and hope to do a deer next year.


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## Nambaster (Nov 15, 2007)

Have you ever tried brain tanning? Its a cheaper route....


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## Groganite (Nov 14, 2012)

mmmmmm brainssssss


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