How do you preserve animal hides?
How do you make them into rugs?


Thanks

You have to have the hides tanned or you can do it yourself.

salt the hide to help dry it out, srcape fat off hide, then treat with some sort of tanning solution, the native americans used to do it with animal fats and fish oils...

LOL, I've TRIED a lot of different ways, and many would do fine for a rug/wall hanging,but I've never been very satisfied with teh results.
Some lighter hides come out pretty soft and pliable, but others are stiff.
Most would make a poor wearing rug (hair would be gone pretty quick)
These days, I mostly skin,scrape, dry, and ship to Moyles for their garment tan.

I think having a solid knowledge of this sort would be extremely beneficial for a lot of reasons. I myself would like to learn more.

They would often use the brains (saltwater solution for drying), then work oil into them to make the pliable.

Pretty sad how we waste so much in our modern day life style, rewind a few hundred years ago, nothing went to waste, not even brains

animals happen to have enough brain matter to tan their own hide....


done this MANY times.....

1- flesh the hide....remove as much flesh and fat as is possible.
2- spread the brain onto the fleshed hide, mashing and working it in....patience....work it in.
3- stretch the hide as best you can.....if you cant, thats ok.
4-after the hide is thoroughly dry, a week or so....plank the hide....take small plank between your knees, rub the leather side of hide on the plank workng it until its soft...... patience is key.

done. hide is now soft and pliable, hair not falling out.

You can speed up the drying time by essentially smoking it over a fire.  Damp cottonwood smoke was used most in this area, I forgot exactly why, might have been to repel bugs or something.

your right on............speed and bug repel.....also really makes it smell better.