How to Process a Deer Hide to Make It Machine Washable
- 1). Fill a plastic trash can with water and submerge and soak the untanned hide. Remove the wet hide from the water and hang it on a clothesline for 20 minutes to drain the water.
- 2). Lay the hair side of the hide on a sheet of plywood. Use a hide scraping knife to remove the flesh and fat from the skin. Work the skin for at least one hour with the knife. Soak the skin a second time, drain the water and continue scraping until the flesh is removed and skin is soft.
- 3). Dump the old water from the trash can. Add 10 gallons of warm water and mix 12 oz. of baking soda in the water. Add one shot of mild dish soap and submerge the skin for one hour. Use a stick to work the skin in the solution and soften the skin.
- 4). Remove the hide from the solution and drain the water for 20 minutes. Lay the hide on the plywood and scrape the skin until all of the tissue is removed. The process typically requires two or more hours of scraping.
- 5). Dip the hide in clean water to remove the washing solution and hang the hide for 20 minutes to drain the water. The washed hide is soft and prepared for tanning.
- 6). Dump the water and cleaning solution from the trash can. Add 1 gallon of clean water and mix 1 lb. of aluminum sulfate. Mix 1/2 gallon of water with 6 oz. of washing soda and 10 oz. of salt in a bucket. Pour the bucket into the trash can to combine the mixtures.
- 7). Submerge the skin in the bucket for one week to tan the hide. Remove the hide and rinse in clean water. Nail the edge of the hide to the plywood in a stretched manner. Use a soft paintbrush to add a thin layer of warm tanning oil to the hide. Repeat the oiling processing until the hide no longer absorbs the oil.
- 8). Machine wash the dirty tanned hide on a delicate cycle with mild detergents. Do not wash with bleach or harsh chemicals.