After having soaked the salted hide in water overnight, I “fleshed” the deer hide. This removed all the fat and meat that was left on the hide from the skinning process. It was mildly physical, but not too difficult. You’ll notice I am wearing a cheap rain poncho to keep a barrier between myself and the hide. Though the hide had been salted to preserve it, it didn’t have the most pleasant aroma in the world.
After I finished fleshing the hide, I put it in a plastic barrel to soak in a solution of water and hydrated lime. This should make removing the hair very easy. I hope the gross factor will go down from here, but I’ll just have to wait and see.
Yesterday, there were a few times I had to keep reminding myself of why I am doing this:
To produce quality bark tanned deer leather for whipmaking!
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