Alum Tanning Lamb Hides

Maximizing the yield from our recent lamb harvest is important to us. My friend Shaun does tanning of hides so I bring our lamb hides to him for alum tanning. Shaun demonstrates the alum tanning process and also shows us some of his brain tanning creations.
Shaun's alum tanning process: So here are my ratios for the alum tanning paste that I use to do one sheep hide. In a 5 gallon plastic bucket, add one quart of warm water, dissolve 1 cup of non iodized salt and 2/3 cup of washing soda. After this is dissolved, slowly add in 2 cups of aluminum sulfate while stirring. The alum will foam up really high so give it time to settle and not spill over your bucket. You may need to add a little more water if the solution is too powdery and not liquid.
After the alum has settled (about 20 min) add some cheap cornmeal as a thickener. You want this stuff to be a sticky paste, not too dry and powdery and not too runny. The cornmeal will absorb water after a few minutes and you may need to add a little more water to get the right consistency.
When it's a good paste, apply it to the flesh side of a fresh sheep, goat or deer hide. If using a dry or salted hide, you will need to rehydrate it first by putting some warm wet towels on the flesh side for a day or two to get the skin to accept the alum paste.
Allow the hide to sit flat on the ground a week or so, until this alum stuff dries out. My experience has been that my hides turn out best after sitting for 6 months with this stuff on but I did some that sat for about 2 weeks and they came out decent, just not as soft.
When ready to soften, soak the hide in a tub of water for an hour or so until soft. Wash the fleece and comb at this point. Don't wash the flesh side, just rinse it in water. Gently wring the hide and shake the water out as best you can. Let the hide dry slowly, over several days in the shade. Check it 2 times a day or so to make sure the skin isn't drying out. When the skin starts to dry (at the thin spots first) begin pulling on the hide. The skin fibers will turn white and open up becoming dry but still flexible. Continue this every few hours until the hide is dry and soft. Then comb the fleece one last time and it should be good to go.
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[@viscache1]

This is amazing! Thanks for doing this. I raise Leicester Longwool sheep and the ones that either age out of reproduction or are meat quality (vs. show quality) we slaughter for meat. The LL sheep need shearing twice per year and grow 8”-10” every 6 months…which is perfect for a hide to sell. The long straight/curly wool is very rare and desirable on the fur market. This was very informative….time to cut a long piece of log and make a scraping stand! YEAH! Another thing to do! ….as if farming wasn’t keeping me busy enough!

[@whitehouseonthehill]

Fascinating stuff... nice job using every part of the sheep!

[@PEADIC]

He is very eloquent and intelligent. Thank you for this video. 🇯🇲

[@TheGrassfedHomestead]

you're welcome!

[@tpfarm3535]

Great informational video! I've been trying to tan goat hides and they are always stiff! I don't leave the hair on. My next butcher, I'll skin legs from the upper and outer regions to get rid of that half moon shape in the skin! Good to know! Thanks for letting us tag along!

[@henrygilbert2368]

nice picture with all the leaves falling

[@lowlyfirefly]

Thank you for this instructional video! Very informative and pleasant to follow along the process!

[@sandykl]

Good stuff!!!!!!!! Love this. Exciting. I’m hopeful for my future knowing that there are people at there with this outlook on life!!!

[@TheGrassfedHomestead]

Thank you!

[@aminachef6713]

@@TheGrassfedHomestead hi ,please if you can give me the ingredients of the mixture by French and thank you

[@BIGALTX]

Great tanning video tutorial. I see one of my Greenhouses in the background... Cool !

[@CleoCastonguay47]

Thanks for sharing this "How To" ... tan sheep hides video. Very interesting. Too bad we lost all that knowledge and the skills weren't passed on from generation to generation. I think we have to get closer to nature and rediscover where we come from. :)

[@paintedwings74]

For anyone using metric or reducing quantities of ingredients, here are the calculations done for you: Metric equivalents of his recipe: 1 L warm water (rounded up from 946 mL) 250 mL salt (240 mL) 175 mL sodium carbonate "washing soda" (163 mL) 500 mL aluminum sulfate (480 mL) cornmeal To use smaller amounts, each ingredient makes up the following percentages: Water is 52% of the mixture Salt is 13% Sodium carbonate is 9% Aluminum sulfate is 26% Metric is a whole lot easier to use when you want to make smaller batches. Sucks to be us, here in the US!

[@claudiomoradi5079]

En espanish

[@bmluz2276]

What is the recipe for the alum solution??

[@GatheringJacob]

It’s in the description

[@FluffyHellKitty]

Just found this video in doing my research for alum hide tanning. I've started learning recently, as there are a lot of hunters in my area who don't have time or desire to tan their hides, so sadly they often get wasted or thrown away. So I've resolved to try to learn this craft and so far I've had very mixed results! I tried a couple of egg tanning formulas and also a commercial pre-mixed alum solution, and was looking for a way to minimize risk of hair slip and also the amount of work. This idea of making an alum paste is amazing!!! I've never seen anywhere else someone doing it as a paste, and the added benefit of being able let it dry and store the hide in a preserved state is super convenient!!! Plus then saving and re-using the powder on another hide. Thank you so much, to you and also Shaun, for sharing in detail his process and the exact formula for the alum paste! Will be using this exact process on moose, cow, bear, goat, and wolf hides that I have been waiting to work on! Thank you again!

[@TheGrassfedHomestead]

you're welcome! let me know how it works out for you

[@wendymaddock7705]

Very interesting 🤨 xx the rigs look beautiful xx 😘

[@aliciadunlap3353]

Very educational video. Can the same process be done for a cow hide?

[@TheGrassfedHomestead]

yes

[@creativekoala9721]

Very educational video. I've been working on learning this art of tanning, and there is a lot to learn! Thanks

[@AlexJohnson-wh3ih]

It's really educates. Made my Christmas believe me.

[@HiddenMeadowFarm]

I always enjoy your content. And watching your channel grow.

[@lizzinlife]

Great video, I always enjoy your content.

[@thisisagoldengranny]

I was totally fascinated by this episode. It may be something you could pass along to Justin Rhodes. I am a great believer in utilizing the entire animal to honour its life and sacrifice. I would also go further in learning to tan the hide to producing possible clothing coats etc and also follow up with wool treatment and turning it into weaved cloth. This is a section where Justin's new processing and showing off old techniques that will produce possible new jobs\old jobs. It will also bring back a chance for people to learn old knowledge. Knowledge lost thru manufacturing can be reinvigorated to produce marketable products. Wouldn't you agree?

[@TheGrassfedHomestead]

For sure!

[@GatheringJacob]

So the “tanning process” is Washing it, drying it, and stretching it?

[@susannielsen8688]

Educational! What is the end product of the hides?

[@melissareimers5882]

great video! thanks guys!

[@NoorALanwar-uz1ji]

What you are using to keep it soft

[@JoelMadumise-pq6ky]

Wonderful amazing and so interesting ❤

[@juliebeal8574]

What will you do with the hides? I would LOVE to buy one from you if you ever decide to sell any of them! :)

[@cassandraokamoto]

I just did this exact process and was sad that the video ended right before he removed the alum paste!!! is there a part II? After I oiled mine and then staked/stretched/softened it is all fuzzy and I was trying to figure out why or how or where I went wrong...

[@TheGrassfedHomestead]

No, I wasn't able to return to film the other parts

[@TheAcanter]

i have seen in other videos to salt before you do the alum tanning. why do you not have that step?

[@NoorALanwar-uz1ji]

Can you please write what you are using to do this

[@brianphilbrook5262]

That’s cool. I’d love to do this with our goat hides

[@hannahclemen7607]

Hi mate, thanks so much for sharing your method and recipe. Just wondering, in your description with the recipe you mention that you had best results when you let the hides sit for up to 6 months. did you just leave the dried paste on the hide or did you do further applications during that time?

[@garryarganis5801]

salt doesnt make the tanning easier? i mean removing all the bits and pieces of leftover fat and meat?

[@flatlandhomestead2575]

Just send the video to my oldest son! Does this guy have a channel?

[@douglaskampfer2028]

There's a difference between potassium alum and aluminum sulfate, a good tan can be made from potassium alum, taxidermy folks use aluminum sulfate.

[@shananacarrillo]

What are the mesurment, amounut of each ingridiennts you put for the paste??

[@amypayjack6481]

When the paste turns to powder and you pour it off the hide before washing it, is that powder re-usable?

[@TheGrassfedHomestead]

I don’t think so

[@maoozrasul4374]

You guys should do a weekly homestead update please

[@sayyamzahid505]

Cairo

[@candicechristensen1753]

Great information!!! Thanks so much!

[@Michaeloftheland]

Crazy. So with alum there are no emulsified oils entering the fiber network to lubricate like with braintan? What makes it soft just a chemical reaction? I’ve been braintanning my sheep and bison hides for a long time and was always under the impression that alum was just a sort of way to strip the hide glues from the skin whilst still holding in hair follicles to later soften with emulsified oils without the burden of penetrating past those glues. But it’s a whole other thing.

[@paintedwings74]

Yep, Michael. Sounds like you know exactly what's going on, chemically. As they said, alum is sort of like just salting it, except that the aluminum has the ability to bind to the fibers and keep them "open," so it's not like rawhide anymore. The same thing that happens with chrome tanning, except that that process is toxic. The aluminum can be washed out to leave the hide soft but not pliable; or further treated to maintain softness and even to introduce flexibility, like brain-tan. That's the part I'm about to experiment with; seeing if the alum treatment interferes with emulsifying oil action. Hoping to get the best of both worlds.

[@rachelkoski]

I've been combo tanning with alum and then emulsified oils/ smoke for years. Your understanding is pretty accurate. A good potash alum tan (called tawing) does not wash out though, that's a myth.

[@khaledalbelaihshi6655]

One of the ingredients is corn meal Would you please explain it or tell us another name for it

[@MountainLover916]

It’s ground maize/corn, corn flour or masa harina.

[@ابوعليالعراقي-س1ض]

ممكن تقول لي ما هيه اسماء المواد التي تلين الجلد حينما يجف رجائا

[@omarel7893]

Great job keep safe

[@scuzzbecuzz]

Fascinating!

[@moodymare4702]

So the "tanning process" is just stretching the fibers or does he do more than soap wash, brush, and stretch?

[@ransari3230]

Excellent guidance... thank u so much......

[@makeloo1]

Thank you for your video. I'd like to know where could I find a knife like yours? How do you name this type knives?

[@paintedwings74]

It's a fleshing knife and you can buy it from trapping supply companies such as Southern Snares (a good company out of Georgia) or even on Amazon (big evil company). Get a cheap one to start with. The nice ones, you have to already have a good feel for it. Like, you start a kid out driving a klunker of a car, you don't put them into a Ferrari, that's for when you're already a good driver.

[@jesseandamandamoffatt2223]

I've even just asked the local woodworker for his old dull blades and wrapped tons of tap on either side for my handles.

[@ubetchya78]

Did you harvest the sheep's brains? Those could be used to brain tan, or you could eat them. I've heard that every animal has enough brain to process its own hide. Back in the late 80's when we harvested our first hogs an elderly friend gave us hell for raw feeding the heads to our dogs - after that we brought her all the heads. We had no interest in head cheese, boiled tongue or fried brains... we would share kidneys and liver feasts with her, and she'd process up our leaf lard for us. We had a very interesting, symbiotic homesteading (wasn't called that then, but would be now) relationship with her and her partner.

[@johnfitzgerald5938]

Am eating sheep's brain while reading this

[@paintedwings74]

I've been working on using the brains in my small animal furs, but as he said here, it tends to result in fur slippage. So I collect the brains instead, in the freezer, for whenever I next get my hands on a larger hide that I want to make into hairless leather. The idea that each animal has enough brain for its own hide is a very variable "fact". Some animals have smaller brains relative to their skin size. Your average predator, like a coyote, has a fairly complex set of behaviors that requires a larger brain. But get to a grazing animal, which has simpler survival "directions," and it doesn't need to expend as much energy on thinking. (Brains eat up a lot of calories!) So by the time you get to buffalo, with their strategies of "eat, stay with herd, run when danger comes," there aren't enough brains per hide.

[@kavisenpoosi3718]

What solution did you put on the skin??

[@dustinvandrew7382]

What is the recipe for the alum solution

[@TheGrassfedHomestead]

read the description

[@arifbegendi9939]

Açıklama kısmında türkçe çeviri ekle bilirmisiniz ben çeviremedim

[@RobertsBulgaria]

Very useful skill to know. How long after the slaughter did you take the fleeces to Shaun and is it possible to work with old bundled stored fleeces that haven't been salted or anything?

[@TheGrassfedHomestead]

I took them within a few days

[@paintedwings74]

If your old stored fleeces have no rot or damage, then this all works fine. If they have any damage, who knows what it will turn out like, but the main thing that would likely happen is that the wool will "slip," meaning you won't be able to make wool rugs, but might still be able to make leather.

[@kittbenefield6134]

how much alum did you use per skin?

[@Bamapride1000]

The alum tan will fade the hide after a period of time. If you’ve ever seen a deer mount that’s been inside without sun through a window and it still looks sun faded that’s the alum tan. If you’re looking for a tan that’s gonna keep a soft supple pet or hide that retains its original color then get it from a trapping supply dealer. FandT fur harvesters, Minnesota trapline products, PCS outdoors somewhere like that always has a tanning solution that’s better than the alum tan.

[@itsivaschannel2391]

How much does a tanner charge?

[@عليالعراقي-ش1ظ3د]

Hi. Can you tell me how to keep hides for long time befor goes to tannery

[@TheGrassfedHomestead]

pack them in salt

[@errolm8313]

What happens if I don't get all of the membrane and fat off? (I'm working a deer Hide

[@majorcorn0526]

For some reason I thought there was a foot in the thumbnail

[@jakerainey1396]

So when he washes the hide does he fully immerse the hide?

[@TheGrassfedHomestead]

I'm not sure

[@ericavery3054]

it seems aluminum potassium sulfate AIK(so4)2 is different than aluminum sulfate

[@paintedwings74]

Sure is. Aluminum sulfate is fortunately an easy chemical to acquire.

[@jasonnester9514]

You didn’t say how much of each ingredient

[@juliehiestand8180]

I thought that there would be no screw-ups when you were doing the Flushing. The hides would just become craft projects if there too badly gone. I would love one of those for a craft project. Keep teaching us, I love it

[@melissareimers5882]

care to share the recipe parts??? 1 part salt, 2 parts cornmeal, 3 parts super washing soda, .5 parts aluminum sulfate??? thanks!

[@TheGrassfedHomestead]

it's in the video description

[@melissareimers5882]

oh! thanks! i didn't even think to look there!

[@johnfitzgerald5938]

This is my first time

[@lisabooker6405]

Very cool!!!

[@ToaGatanuva]

So, beginner question here. Did you remove the leather while scraping?

[@paintedwings74]

Do you mean thinning? If you don't know what I mean by thinning, then the answer to your question is no. Animals have three layers of skin, and on the inside layer the skin is connected to muscle and fat by a thin membrane. What he's doing there is separating the "leather," the outer skin layers, from the membrane that attaches it to the interior of the body. If he wanted to make a leather, instead of a fur, or "hair on," he'd do the same cleaning inside, and then use chemicals (or a good long soak) to take off the outer layer of skin where the hair is growing.

[@narutofanz85]

Hey guys, can I use citric acid instead of aluminum sulfate??

[@TheGrassfedHomestead]

I don't know

[@carolinebaines8735]

Very Cool!

[@joshspratt515]

I'm trying tanning for the first time. I'm working on a deer skin rug and have it in the second salting stage. Can I still do this alum method or how would you recommend I finish the hide off to keep the hair on.

[@sayyamzahid505]

I live in Karachi Pakistan I like your comments send

[@rhiannonevans6684]

Could I use ordinary white plain or self raising flour instead of the corn meal? I am in the uk I've never come across corn meal. Also, would this work if I use boric acid instead of the alum? Thanks

[@TheGrassfedHomestead]

I don't know

[@randy1ization]

can u put it in an antpile

[@FreeRange1234]

does Shawn have a youtube channel, or website? would like moe info on his tanning method

[@TheGrassfedHomestead]

He does not

[@kenancinar8333]

What is solition plase

[@solarnoon1]

Would you be willing to post your alum paste recipe? Amounts of each component. With thanks

[@TheGrassfedHomestead]

If you send me an email - dan at grassfedhomestead dot com - I will get you in touch with Shaun about that

[@kristinmcclendon2543]

Susan Risk if you got this recipe is love to know too 😊

[@gokhanyildiz434]

BİR DEMET GÜL VERENİN ELİNDE BİR DEMET GÜL KOKUSU KALIR ELİNE YÜREGİNE SAGLIK

[@kenancinar8333]

Gökhan bey merhaba ingilizcem yok üzerine ne sürdü anlıyorsan bana yaza bilirmisin teşekkürler

[@arifbegendi9939]

Türkçe alt yazılı yapabilirmisiniz

[@robertbuck4284]

Why didn't you tan the Llamas hide?

[@daemonember]

Robert Buck he did not skin penny she died in the winter and they disposed of the body without burying her.

[@jodyflores601]

Thank you for another great video. :)

[@ChrissyB529]

I've watched a couple different. Videos on rabbit hides and they do a Alum and salt pickle. Is that something you cant do with sheep hide or is this way a little easier and efficient? I'm asking because I have been intrested in raising my own meat and want to use as much of the animal as I can. I wasn't sure what the difference between the pickling anf this method

[@TheGrassfedHomestead]

I'm not familiar with the salt pickle method so I can't really comment

[@ChrissyB529]

The Grass-fed Homestead I was looking up how to preserve rabbit hides and came across this video kzbin.info/www/bejne/sKmXlZWvoZh5rNU . I wasn't sure if you use different ways to preaerve based on the animal type or based on whats available

[@ChrissyB529]

I love watching your channel. I want to homeatead myself one day and ypur videos are a great inspiration to be as well as a great resource for knowledge I may neex to have.

[@spicysocks4492]

From what ive noticed is just the wait time, for the dry method (as in video) it takes about 2weeks (if you cant wait 6months) or 6 months to get maximum softness from the hide as with the pickle that max youd have to wait is about 3 to 7 days for the hid to be "tanned" if you will then you can start stretching it. Ive used the pickle for a while and came out with good products, was considering on trything this method however.

[@randyrejer4219]

Very interesting.

[@danielcarver6686]

I watch you & Justin daily. You two are very informative and I just enjoy the videos. But on a humorous note, Your wife ofte looks like the government agent waiting for you to mess up. LOL, Agreiean resonance????

[@TheGrassfedHomestead]

Ha! Thanks for watching Daniel.

[@REDWCHANNEL]

7:30 🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂 ❤❤❤❤❤

[@nancyfahey7518]

Phew! I think ill stick to little rabbits. 😊🐇

[@jesseobrien973]

Soft

[@josemanuelrutebejar865]

this tanning is worth for taxidermy

[@rezasadein28]

[@claudiomoradi5079]

Traducción en castellano x favor soy de Argentina

[@russsherwood5978]

can you also brain it to make clothes with?

[@TheGrassfedHomestead]

yes! One of our hides is being brain-tanned for that purpose

[@arifbegendi9939]

Türkçe altyazi olursa çok güzel olacak

[@ИсаИсаев-ы5ы]

Что за состав которым ты можешь эту шкуру

[@veratkach8830]

Иса Исаев Состав есть в описании под видио

[@hayallerutopya6034]

Birisi şunu türkçeye çevirsin allah rızası için ya

[@sitarafoodsandlivestock4322]

ہم خرگوش کی کھال محفوظ کرنا چاہتے ہیں۔۔

[@georgiosmimikos1433]

no hide any more thanks

[@srugel44]

nuclear fallout for Idaho.

[@motog6436]

Lmao, how did you end up with that much blood and meat on a pelt?

[@zarifkeldiboyev6376]

I am uzbek

[@JayCWhiteCloud]

People need to check their facts and sources...Just because its in a book, on the internet or in a video...DOES NOT!!!...make it good information. I apologize for being a critical, but this is another "KZbinr - DIYer" trying to reinvent the wheel...(aka: I made up my own formula) not actually learning from (it would seem???) a professional or someone with seasoned experience in traditional tanning. Another good example of the, "blind leading the blind!" What he did (kind of?) create is a version of a "salt/soap" tanning solution which is why he had the success he did have, plus he did a decent job of fleshing the hide... "AMUM TANNING"... is done with Potassium Aluminium Sulfate - KAl(SO4)2, also called "potash alum" XAl(SO4) 2. This is a naturally occurring mineral and can be a food grade product used for canning food, mordant in natural dying, in deodorants...and of course...proper ALUM TANNING! This "KZbinr" has used the wrong material for what he claimed he was doing by using Aluminium sulfate Al2(SO4)3...WHICH IS!!!...not meant of food canning...OR TANNING!!!...but exactly what the bag he poured if from meant it to be used for...!!!...A SOIL AUGMENTATION MINERAL FOR DROPPING PH...NOT PROPER potash tanning!

[@ninanina-yj7km]

لو انكم تذبحون الحيوانات على الطريقة الصحيحة ماكنتم اختم وقتكم لنزع الشحم من الجلد يعع مقزز

[@alchemlifestyle4330]

4:34 that's waste of meat in my country we have like a bit of meat cause we know how to skin an animal

[@HoneyHollowHomestead]

Very interesting.

[@mishaakaramat3484]

Hi, what is the recipe for the alum solution?

[@spicysocks4492]

in the description!

[@mishaakaramat3484]

@@spicysocks4492 well it was edited. He didn't have the recipe at first. So keep your exclamation marks to yourself!

[@spicysocks4492]

@@mishaakaramat3484 didnt mean it as an aggressive comment lol sorry

[@mishaakaramat3484]

@@spicysocks4492 all good.