What Type of Lime to Use for Tanning and Rawhide and Where to Get It (lime cycle)

Lime is used to loosen the hair for removal and sort of clean the fiber network of the skin. I made this video to help people understand what type of lime is used in tanning and how to get it, as well as a basic understanding of what lime is and how it's made. For more see:
My other lime videos: • PRIMITIVE FIRE SCIENCE...
Lime stuff on my blog: skillcult.com/lime
This video on dehairing skins using lime: • Home Tanning Skills: ...
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[@TrenchForgeArmory]

this is the most comprehensive series on hide tanning ever keep doing what your doing

[@SkillCult]

+Trench Forge Armory thanks man, I will!

[@samirmanuel8944]

You probably dont care but does someone know of a way to log back into an instagram account?? I stupidly lost the login password. I would love any assistance you can give me

[@brodieharley7040]

@Samir Manuel Instablaster =)

[@samirmanuel8944]

@Brodie Harley Thanks so much for your reply. I found the site through google and im waiting for the hacking stuff atm. Looks like it's gonna take quite some time so I will get back to you later with my results.

[@samirmanuel8944]

@Brodie Harley It did the trick and I finally got access to my account again. I am so happy! Thanks so much you saved my ass !

[@uiop545]

a mountain of knowledge in all your videos; much appreciated.

[@bravespirit1428]

Your content is great, I love the level of detail

[@brianclayton6305]

THANK YOU! I’ve been looking for this great info a couple of days, this is a great overview.

[@norobot858]

just discovered this channel with this video and i already like it

[@NovaDexter]

Can't thank you enough for your videos.

[@ShowAndTool]

I have a serious appreciation for how thorough your videos are! thanks for sharing what you do!

[@SkillCult]

You're welcome :)

[@nibs8484]

Your videos are fantastic! Good mix of science, practical experience, and humor. Thank you!

[@SkillCult]

Thank you Tim.

[@Lucaeus]

Thank you for teaching man, I really appreciate it!

[@SkillCult]

:)

[@TheMilkmaidFarm]

Excellent! I found you researching other uses for hydrated lime other than waterglassing eggs and making pickles.

[@user-zn9uf6fe4v]

Thank you, thank you, thank you, you are really a great man that love teaching people, thanks again 👍

[@SkillCult]

you are welcome :)

[@jamesclass1744]

thank you!

[@donttread5414]

Great explanation. Theres so many long winded over complicated definitions of lime. Im doing research for doing lime masonry with stone.

[@mohammedidrees6737]

Thanks

[@tonytuthill]

Thank you. - Best

[@fahim026]

You are really good at what you are doing and super good at teaching 😃😃

[@SkillCult]

Thank you. I've been teaching a long time.

[@fahim026]

SkillCult ok 👍 good to know about your channel otherwise i will be missed more information! Keep doing

[@ce4130]

I love this foundational stuff, so interesting. It's like I missed out on some basic education in being a human on planet Earth and am having to play catch up as an adult. I would consider supporting you on Patreon.

[@SkillCult]

+ce4130 I love doing this kind of stuff and always hope it will interest enough people. One of my main goals is really to provide something like a basic education in functional understanding of materials and processes. I basically have aspired to at least start where a lot of 19th century and early 20th century rural Americans probably were by the time they were 18 or even sooner- having a basic understanding of the qualities and uses of the materials and processes available to them and reasonably skilled at using available tools. We have some advantages now, like access to broader information and deeper technical understanding, but from a functional point, we are not what we used to be. That is a lot of what I have been planning for the reskilling dojo. I know some of my advisor/friends think I'm crazy for planning to give it away instead of selling it as some kind of course, which it will absolutely be worth paying for, and I wonder if they might be right. But, I'm hoping patreon will work and make me more comfortable with that decision. Reaching as many people as possible that can use it is always my goal above all else as long as I can still get by and continue doing it. At this point I'm operating at a loss though. Hopefully I'll have it together within a few weeks and we'll see how it goes.

[@garethbaus5471]

​@@SkillCult For a number of reasons despite appreciating your content I cannot afford to significantly support you at the moment, but I may be able to do so in a few years.

[@SkillCult]

@@garethbaus5471 No worries. Thanks :)

[@michellepatterson3573]

That's because the system was designed to teach us nonsense. To keep us dumb.

[@Bruh-in5su]

Nice

[@timothylongmore7325]

You gotta love what you do. I stopped making content 3-4 years ago. My stuff was low to no quality and with no revenue I had to say , what's the point.

[@SkillCult]

I can't say I'm as enthusiastic as I used to be, but I'm also just distracted and busy with so many projects

[@timothylongmore7325]

@@SkillCult Same here, when covid hit I jumped all over that. Still filmed some stuff but didn't edit or post content. I researched youtube revenue a bit and decided My content and postings was just a contribution of knowledge that few wanted. But the main reason was for posterity. Someday my children and grandchildren may be ready to "meet" me where I live and take up the torch. At least in the sense retracing some of my footsteps. Places I've hiked and loved. Local gulf systems and eastern Adirondacks. I was in my early thirties when I re-discovered my roots. (nature , hunting , hiking etc) My kids were raised like that and will probably need to get back as I did. I bet your kin will value your work as well.

[@macmcatee611]

Just a suggestion. If you don't want to buy a big bag of lime at the local building supply store, check your grocery store in the canning supply area and get a one pound bag of pickling lime. Sure it costs more per pound but you don't end up with fifty pounds of it sitting in a storage shed for years. I had to go to two different groceries to find a bag around here, apparently some carry it and some don't. Right now, August is prime canning season so the canning supply areas should be fairly well stocked, I'd try Walmart also.

[@SkillCult]

Good idea. That could be helpful to a lot of people. Thanks.

[@fritz6377]

Thats very interesting, but how exactly can i tann with lime, just use it like bark tannins or what? it great you put up these videos, i learned a lot from them.

[@SkillCult]

+fritz yeah sorry, I just put in a note in the beginning but I forgot I need to tell people what it's actually used for! That is always a danger for teachers to forget what it's like to be someone that is just beginning. Lime is used in the preparatory phases to loosen the hair. It also dissolves other unwanted substances from the skin fiber and saponifies fats so they can be removed. Actual tanning is carried out with the tannins or other substances.

[@fritz6377]

Thank you for the answer! I have only done egg tanning before, but planning to do some Bark tanning as well. i am a little short on hides tho.

[@StanislavG.]

Would really like to see a video about tanning with brains. I know it was a very popular method in the old days but almost never used now.

[@SkillCult]

I just happen to have written a 280 page book on that with my ex wife :) amzn.to/2bYS2Vb

[@SkillCult]

Don't know that I'll be doing videos on it. there is much more of a need for vegetable tanning and general tanning videos. I might do some on specific parts of the process.

[@StanislavG.]

I'm not much of a book reader. I'd rather be shown than read it :) I'd rather support you on Patreon :)

[@SkillCult]

Patreon is coming, I swear! I need support too. hard to do a 40 acre homestead alone and pull off this kind of content and figure out finances too.

[@watchman0311]

And caliche

[@TheGrmany69]

By what I've researched (and this is important), the three chemicals: -Sodium Lye -Potassium Lye -Lime (calcium) They're just the same type of compound but with more o less reactive metal elements*, and this is significative for hide production at different scales because this determines how big is your amount of hides/fur to tan. See, the sodium lye is very reactive and in small productions is very risky because in those amounts the material is hard to measure to ensure an acceptable output (or just being secure for the hides), i.e. it let's less space of manoeuvrability within the proportions to achieve a excellent result, meanwhile lime grants you a wider range of amount usage for smaller productions, it's range of proportions respect smaller amounts of hides is wider than sodium lye, so if you want to go industrial or just a little more bigger just use potassium lye (in the middle of the other two in tanning capability) or even sodium lye, this one is used for tanning fishskin at industrial levels and even there they have to be very careful as a very fine and delicate material as fishskin can be affected negatively if the proportions are not within the correct range of acceptable proportions of material for solution/charge of hide. *(in the periodic table Na sodium, K potassium and Ca calcium are consecutive in the same row, thus calcium is the most stable, so the less reactive to water)

[@SkillCult]

Yes, sodium and potassium hydroxides can easily ruin skins if too strong. Lime can weaken the skin over time, but it's not possible to make it strong enough to damage the skin quickly. All three are present in wood ash in varying quantities, which might explain their high variability in action, even with the same specific gravity readings between different sources.

[@lee-traister]

Thanks for teaching. I tanned a few hides the old fashion way without anything to loosen the hair, just soaked the hide in water. It’s taking too long and requires too much of me physically (I have four kids and a farm to run and it’s just too hard and time consuming). Anyway, I was looking into using lime to make the dehairing process easier. I understand what kind of lime I need to get but how do you make the solution? How much lime for a gallon of water? How long approximately do you leave the hide to soak? Thanks!!

[@SkillCult]

If you are trying to preserve the grain, as for full grain bark tanned leather etc, water is often not the best choice. If you are making buckskin with the hair off, refer to Matt Richards book, Deerskins Into Buckskins for information on treating skins with alkalis before removing the grain. You can't make lime too strong, because it has very limited solubility in water, making it self regulating. You can put a lot in and just stir it to keep the strength up every day or so. I don't measure things much, but I think a quart of good type S lime should be adequate in a five gallon bucket. If it seems weak at any point, just add more. I'm used to lime putty, which seems stronger. Soak till you achieve the goal, easy hair removal, or whatever it is. You might want to watch my series on making strops from scratch, where I follow a deer hide through the bark tanning process. kzbin.info/www/bejne/q6OtY3-ias6glaM

[@lee-traister]

SkillCult thanks! I found hydrated lime locally (very cheap!) yesterday so I started with a big cup of lime to three gallons of water. So this is the end of the second day and the hair is coming off but not easily. I was afraid I’ll ruin the hide if I add too much but by your comment it seems like I can’t really damage it so I think I’ll add more tomorrow. I am very very happy I found you. It seems like we are interested in many similar topics. Visit me at ladyleeshome.com if you have a moment. I also have grafting posts and I watched your latest video about finding scions for grafting. I didn’t know about all those groups! I’ll look for one here in NC. I’ll link to that video from my post. That was great information. Thanks.

[@essamelbaloushi7204]

If u get eny information about the suoject could u Provide me plz. Thanks

[@tkjazzer]

Can I buy quicklime from carmeuse?

[@parkerbrothers75]

Can you make lime putty out of type s lime and store it in water like the the traditional way of making lime out of shells?

[@SkillCult]

You can, but the properties are not the same. I hear that some actually prefer that to the real lime putty, but I'm not that familiar with the arguments. I tend to think of real lime putty as superior.

[@emlillthings7914]

The water will slow down the reversion to limestone, but the water will also/still absorb CO2. For indefinite use, a light cover will go along way, airtight will be truly indefinite. ,,, but if it's to be used within a few weeks, and especially when you don't want it to be too strong (like for tanning), having the quicklime in water will do. Btw, if you have plenty of slaked lime, but for some reason wanted/needed quicklime, it takes half the temperature to drive out the water, than the carbonate. No need to fire the kiln twice, just have the S-lime in a kettle w/lid on, on the woodstove, with plenty of heat is good enough reform to Q-lime

[@SkillCult]

All I know is tradition is to store lime putty (calcium hydroxide, not quick lime which calcium oxide) under water and this was often done for long periods of time on purpose for certain uses. Other uses are better while it's still hot and expanding.

[@emlillthings7914]

Probably good enough, just wanted to mention that the reversible reaction is still occurring under water insofar as CO2 is present. Top-layer will convert first, insulating further. You can easily test a small sample in vinegar (bubbles=CO2) to be sure (if you need to be) I made slaked lime via vinergar-lye synthesis, because I didn't have a kiln to make the quicklime. I mentioned the reversion from slaked lime to quicklime as an quick, easy, and fairly safe approach (kettle on the stove w/closed [not sealed] lid) should you need the quicklime (without ashes, or firing a kiln, since the double-hydroxide will evaporate as H2O way easier than the CO2). Figured it could be useful for you to know, already having slaked lime, and thus able to make high grade quicklime with ease,,, should you want/need to.

[@dywalparera8424]

Hi! I just found your video, which is very informative. I want to make hide glue out of my cow hide. Can I use this lime tanning technique for that purpose? Would limes' chemical reaction affects the quality of the glue? Thanks!

[@SkillCult]

I have a series on making hide glue. It was standard practice to lime hides for glue, so you're good. kzbin.info/aero/PL60FnyEY-eJCPd_eQyiP4JE6RLtCgmNxE

[@dywalparera8424]

Thank you, sir!

[@kobusvanzyl7222]

Excellent content, full of information. I am getting ready for the the process when the goats will become meat.

[@bundubeard]

Very interesting. What is the best way to remove hair from a tanned hide in beautiful, soft condition while preserving the original condition of the tanned hide? I am buying tanned hides, using some hair on them, but them I want to convert the rest of the hide to smooth leather om the hair side dor that making of strops, is there a way to do this?

[@SkillCult]

I have no idea.

[@L3one3]

are there any kind of shells that work better than others?

[@SkillCult]

Not that I know. Just it's nice if they aren't too thin. You can even use egg shells and garden snail shells.

[@TgWags69]

Type S from my understanding is two parts portland cement to one part lime, so it confusing that it would be good for your process?

[@SkillCult]

The stuff I buy certaintly just looks and acts like hydrated lime. Never heard that or seen it. do you have an information source that says that?

[@dan_the_dj]

Ive been watching a few of your videos on processing sheep skins and I have a question: Im only looking to make rawhide, no tanning. I understand that I need to deflesh the hide first, then soak it in calcium hydroxide till the hair starts to slip, and then once I remove all the hair, should I just rinse the skin and stretch it to dry? Thats it?

[@SkillCult]

Basically yes. Rinse it really well though in multiple changes of water. I would also scrape over it a couple of times between changes to push out more lime.

[@dan_the_dj]

@@SkillCult thanks for the reply!

[@kennymcfadden266]

How long do u need to keep lime stone hot to drive off the carbon

[@SkillCult]

I don't actually know. with this type of kiln, you either put in enough wood to keep in hot long enough or use more wood or smaller pieces next time. Best to use more wood at first then cut down to find a lower limit.

[@theswede686]

I read somewhere that peat contains tannin.Do you think it could be used for tanning a hide?

[@SkillCult]

It does, but I'm not sure if you can use it or not. My guess is that if it was any good I'd have heard about it. It's not just a matter of tannin content, but also what kind and the particular qualities imparted to leather by any given tanning material.

[@theswede686]

Thanks for your fast reply.I know that the skin of long dead people found in bogs here in skandinavia is turned to leather by tannins in the peat.But they layed there for thousands of years.If thats what it takes..not sure I am willing to wait that long.

[@wizkid1800]

What is your Pre-sale price for your book? and a donate Email address.

[@SkillCult]

Unfortunately, the bark tanning book is on hold. It's just too big of a project to really tackle with other stuff going on, and the amount of energy I have to work with. My buckskin book is also out of print, but we plan to reprint that at least pretty soon. There is a paypal link and my patreon link on the banner on my main channel page. Just click skillcult anywhere on youtube and it should take you there. Thanks :)

[@MadMax-iz4vm]

Hi, I'm a novice working on my first hide. I've used Leder tanning solution for a cowhide. My objective was to keep the hair on, but after tanning for 10 days, some of the hair was slipping, so I decided to remove all the hair and I'm left with big patches of hair. I didn't use lime when I was tanning as this wasn't the goal, but now I'm looking to remove all the hair and would like your input if it's too late to use the lime to remove the remaining hair. The cow hide weighs about 25-30kg. .I also noticed that the underside was green due to the tanning solutiion but the dehaired patches were white... is this normal, or would I need to keep tanning after I remove the hairs?

[@SkillCult]

i don't know if you can do that or not. I don't use that kind of tanning solution. I guess you could try it. Not sure what's up with the coloration. The color is from chromium in the tanning solution. Careful with that stuff, it's toxic. Wear gloves and careful where you dump it. That's one reason I do traditional tanning, no toxicity issues. The coloration difference is probably because the thin layer of epidermis is still intact and it does not absorb tanning agents the same way the rest of the skin does. If you lime it, and it works, that will come off. It is not very thick, just a thin skim of keratin, the same stuff hair is made of. it's there to protect our skin from absorbing things, but lime destroys it and it will slough off.

[@MadMax-iz4vm]

@@SkillCult thank you for the advice, it's much appreciated. I wasn't wearing gloves but from now on I'll start wearing protective gear. I'll let you know how it goes, n will be looking at using traditional tanning methods now.

[@L3one3]

This reminded me of the historical roman accounts of how the celts would wash their hair in lime water to make it like a horses mane. How would one go about doing this safely without burning their scalp or losing their hair?

[@SkillCult]

That sounds really weird. I would guess that they were actually damaging the hair pretty severely and making it stiff and wiry, which is probably not what most people want. But it would be an interesting experiment. You wouldn't want to get it on your scalp, because it could attack the epidermis and roots. At least not for very long, but I'd say not at all. Maybe next time you cut your hair soak some in lime water and see what happens. Don't try it on your head :)

[@jacobbrown4610]

Can you use pickling lime if it says it’s food grade calcium hydroxide?

[@jacobbrown4610]

For some reason I live in Florida all the type s or builders lime comes premixed in the mortar and I can’t find anything that’s just hydrated lime or type s lime, I found barn lime but it said it’s just crushed up limestone, not sure what to use

[@SkillCult]

dont' use barn lime. if it's crushed limestone. If it's calcium hydroxide it should work. Im sure it's very pure too.

[@SkillCult]

If you have shells, go to the beach and do a lime burn in a small barrel. I have vids on how to do it. it's easy and really fun. I mean you get to burn things, that's always fun... and it boils, that's fun.

[@dennislanigan1082]

Recently talked to Magaret Mathewson and she said native folks want nothing to do with buckskin bucked with lime or lye. Have you heard this? Can you think of why (I didn't feel comfortable questioning that at the time)? The only thing I can think of is that possibly lime/lye bucked hides wouldn't last as long over time? I thought I would ask you and possibly Woniya: people who I know who have tanned over a long period of time and have old buckskins.

[@SkillCult]

I haven't used bucking on buckskin hardly at all. I was turned off to using lime way back when I saw some buckskins that were really rubbery, but I didn't understand at the time that it has to be removed thoroughly. I heard rumor that there has been a debate among braintanners about it weakening the skins. Buckskin people can be kind of purist too. As for Indians not liking it now, I have no idea, but wood ashes were used traditionally to at least some extent. I think there are a couple of anecdotes in my buckskin book to that effect. I think of lime as kind of a compromise. It works great, but It no doubt can have an effect on the integrity of the hide and remove hide substance over time, but that can, and was, also be used to advantage. DeLande bitches about the overuse of lime quite a bit. I'm sure that debate could go on forever.

[@lorenstallsmith5785]

We sell braintan hides all the time to natives and use pottasim hydroxide for bucking. I really can't recall it ever being an issue.

[@benmatthews3189]

Can I use type n lime or does it have to be type s?

[@SkillCult]

Never heard of type N. It has to be hydrated or quicklime. If it's quicklime, the water will slake it into calcium hydroxide. It is not common in the states at least to be able to get quicklime though. You don't want ag lime which is just ground limestone or dolomite.

[@SkillCult]

From what I can see, on the net real quick, Type N is burned dolomite lime, meaning it contains a lot of magnesium along with the calcium. I"m really not sure how that would affect it. You definitely don't want type N mortar mix. the lime might work, dunno.

[@RobertLock1978]

Travertine not on the list?

[@SkillCult]

I didn't know what that was. I might have a couple tiles of that around. Maybe I'll toss some pieces in.

[@RobertLock1978]

You should, if you do have some.

[@reactingbros4569]

What state of us 🇺🇸 you live ? Whether looks calm.

[@SkillCult]

Northern California

[@SpellsofLal]

ok guess i was using ag lime lol

[@SkillCult]

Don't feel bad, that's very common :)

[@diablominero]

Grocery stores near my house sell pickling lime, which is definitely hydrated lime rather than crushed limestone. But I imagine you pay extra for the promise that it doesn't have toxic contaminants.

[@Schralenberger]

So..... the lime you spread on lawns isn't usable?

[@SkillCult]

No, unless it's to kill your lawn lol. The do use lime to line out football fields, but it kills the grass. ag lime, is usually ground up limestone or dolomite. You want ydrated or type S