Buffalo Tanning

I had this absolutely gorgeous buffalo hide that I wanted to tan for a blanket. On those cold rendezvous nights a buffalo robe was just the thing to have! I made one and you can too! Here is a summary of how I did it. I used traditional ideas with new twists.
Fleshing: Removing the meat and flesh is the first priority. Because a buffalo hide is so thick and can take a beating, we used a pressure washer to literally "blast" the flesh right off. This was very effective but be warned it gets messy with meat and fat flying everywhere!
Thinning: A buffalo hide is so thick that it has to be thinned down. Normally this would be done with a scraper once the hide was dry. The way we did it to save time was use an angle grinder with a heavy duty sanding wheel on it. Once the hide was dry and stretched we ground it down. This removed the membrane and thinned it all at once.
"Braining": Traditionally Native Americans would have used the brains of the animal to tan the hide. Brains have become very hard to find in recent years so many have turned to alternate methods of tanning. Some use Soy Lecithin or eggs, however the way we chose to tan was soap. Ivory soap can be grated and added to water to create a great tanning liquor. Apply it in the same manner you would brains. (warm it, massage into flesh side, etc)
Finishing: Once the tanning solution is soaked in for a long time, go ahead and have the hide propped up to where you can walk on it and walk around on the hide till its dry. This will stretch it and make it softer. You can finally stop this whenever it is COMPLETELY dry and warm to the touch. DO NOT STOP BEFORE YOU ARE TOTALLY SURE ITS DRY!!!!!
Smoking: The last step before you can enjoy your beautiful new blanket in the field is smoking it. This process coats the fibers of the skin with creosote. If you skipped this step your hide would not have the golden brown color of traditional tanned hides and it would become stiff if it ever got wet. By coating the fibers with smoke it lubricates them enough to keep them pliable even if they get wet. So smoke it and enjoy!!

Hope you learned something! =) It is so gratifying when you get to use something you made yourself! Go and try it!

Tyler
"Scratch"