Hair on Caribou hide ?

[Telgan]

I have a hair on Caribou hide from a nice one i shot in 2007 that was commercially tanned. Of course the hair is starting to go on it. I'd like to know if there is a good way to slip the hair off it - And to perhaps use a bark tan solution to color it up and end up with a hide that is a bit on the stiff side that i can use for bags. It's commercially tanned color is a creamy white. Anyone have any ideas about this project? Thanks, Tom

[David G]

Good question...with the wild card being it’s already a tanned hide. With home tanning, a normal procedure for a untanned hide would be to put it in a lime solution to slip the hair and then proceed to whatever tanning method you would like.  But that is not what you have. Would it be possible to find out what specific tanning method was used on your hide ? If so, you might could try  contacting one of the big supply houses like Van Dykes to see if they might have any suggestion. I’ve talked to a couple of knowledgeable folks there in the past.

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

The trouble with using hair on ungulate skin is that the hair is hollow and brittle, and wears very badly.  But there is nothing better to step out of bed onto in the morning in a camp than a deer skin with hair on.  It gives you back all your own warmth insantly.

I have no idea how to remove the hair from a tanned skin.

[T*O*F]

I'd shave it with a pair of barber's clippers and then break it on a smooth, rounded post.  That should get rid of the brittle remains in the follicles.

Then make a tipi out of it and smoke it to get faux brain tan.  I've heard of guys sanding a hide for the appearance.
Alternatively, you could dye it in a Rit dye bath to the color you want.  That would probably make it a little stiffer after it dried.

[Marcruger]

I'm not sure why regular Fiebing's dye would not dye it once the hair was removed? 

[T*O*F]

I'm not sure why regular Fiebing's dye would not dye it once the hair was removed?

It will, but it fades over time. 

[Tim Crosby]

 I think I would wet it, cover it with wood ash, roll it up and let it sit for awhile, your guess is as good as mine  When you unroll it the hair should scrape off. Work it over the edge of a board and as it dries and see what you've got. Once dry I think you will like the color. A lot of work, yes but good stuff always is. If you don't have a use for it, I'd look at it as "what have I got to lose".

  Tim   

[Mike from OK]

I googled this just to see what your options are...

General consensus is that once the hide is tanned, the hair is pretty much set. You could shave it but the follicles will remain and it won't be a nice piece of leather.

One guy tried soaking the hide in a lime solution and said he was seeing some hair slip... But he never updated his results on the thread... So who knows. I also am not sure what lime might do to the leather.

Mike

[bob in the woods]

I have two whitetail deer hair on hides which i use as sleeping mats when out camping in the winter.
I dressed the hides , stretching them out on a frame, and worked them with a shoulder bone scraper until they lost some of their stiffness. They are air dried in the sun, and the hair is still firmly set in the hides. This same process is used by the Sami for their hair on hides.  I also have a piece of bear hide , done in the same manner, and then smoked which I've used as a sitting pad when hunting for the last couple of years.
I agree with the suggestion of shaving the hide, and then rubbing off the stubble, as being your best option. Try a small section first and see if it works for you.