Coming Together Like Oil & Water
Bear Hide Tanning Part VI
The second to last step in the process of tanning your own bear hide is to actually introduce tannins into the flesh. For my tannins I decided to go DIY and use Neatsfoot oil, which can be readily purchased at any Tractor Supply or D&B store in your area. You can also buy some commercial tanning solutions or go real old-school and use animal brains (I’m not joking — google it) if you so desire...
However, for my approach you will need to lay your clean pelt with the flesh side facing up over a large table. Take one cup of Neatsfoot oil and one cup of warm spring water and combine them in a large bowl. You’ll notice immediately that your solution does exactly what oil and water tend to do... not combine.
To bring the solution together you will need an emulsifier. I used one tablespoon of regular dawn dish soap and whisked everything together. Then, wearing some gloves, start to liberally apply the solution to the flesh side of your pelt, and just like the salting make sure that you get solution into every nook and cranny.
Once applied, flip your entire pelt over so that it is flesh side down on your table, which will give your likely wet hide hair some time to dry while your tannins work their way into the flesh. Your hide will need at least eight hours for the solution to fully soak in and we move to the last and final step.
