Using Ammonium Alum

Ammonium Alum Directions:

Soak deer capes in alum for a day or two and flesh; alum's puckering action sets hair fast on problem hides.

For every two gallons of boiling water, stir in a half pound of alum and all the salt the water will dissolve. Be sure to use plenty of salt; you cannot use too much. After it has cooled, add more salt and place the hide or scalp in it. Make sure all parts are in the pickle. Move it around in the solution once in awhile. In about two weeks it should be thoroughly tanned. By making a small cut at the edge you can see if it is tanned; if it is tanned, it will be white all the way through. Make and keep any tanning solution in a plastic tub, barrel or earthenware jar. Never put tanning solutions in a metal container.

As soon as the hide is tanned, take it out of the pickle and wash in warm Van Dyke's Hide Relax or McKenzie Relaxer / Degreaser. If you do not have relaxer, wash the hide in hot Borax water and let soak for awhile so it will relax, as most hides will be too stiff to work with when coming out of the pickle. If the scalp or hide is to be mounted on a form, wring it as dry as possible before it dries hard. This gives you plenty of time since a hide dries slowly. In all tanning operations and in taxidermy use you must use your own good judgment and common sense.

If you use this method for making leather or rugs, now is the time to give it a light coat of oil. Rub it in with a stiff brush and use warm oil. Warm the oil over a pan of hot water. Never heat over an open fire. After you have oiled the hide, let it dry for about eight hours in a cool, shady place. Then start to break the hide before it gets dry. If the hide becomes too dry before it is broken, dampen it and break some more.

Keep out of reach of children

This product is intended solely for manufacturing and industrial use.

We recommend wearing rubber gloves when working with chemicals.

Go Back