Natural Hide Tanning

Our Process

Salt

Used to protect against unwanted bacterial growth. Used in both hair-on hide and full-grain leather processes.

Citric Acid

Keeps the solutions acidic to prevent unwanted hair loss as well as influence final color. Used in hair-on hide processes only.

Lime

Made from cooked limestone and seashells, opens the pores and causes the hide to release the hair. Used to make full-grain leather only.

Wheat Bran

Used to create a “sourdough starter”- like solution to remove carbohydrates from the raw hides; creating a softer, more supple full-grain leather.

Vinegar

A pH adjuster for the full-grain leather process. Vinegar neutralizes the alkalinity in the hides after they are removed from the lime solution.

Tannins

A tea is made by soaking oak bark, sumac leaves, or mimosa bark extract in water. This magical elixir is what converts raw hides into leather.

Egg Yolks and Olive Oil

Used to lubricate the leather’s fibers and improve tear strength.

Oils and Waxes

Tallow, beeswax, cod liver oil, and other edible oils are applied to further improve tear strength or add water resistance.

That’s it. No toxic chemicals. Ingredients from nature itself.

Why Landmade Tannery?

You invest time and care into raising quality animals. Their hides deserve the same level of attention. Our tanning process relies on natural materials, plant tannins, water, and time rather than harsh industrial chemicals. The result is leather and hair-on hides that reflect the quality of the animal they came from.

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Hide Preparation

Good hide preparation makes all the difference in the natural tanning process. Improper preparation can result in hair-on hides that lose their hair or leather that is brittle and full of holes. Although salted hides are preferred, I can also accept frozen hides (local producers only). For those who want their hides tanned with the hair-on, you will want to do these steps as soon as possible once the hide is removed from the animal. If you are not processing the animal yourself, please stress to the processor what these hides will be used for, the importance of these steps, and the importance of keeping knife marks and holes to a minimum.

  • Remove any fat or muscle from the flesh side greater than ¼ inch. Trim off any heavily manured areas as well as the tails, heads, and/or shanks if the processor left them on.

  • Fold the hides flesh side out and place into a heavy-duty contractor garbage bag. Place the bag in the freezer. IMPORTANT NOTE: hair, especially wool, acts as an insuator and can delay the freezing process. Even though you have placed your hides in the freezer, delays in freezing completely could lead to hair slipping after the hides have been tanned.

  • Ideal when done correctly. Purchase a bag of plain, GRANULATED salt (NOT ROCK SALT) prior to harvesting the animal. Once you have removed any large chunks of fat/muscle, lay it flat and cover the entire surface of the flesh side with a layer of salt. Make the salt layer thick enough so that you cannot see the hide through it (see example below). Make sure you get every nook and cranny. Salt prevents bacterial growth which can damage your hides and lead to unwanted hair loss. Prop the hides at an angle in a spot sheltered from the elements to dry. You especially want to avoid exposure to sun and precipitation. Do not dry hides without salting first.

Have hides you’d like to put to good use?

Contact us to learn more about our natural tanning process and how we can work together.

WANTED WANTED WANTED

WANTED WANTED WANTED

Landmade Tannery is looking for a local supplier for the oak bark and chestnut mulch they use in the tanning process. If you are or know someone who owns a sawmill/firewood operation/etc and is willing to sell us oak bark or chestnut wood/bark please send us a message.