Darling Leather And Fur 2/23/26

This article follows along the steps shown in the Darling Leather And Fur “Home Tanning Beaver Tails” YouTube playlist. For more details on this process, you can watch the videos here:
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrx4qTpceO6A7UIcDYqR8fT6ZVsOctKRn&si=4e_FNVb4WhzLTK3K

 

The Backstory...

Several years ago, the tannery that everyone used for beaver tails closed. Specialty Leather Productions was THE place for trappers to get beaver tails tanned. They did a fantastic job producing high-quality leather beaver tails that were beautiful, supple, and lovely to work with. Unfortunately, once they closed, no other tanneries were willing or able to tan beaver tails. The existing leather tanneries weren’t interested in handling small-quantity tanning requests directly from trappers (I know, I called/emailed them). Plus, the methods fur tanneries use to produce beautiful fur pelts are different from what is needed to produce wallet-quality beaver tail leather. 

How the Process got Started…

A few years ago, a friend of mine shared instructions on how to home-tan fish skins using tea. This tanning method uses regular black tea bags from the grocery store as the source of tannins for vegetable tanning. That friend is First Nations and learned the method from someone in his community, where the instructions were provided by Diane Montreuil. Vegetable tanning is one of the oldest methods of tanning and has been used by native peoples throughout history, and I’m thankful this knowledge was shared with me. I used the method several times to tan bluegill, salmon, and walleye skins and was shocked by the results. It produced a strong, durable leather with a beautiful color and finish. 

Eventually, I decided to try modifying the method used on fish skins to tan beaver tails. The main difference is that fish scales can be scraped off manually with a spoon (or other tool) before tanning, whereas beaver tail scales require a chemical process for removal. So, I did some Googling and found a few sources with guidelines for slipping the scale layer before tanning. I gave it a try and was very happy with the results! This tutorial breaks down the steps I took with my second attempt at tanning beaver tails. I have learned a lot through this process, and am including some tips from comments I received when I originally posted the videos on social media. 

The Different Tanning Methods and their Purpose…

There are several different tanning methods used for different purposes and different results. Before you begin tanning, hides need to be properly prepped, and the method varies depending on the desired end result. Hides have several layers; the top layer, called the epidermis, is where the hair roots are located. For hair-on fur pelt tanning, it’s important to make sure the epidermis layer is preserved to keep the fur from “slipping” off. To prevent slippage, pelts must first undergo a chemical pickling process (lowering the pH). For leather tanning, the hide undergoes a chemical process, liming (raising the pH), to deliberately remove the epidermis layer and hair. After that, the pelts can be tanned.

Aluminum (Alum) Tanning: 

• Most commonly used to tan fur pelts for garments and taxidermy
• Produces a soft, pliable pelt
• The most susceptible to water and heat damage
• Fairly quick tanning process

Chromium (Chrome) Tanning: 

• Used primarily for hairless leather for garments and upholstery
• Produces soft, stretchy, pliable leather
• More resistant to water and heat damage than alum tanned leather
• Fairly quick tanning process
• Uses and produces harmful chemicals that require treatment after tanning, which increases costs

Vegetable (Veg/bark) Tanning: 

• Uses natural tannins
• Produces firm, stiff leather
• Usually used for saddles, holsters, belts- items that require strength and structure 
• The most water and heat resistant of all leathers
• Takes the longest of all 3 methods, leading to more expensive finished products

If you’d like a deeper dive into tanning, Trapping Today has a great podcast episode featuring Ryan Moyle from Moyle Mink & Tannery (February 13, 2021).

https://trappingtoday.com/ryan-moyle-from-moyle-mink-tannery/

Why the Details Matter…

Beaver tails have a bit of hair and a layer of scales that are keratinized epithelium, which needs to be removed in order to produce fine leather. They need to be tanned like leather, not like fur. If the scales are left on, the leather surface becomes chalky, uneven and brittle. With the scales removed, the signature texture remains, but the leather can be finished to a deep color and shine. Important to know when you’re trying to home tan beavertails! 

A Closer Look at Vegetable Tanning…

In vegetable tanning, tannins are extracted from plants using water, and the raw hides are then placed in the tannin solution. This is where the magic happens: 

• The tannins bind to the proteins in the hide, altering the chemical structure of the hide
• The hide becomes stronger 
• Oils are drawn out of the hide
• The hide is now chemically altered and preserved by the tannins

The tanning process is complete when the tannins have penetrated throughout the entire hide. Tannins are also acidic, which helps prevent bacterial growth. If you’ve seen pictures of “bog bodies,” you’ve seen the incredible effects of tannins. Because of the high concentrations of plant tannins in bogs, people or animals that fall in can be preserved for centuries, as they are unintentionally veg-tanned.

Where Tannins Can be Found…

Tannins are present in plant bark and leaves. Some plants have higher tannin concentrations and are more desirable for tanning. 

Common items used for veg tanning include: 

• Various tree barks-hence the name- bark tanning
• Quebracho bark powder- can be store-bought
• Walnut husks
• Black tea- accessible, easy to use

I’m not an experienced tanner; I’ve tanned fish skins a few times and tanned beaver tails twice. These tanning “instructions” are what have worked for me so far. Feel free to make your own changes as you see fit! 

Home Tanning Beaver Tails YouTube Playlist:
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrx4qTpceO6A7UIcDYqR8fT6ZVsOctKRn&si=4e_FNVb4WhzLTK3K

Supplies Needed for Tanning 1 Beaver Tail (2 halves) 

If tanning more than 1 beaver tail, you will probably need to increase the amount of water & ingredients used. 

• Pickling Lime: 6 Tablespoons
  • Used for home canning, usually found in the canning section of grocery stores.
• Distilled White Vinegar
• Black Tea: approximately 700 regular-sized tea bags
• Vegetable Oil
  • olive oil, avocado oil, canola, whatever you have in the kitchen is fine
• Leather Conditioner Cream
  • I used Bickmore Bick 4 Leather Conditioner. It works, but I don’t like the smell of it. Any cream leather conditioner will work. 
• 1/2” wood box planer
  
  • The block planer I had the most success with is a ½” block planer I purchased from Rocky Mountain Leather supply (I paid $16 rmleathersupply.com)
  • See Day 14 for other tool suggestions
• Towels
• Dish, pot, or bucket
  
  

Skinning and Fleshing

• Remove the tail from the beaver
• Cut outward along the edge of the tail
• From the base of the tail, skin away from the bone until you have 2-3 inches exposed
• Put a chain gambrel around the bone
• Pull off each side of the tail from the bone using pliers
• Flesh the sides using a filet knife and fleshing tool
• Tails can then be frozen until you’re ready for the next step.

Viewer Suggestions: 

• Salting and drying the tails, or just tacking them to a vertical board to fully dry, may help remove excess fat and make fleshing easier. Facebook, Matthew M.
• Alternatively, freeze the tails after fleshing, and thin them with a block planer while they’re frozen. Facebook, Peter B.
• If you have a professional fleshing machine, flesh them before freezing, salting, drying, or tanning. Facebook, Dan M.

Day 1: Lime Soak

• Liming is required to remove the scales and hair (keratin/epidermis layer) from the tails.
• Wash with cool water and dish soap to remove surface grease from the tails- rinse well, repeat until tails don’t look or feel greasy.
• Gloves are recommended when working with lime.
• For 2 tail halves: Mix a total of 8 cups (½ gallon) of water with 3 TBSP of pickling lime. Mix well. I used warm water, but there is no specific temp required.
• Place tails in the container you plan to use for soaking. - I used a glass dish.
• Pour the lime mix over the fleshed/skinned/washed tails. It is important to keep the tails fully submerged to prevent the lime from drying and forming a crust on the tail, which is very hard to remove. I used silverware to keep the tails submerged. You’re probably better off using rocks or something that won’t corrode. 
• I recommend making a larger batch of lime solution if you’re tanning more than 2 tail halves.

Viewer Suggestions: 

• No need to be so precise, just toss some lime (probably 3 cups) in about 4 gallons of water and throw in a pile of tails. You really can't mess it up unless you neglect to stir for a long time. Too much lime has never hurt any of my deer skins, and people have shown green and putrid smell coming from the skin, and I have had some like that because I left them in the bath in my shed that went about 50 Celsius, but they have always come out in the end very good. Facebook, Loren S.
• Wood ash can be used to soak to remove the scale, 5 gallons of water to 3 lbs of sifted wood ash. Any wood ash will work, from hardwood or softwood. Just be sure to sift, stir each day, and test the tail every so often to see if the scale is slipping. Facebook, Douglas K. 

Day 2-6: Soak and Check

• Scrape the tails to check if the scales are starting to soften.
• I did not check on them on day 3, but day 4 shows some progress! 
• The hair is starting to come out with a little bit of pulling
• Keep them submerged and soaking, stir periodically
• By day 5, the scales are likely starting to slip off - more on the ends, but now you can see what we are looking for.
• I tried to scrub off the keratin layer. I’d recommend continuing to soak until it comes off in one sheet, rather than trying to scrub it off.
• There may be an odor, that’s normal

Viewer Suggestions:

• Soaking the tails for a few days has likely neutralized the solution. At this point, you may want to refresh your lime solution to speed things up. Facebook, Don W.
• Remove any peelings, they may “use up” the lime water and neutralize the solution faster. Facebook, Diane J. 

Day 7- Remove Keratin and Neutralize 

• Ideally, you’ve waited until the keratin and hair are coming off in one sheet, and you won’t need to scrub as I did.
• If any hairs remain in the tail, remove them now. Tanning will make them stuck again.
• Once all the keratin layer is removed, soak in plain water for several hours (approx 5) to begin neutralizing the tails 
• Do NOT pour your lime solution down the drain or into a waterway! It could clog your pipes. I poured mine on my gravel driveway and diluted it with a lot of water from the hose. 

Day 8: Vinegar Soak and Tea Prep

• Yesterday (Day 7), I patted dried the tails and put them in the fridge overnight because I didn’t have time for the next step and didn’t want to leave them in plain water. It probably would have been fine, though. 
• Vinegar solution to neutralize the pH of the tails: for two tail sides, pour 8 cups of cool water and 5 oz of regular distilled white vinegar into a clean container. Increase the amount for more tails.
• Let soak for 24 hours 
• Make tea for tomorrow:
• Mix 8 cups (64oz or 2 quarts) of hot water with 1 tsp of salt and 10 bags of black tea (salt is only used on day 1 to prevent bacterial growth). * If you can find tea bags with NO paper wrapping, you will save yourself time unwrapping each bag. Make a larger batch if you’re tanning more tails.
• The tea needs to start out weak so it doesn’t cause “case hardening”, which is when the outside of the hide takes in tannins too fast and prevents tannins from penetrating to the middle of the hide. We’ll gradually increase the strength over a few days. 

Day 9: Into the Tea!

• The tails have soaked in the vinegar solution for about 24 hours.
• Pluck out any remaining hairs; they only get harder to pluck later.
• Rinse tails under running water.
• Squeeze out excess water from each tail.
• Clean your dish, then pour yesterday’s tea over the tails.
• Prep your tea for tomorrow: 16 tea bags and 2 quarts of hot water- set aside for tomorrow, no salt needed. Make more tea if you’re tanning more than two tail halves.
• Stir throughout the day for even tanning

Viewer Suggestion: 

• Vacuum sealing may speed up the tanning process. Facebook, Constance R. 

Day 10-13: Continuing the Tea Soak

• The tannins are soaking into the tails! They’re already changing color!
• Notice how much lighter the “used” tea is today; the tannins from the tea are being pulled out of the water and binding to proteins in the tails. 
• Remove tails, squeeze out excess liquid using a towel if you want to speed up tanning (I don’t start doing this until later in the process, but it would be helpful to start earlier, and may reduce the total length of tanning by up to 10 days, as discussed in the Day 26 video).
• Wash the dish if it’s oily.
• Replace used tea with cooled tea you made the day before. 
• As you check on your tails, stir and rotate the positioning to avoid uneven tanning
• Make tea for the next day:
• Tea for days 11 and 12: 2 quarts of boiling water with 20 tea bags- each day
• Tea for days 13 and 14: 2 quarts of boiling water with 30 tea bags -each day

*I ended up going back down to 26 tea bags after a few more days, because I didn’t see much difference in tea strength between 26 and 30. I don’t know which was better, go with what you feel.

Day 14: Let’s Plane Some Tails!

• Dry tails very well by wrapping in a towel and pressing out moisture. 
• Wash the dish with soap and water.
• Cut off a VERY small piece from the end of each tail to check how deeply the tannins have soaked through so far. At this point, it should look like a brown bread sandwich. Dark on the top and bottom, pale in the middle.
• We’re going to shave down the thick ends of the tails to try to even out the thickness across the tails, making them more useful for wallets and other products. 
• Planing also speeds up the tanning process by reducing the thickness of the hide. Thicker hides take longer to tan than thinner hides.
• Why not thin the tails before tanning? They were too gummy and wet to get anything off with planing. The tannins are astringent, drawing out moisture and oils, making the hide firmer so that it can be planed. 
• Only shave the smooth side of the tail, not the textured side.
• Very slowly increase the depth of the planer until you’re shaving very thin pieces from the tail. Focus on the thick end. Stop shaving if you start to see the texture come through from the other side of the tail. Be very careful that you don’t gouge the tail or create a hole.
• I wanted to knock down some of the thickness, but I was worried about being too aggressive, so I didn’t thin them down all the way. I’ll do more planing again in several days. 
• If you want, you can use a caliper to check the thickness across the tail before and while planing. 
• The block planer I had the most success with is a ½” block planer I purchased from Rocky Mountain Leather Supply (rmleathersupply.com)
• I also tried a 1-inch wood block planer- it didn’t work very well for me. It may have worked better if I’d sharpened it first.
• I tried a wood rasp, which didn’t work well either. 
• Slowly scrape off a thin layer at a time and check your thickness as you go
• STOP if you start to see the texture showing through 
• Don’t worry if the tails feel greasy after planing, the tannins will continue to draw the grease out as they tan.
• Replace tails in the soaking dish and pour in the cooled tea we made yesterday. 
• Make tea for tomorrow: 2 quarts of hot water with 30 tea bags

Viewer Suggestions on Planers:

• Hold (wood planer) about 10⁰ off square to help the blade cut more effectively. Facebook, Ken M.
• Wire wheel, card scraper, scalpel, face fleshing beam, leather skive knife, belt sander. Facebook, various commentators.

Day 15-18: Soak, Rinse, Repeat

• I skipped day 15 because I was sick, so the tea solution did NOT get changed. Don’t worry if you skip a day occasionally.
• Remove tails, rinse with water, and squeeze excess liquid with a towel to speed up tanning (I don’t start doing this until later in the process, but it would be helpful to start earlier).
• Wash the dish if it’s oily.
• Replace used tea with fresh (cooled) tea you made the day before. 
• Check your tails throughout the day, stir and rotate the positioning to avoid uneven tanning
• Make tea for the next day:
• Tea for days 16-19: 2 quarts of boiling water with 26 tea bags. Make new tea each day.

Day 19: Dry and Scrape for Thinning 

• Dry tails very well by wrapping in a towel and pressing out moisture. 
• Snip a tiny bit off the ends to check tanning progress. The center should be looking less white and more tan. 
• I used the ½” planner again to thin the thick end of the tails
• Adjust your blade as needed, but be sure not to go too deep! 
• Once you see the scale texture from the other side- STOP
• Check your scraping progress multiple times during the process to make sure you don’t go too thin or cut gouges.  
• If you have a caliper, you can measure the tail thickness of the tail all over for evenness.
• Folding the tails is a good physical test to feel how thick each end is.
• I ended up putting these back in the current-day solution until tomorrow to avoid the freshly planed side from absorbing tannins too fast and “case hardening” -creating a shell that stops the tannins from continuing to soak through.
• ** 12 hours later- check the tail color for absorption 
• NOW we can ring out the tails, dump the old solution, and put tails back in a new tea solution 
• Make tea for tomorrow: 2 quarts of hot water with 26 tea bags

Day 20-21: Soak, Dry, Repeat

• Dump the tea solution 
• Ring out the tails as much as you can to help absorb the new tea tannins
• Check the piece we cut yesterday to see how much the tannins are soaking into the middle 
• Rinse the dish
• Return tails to the dish
• Make tea for the next day: 2 quarts of water 26 tea bags

*For Day 22, instead of doing the usual mix, I wanted to try a bigger batch in the hopes that I could go longer without refreshing the tea

• I boiled 8 quarts (2 gallons) of boiling water with 100 tea bags in a big pot for about an hour and let sit to cool. This turned out to be a mistake (I think). The pot kept boiling over because of the tea bags, and the tea was cloudy with particulates once it cooled. I suspect the boiling caused the tannins to come out of solution and bind to each other, making them less available to soak into the tails. 

View Suggestion:

• Boiling bark can weaken tannic acid, and that it’s best done at slightly below boiling. Facebook, Scott S.

Day 22-25: Soak, Dry, Repeat

• Check your tails for dark coloring
• Drain your dish and ring out your tails of excess liquid
• You can snip a corner from the tails to check on progress. Still seeing a white line in the middle, and we don’t want a rawhide texture there, so the tails aren't ready yet.
• * The last time I tanned tails, I dried the tails each day before putting them back in the tanning solution. I didn’t think it was necessary this time, but now I feel like it did speed up the tanning process.
• Return tails to the tea.
• On day 25, make tea for the next day: Pour 8 quarts of hot water over 100 tea bags- less cloudy than boiling, possibly better tannin absorption 

Day 26-30: Soak, Dry, Repeat

• Take out tails and check the color
• Ring out the tails in a towel
• The tails are feeling more leathery than before- a good sign of progress! 
• Snip a corner to check the center progress on each end of each tail
• Put the tails back in the big pot of tea
• Dip in the Ph tester paper and check against the score- mine came out to level 6, which I’m happy with. You can add distilled vinegar if you need to lower the pH. 
• Check the center again by cutting a small edge off
• We are looking for brown/tan all the way through
• If your tails need further tanning, make tea for the next several days. I made it a little stronger this time: Only 6 quarts of water with 100 black tea bags
• Stir throughout the day
  

Viewer Suggestion:

• Check the Ph of the tea; it should be acidic (pH less than 7). One commenter, Don W. on Facebook, suggested tanning is faster at a pH of 4, though I didn’t test it, and couldn’t find specific pH recommendations in my research. 
  

Day 31-33: Soak, Dry, Repeat

• Remove tails from tea bath
• Ring out, towel dry each piece
• Check progress as desired by snipping a piece off the thicker side of the tails
• Put tails back in the tea bath

Day 34- The Last Day! 

• Remove the tails from the tea
• Dump out your tea bath 
• Rinse and gently scrub both sides of both tails with soap (dish soap is fine)  to remove any residue left on the tails
• FYI-Veg tanned tails CAN be soap-washed without pulling the tannins out because they are chemically bound to the proteins in the tail
• Dry tails very thoroughly - roll in a towel twice for each tail.
• Apply food-grade oil (I used olive oil) and a cream leather conditioner to both sides of the wet tail (leather conditioner is optional, but adds softness) ** Must apply both while the tail is wet!- If you wait, the leather will crack and be brittle when bent**
• For “breaking” (aka softening) the tails: Throughout the drying process, you will work the leather by rolling, bending, and twisting to keep the fibers supple and aid in absorbing the oil and conditioner. 
• Add more oil and leather conditioner as needed, about 3-4 times throughout the process.
• Work the tails until they are completely dry; it will take about 1-2 hours.
• The tails will shrink as they dry. 
• I put one in the fridge while working on the other, but it would probably be faster to alternate: let one dry a little while you work the other, then trade back and forth. 
• Once dry and broken, the tails will be wavy. If you want the tails to be flat for making products, you can block them similar to how fur pelts are blocked prior to sewing. Dampen them with water, then staple, nail, or pin them flat to a board and let them dry overnight or longer, if needed. Because they were already broken, even after re-wetting and drying, they will retain most of their flexibility. 
  

Viewer suggestions: 

• Use “tanning oil” instead of food-grade oil. Facebook, Jeffrey M.
• Put tails in the freezer during the softening stage. Freeze, work it soft, freeze, work it soft until they’re dry. It helps to break down the structure and water particles, speeding up the breaking and drying process. Facebook, Tiia P.

The tails are finished, and you should have some beautifully tanned beaver tails ready for your next project!

Sources:

Paleotechnics

paleotechnics.wordpress.com

The Most Common Bark Tanning Mistakes: Pitfalls to avoid on your way to beautiful leather!

https://paleotechnics.wordpress.com/2013/04/14/the-most-common-bark-tanning-mistakes-pitfalls-to-avoid-on-your-way-to-beautiful-leather/

Traditional Tanners

braintan.com

As of this writing, the information on the page “Bark Tanning” has been removed “our bark tanning section actually written in 2000 when we had significantly less knowledge of barktanning, we will be updating this year.” I referenced this page throughout my beaver tail tanning journey. https://braintan.com/barktan/index.htm?_gl=1*1n257en*_gcl_au*OTcxMzM5ODk5LjE3NzE1MTAzMTI.*_ga*MTc5OTkyMzMzMC4xNzcxNTEwMzEy*_ga_B5XS7G7S7N*czE3NzE1MTAzMTIkbzEkZzEkdDE3NzE1MTAzNDkkajIzJGwwJGgw

Trapping Today

trappingtday.com

Podcast: Ryan Moyle from Moyle Mink & Tannery

https://trappingtoday.com/ryan-moyle-from-moyle-mink-tannery/

Wikipedia

Tanning (leather)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanning_(leather)

 

Special thanks to Mysti Bennett for her excellent editing!