Why we salt hides for any tan

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The reason we are salting a fresh, fleshed hide is to remove the water from within it. A hide contains water. If this so called water is allowed to remain within the hide and reach room temperature for a period of time the water will transform into flesh eating bacteria. This bacteria will eat away your hide and allow all of the hair to fall out (hair slippage). This stuff is nasty folks !

. It (salt) will draw out all the water from the hide. It has to drain folks,.....that is why we hang the hide after salting. Place a catch device, below, under the hide on the floor to collect all of that nasty stuff that will flow from within the hide. You can usually just cover an upside down, garbage can top, with plastic followed with news paper. Don't want this stuff (bacteria fluids) flowing on mama's floor, now do we !

Bacteria is your worst enemy. It lives in fluids and thrives in warm fluids that have access to plenty of light. It is always hungry and must eat 24/7 in order to survive. It can multiply every second that goes by as long as it has plenty of fluid to swim in and the temperature is just right. It can dig deep into a animal hide and bury itself. As long as there is water and blood within the hide it (bacteria) can survive. A flesh eating machine is what bacteria is . The first thing to go on the hide is the roots of the hair. Well actually the epidermis (tissue like skin) that the roots are attached too. The result is hair begins to fall out in clumps (slippage) We are not talking a strand here and there. We are talking about clumps of hair in big patches. Hair, when gently tugged, slips out with little to no effort on your part. When this happens you are in big trouble, my friend,....big trouble ! Kill all bacteria !

Salt is your friend as a tanner. It loves to eat up moisture and spit out bacteria. Salt is a great hunter and will seek out any bacteria living within your hides. Salt is like a big vacuum, in that it can suck out all of the water and other fluids within a animal hide. It (salt) can live in dry and wet conditions. In dry conditions it remains as a solid. In wet conditions it dissolves so it is undetected, hidden so that any unsuspecting bacteria don't see it. When salt is in it's dissolve mode, it has all of the killing powers as it does when in it's solid form (grain of salt). When salt rids of Bacteria along with Bacteria's mode of transportation (fluid) , the hair locks into place on hide . The roots and epidermis the roots are attached too lock in tight against the flesh of the deer hide (setting hair). The one defense system that bacteria has over salt is meat and fat. If left on the hide, bacteria is able to hide behind it. Salt has a very difficult time penetrating into meat and fat to get at bacteria.

As long as you have fluid present within and on a deer hide or any animal hide for that matter, you will always have bacteria lurking within the deep core of the hide. Eating, sleeping and multiplying within your deer hide. Give it (bacteria) warmth and light and it will live on. It will live on to destroy your deer hide. Bacteria will make you mad, upset, distraught and will just make you go plain crazy.