Decreasing pelts pre-industrial

Hi folks!
Trying to figure out how to degrease coons without naphtha or commercial formulas. I am pretty sure the first nations people used coon and I don't imagine they used greasy, stinky pelts. I read on another forum about using urine. Anyone know anything? Thanks!

Are you tanning them? If so, add Dawn soap to your soak up water and also add to your tanning solution. Dawn soap is animal friendly, just saying.

We haven’t used the stale urine but I’m pretty certain the ammonia just keeps the hide white while you are smoking the hide. Not super practical unless you’re making like a ceremonial garment.


I would say that if it were to act as a degreaser it would have to be like 2-3 week long stale pee

Saw dust/wood flour

You can de grease the leather by repeated scraping and weting
until there is no more liquid grease,then drying.

You will know it is degreased enough to tan well when no beads of oil appear on the leather when dry.

A thoroughly frost scraping will render a hide grease free and is used where climatic conditions allow.

That sort of thing is all relative

Correct. Around here most were just scraped and washed, sometimes ashes used.

Some on the coast use to blow up a seal skin and add urine and roll it around and let it sit to tan the inside.

My mukluks are just scrape tanned.