Hey! You're the person I follow who I trust with this question the most. Today I got a deer hide (no legs/face to worry about, p sure it's veg tanned) that's been sitting in my uncle's basement for the better part of 14 years. I don't think it got broken or softened before he stuck it in storage, but the leather is intact and it doesn't appear to have any damage. Do you have any guides on cleaning a hide like that?
Hey there! I know not as heavily involved in the Vulture Culture community like I used to but I can answer a lot of questions that related to that with the knowledge I have!
So if the fur has a faded or “grimy” look to it you can use a wonderful product called Seybrite Trophy Cleaner which will work wonders on dirt and grim trapped in old hides and mounts.
It manage to do this for my wonderful SPOONS:
It restored her a lot and cleaned her up a lot too, she had DECADES of dirt and grim on her to give you an idea. I also used some hypoallergenic pet wipes to help wipe up the excessive cleaner and to help freshen her up a bit.
As of the leather side that will be a bit more tricky but if you are looking to restore the leather if its dry and cracking I recommend Mink Oil to help condition the leather. This stuff works great, usually won’t cause too much discolor to the leather side and doesn’t have a powerful smell to it. I would recommend breaking the leather during the application and really work it into the leather and then allowing it to dry. Conditioning the leather will help a hide last long since the oil helps with adding in oils that dry out over time.
I hope that help you out and please do let me know if you get the results you are looking for on that hide!