Oak tanning hides?

[GoodOlBoy]

Anybody have a good information on oak tanning hides? I know a little, but I am basically wanting to tan without using chemicals, and without using feces, or brains.

IE I know I can use a mixture of wood ash and salt before bating, I know I can use a boiled down oak bark solution for the actual tanning. I am looking for some what to do bating without having to use manure, or heavy chemicals. IE another bark/ash/etc solution. I have heard folks can use lye soap for bating but cannot find a reference to back it up.

Thanks

GoodOlBoy

[skeet]

You can use lye soap but nowdays you'll have to make it yourself..And from what I can remember it had to be pretty strong lye soap

[Mr. 16 gauge]

GOB;
I don't know anything about oak tanning hides, but did you check the firefox series of books? Seems to me that if there was anything of a 'pioneering' nature, that series of books had some information on it.
Good luck...........