RAW HIDE

[NoSlave]

I'm butchering a deer today and the thought struck me that I should tan it's hide. I've had the process explained to me before but I'm just not remembering when to do what.

I refuse to deal with harsh chemicals. I'm looking for the brains and charcoal way, from back in the day.

I would apriciate any input... even good guesses if you label them as such.

Thanks

[0110110]

Collected From: http://www.hannahvilleschool.net/GLVM/tanning.htm

The rendering of hides into leather is still a valuable skill that has not completely disappeared from traditional Native culture. The concept of tanning hides is simple. You must convert the raw hide into leather which then can be used as a fabric for everyday living needs such as garments and accessories, bags and utility items, or simply cut into strips for straps and ties.

The term "tanning" refers to the concept of infusing the animal hide with the preservative "tannic acid" which prevents the skin from rotting. There are several ways of tanning a hide, but the most common method, historically, for the woodland tribes was "brain tanning". There is tannic acid, as well as oils and conditioners, in the brain that will transform a raw piece of animal hide into a supple garment grade fabric leather.

The hide is removed from the carcass and then laced to a rigid frame. The hair and dermis is scraped from the out layer of skin, and the fatty sub tissue is scraped from the underside. A scraping tool, called a scraper is used for this work.

Once the hide has been scraped clean, it is then time to apply the brains. A rul of thumb is that each mammal has enough brains to tan its own hide. The brains are mashed into a paste and smeared into the hide until it is thoroughly coated with the mixture.

A buffing stick is used to smooth out the surface of the hid as well as stretch it; the stick has a large bulbous end that will not puncture or tear the skin.

At this stage, the hide should be milk white and satin smooth. After the buffing of the hide is finished and the hide is thoroughly stretched, the last step in the tanning process is the smoking of the hide, which will turn the skin a golden brown color with a rich smoky aroma. The smoke is important for a number of reasons, but one major reason is that by smoking the skin, it is cured and will then remain supple and pliant even after getting wet. Also, smoke will help seal the braining process, and will ensure a well preserved hide.

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I also came across another site
http://www.braintan.com/
on the left of the site there is a section called "Tan Your Own"
They also have a section on "Bark Tanning"
http://www.braintan.com/barktan/index.htm

[NoSlave]

Thanks you!

Native tech is an awsome sight. I'm gonna try it next deer I get. Also the deer toes, why not? I want to start doing something with some of the internal organs. Like boil the skull and paint it, or make weapons out of the bones. Also the tendends are stretchy and I hear somewhere that they where used for all sorts of stuff.

I think I'm going to start saving animal parts in my freezer until I figure out what to do with them... As strange as that sounds in this crazy world we live in.

You can wear cloths made out of long dead animals (oil), but don't tell anyone you have frozen animal parts.:quiet:

What a time to live.

[rsol]

Quote:A rule of thumb is that each mammal has enough brains to tan its own hide.

That saying could easily be the story of human existance right there

[NoSlave]

Quote:

Quote:A rule of thumb is that each mammal has enough brains to tan its own hide.

That saying could easily be the story of human existance right there

OMG! That's freakin awesome... It totaly took me a minute. I might not be awake enugh this morning to get myself to a taxidermist.

[tuba]

howdy . i'm doing three deer hides today . usually i just makes drums with rawhide which initially is simply cleaned , stretched and dried . i've worked cow and buffalo too . when i do tanning it's been for what i use as lacing . tannic acid is soluable in alchohol . one can leach it from acorns , various other plants that got that bitter/dry taste . i get quarts of alchohol at the hardware store from the paint section ... nuts is nuts .

[NoSlave]

Welcome to con. cent. tuba. Thanks for the add. I of course live in an area without acorns, but the soil here is very acidic. There has to be something I can leach it out of... I'll ask around.

Thanks

[tuba]

ya , there's lots of plants with high tannic acid - sometimes i've made the solution with lilac bark . i sure wish i could learn more the basics of backwoods chemistry . the references that might apply seem so scattered . it was in an art history book that i read of painters making and applying a tannic acid solution to canvas .