[Ansteorra] RE: [BFS_GENERAL] deer hide tanning

[Marc Carlson]

Not to be arguementative, but merrely to be pedantic, we really can't say 
thst about "brain tanning".  We can't say for a certainty that they did not 
have it, merely that we have no evidence that they did do that.

"Brain tanning", unless I've been halucinating somewhere (always possible) 
is either a simple oil/fat curing process or else a combination of oil/fat 
curing and the partial "aldehyde tannage from smoking".  In either case, the 
actual processes were known in Antiquity. And with the oil curing we have 
some evidence that the concept was carried forward through to Medieval times 
(although admittedly, the first documented use of the term "chamois", 
referring to the oil cured hide of the chamois is post medieval in the 1570s 
(OED)).

So, again, we can't really say that the folks in the Middle Ages didn't do 
that, nor can we say "well they could have done it, therefore they did do 
it".

Marc/Diarmaid


>Stefan li Rous StefanliRous at austin.rr.com
>Mon Nov 17 19:30:25 CST 2003
>Diermuid wrote:
>>I got the brain tanning book from Tandy, and had a similar dilemma, only I 
>>was in the Outlands, so of course, it was an elk. (hide was about 70-80# 
>>wet)  Tannery in a box will work, but I went old-school (like making your 
>>own egg drop soup from scratch, not recommended for everyone).
><snip of useful, interesting info and personal experience>
>Just be aware that brain tanning is a North American development and 
>doesn't appear to have been done in Europe during the Middle Ages. It may 
>not matter to most, since many also use chrome-tanned leather which is a 
>post-period development, but you should be aware of this.

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