[Chemin-noir] RE: [Ansteorra] RE: [BFS_GENERAL] deer hide tanning

[Julie Cunningham]

"or getting your 'squaw' to chew on it" - EEEWWWWHH!! No way!

-----Original Message-----
From: Macdonald, Matthew D [ITS] [mailto:mmacdo01 at sprintspectrum.com]
Sent: Monday, November 17, 2003 9:45 AM
To: BFS_GENERAL at yahoogroups.com; Cum an Iolar; ansteorra
Cc: Incipient Canton of Chemin Noir; calonlist; ottokar luther
vonholstein
Subject: [Ansteorra] RE: [BFS_GENERAL] deer hide tanning


 ***warning***  If you don't like blood or gross out easily, you may want to delete the email now.

 

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).

 

--note-tannery in a box will negate the following instructions, as they use new-fangled chemicals to treat the hide.  

 

First first first... you need to salt the hide to keep it from decomposing.  I got a 50# bag of salt, and laid the hide hair-side down on the garage floor, and rubbed salt in until I had a ½" layer of salt all over the thing.  This also includes cleaning up the hide so that it is skin only.  MAKE SURE you use a big plastic sheet, tarp, what ever.  Something you are not too attached to would be best... this stuff has a relatively unpleasant odor, and it is a lot of blood that will be draining out.

 

Once the whole hide is packed with a layer of salt, roll it up and stick it end-first into some sort of large container.  A brewing bucket is the right size, but only if you've ready to retire the bucket.  I used a huge kitty litter bucket.  I made a mistake.  The hide drained out about 40# of fluid... which overfilled my bucket and formed a meandering blood puddle under the garage door and starting down the driveway.  Luckily I got home before the neighbors did.  Once this hide is all drained and dry, (you may have to re-salt once or twice) you have rawhide.  Step 1 is done. 

 

Step 2 is tanning.  Well, soaking out the salt, dehairing the skin, boiling up some calf brains, rubbing it into the hide, working the hide over a stump (or getting your 'squaw' to chew on it), ect.  This makes the hide soft and supple.  I can detail it out if need be, but I'll wait to hear if you went with the $30 Tannery in a box, or the 50# of salt route.  ;-)  In hindsight, I might have tried the tannery in a box.  But I figured I was going to save a few bucks by going the traditional route.  Just be ready to invest time, elbow grease, and eat well before you start the project, because my appetite was ruined for days.

 

Diermuid

 

 

 

-----Original Message-----
From: Robert Stewart [mailto:skerritheviking at yahoo.com] 
Sent: Monday, November 17, 2003 3:15 AM
To: barony forgotten seas; Cum an Iolar; ansteorra
Cc: ottokar luther vonholstein; Incipient Canton of Chemin Noir; calonlist
Subject: [BFS_GENERAL] deer hide tanning

 

A co-worker of mine that does black powder hunting is giving me a complete untreated deer hise in about 4 hours.  How do I tan it?  If you want, you can e-mail me off-list at skerritheviking at yahoo.com 

YiS

Ld. Skerri

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