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cabingal3
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# Posted: 31 Jan 2012 07:15pm
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First, the ancient tanners would soak the skins in water to clean and soften them. Then they would pound and scour the skin to remove any remaining flesh and fat. Next, the tanner needed to remove the hair fibers from the skin. This was done by either soaking the skin in urine, painting it with an alkaline lime mixture, or simply allowing the skin to putrefy for several months then dipping it in a salt solution. After the hair fibers were loosened, the tanners scraped them off with a knife.
Once the hair was removed, the tanners would bate the material by pounding dung into the skin or soaking the skin in a solution of animal brains. Among the kinds of dung commonly used were that of dogs or pigeons. Sometimes the dung was mixed with water in a large vat, and the prepared skins were kneaded in the dung water until they became supple, but not too soft. The ancient tanner might use his bare feet to knead the skins in the dung water, and the kneading could last two or three hours.
It was this combination of urine, animal feces and decaying flesh that made ancient tanneries so odiferous.
Children employed as dung gatherers were a common sight in ancient cities. Also common were "piss-pots" located on street corners, where human urine could be collected for use in tanneries or by washerwomen. In some variations of the process, cedar oil, alum or tannin were applied to the skin as a tanning agent
i went to look for info to find out if my knitting ladies were right about using urine...and i guess they knew there stuff.so i am sharing it with everyone who is maybe interested in tanning.
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Just
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# Posted: 31 Jan 2012 10:00pm
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just finished this 20 lb beaver. been tanning stuff for 30 years ,still not good at it .this one turned out fine .. i have tryed most metheds
i used alum for this one it's the easyest way.first thing i ever did was a rabbit when i was a kid .
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cabingal3
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# Posted: 1 Feb 2012 05:33am
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thanks Just.so where do u buy alum.i have some small bottle in my kitchen.how do u go about this??thanks and the beaver looks great.
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Just
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# Posted: 1 Feb 2012 09:18am
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I buy it at the bulk food store ,4$a lb.It takes 2 lb. to tan a deer hide so not much for small stuff
.there are lots of tanning forums on line that will give you the how too's much better than i can but i'll try a quick lesson..
skin animal remove all the meat and fat and sinu from the bloody side i use a wire brush on a electric drill. cover the flesh side with pickling salt , fold flesh side to flesh side and put in a cool dark place for a week or so up to a month , after a week go back at it with the wire brush and get more sinu off , wash hide in dawn soap and warm water 5 times get all the oil out.. hang hide up inside a barn or a unheeted building untill it is compleatly dry bone hard not soft at all..
mix 2lb. alum 1lb salt with 3 gal. water soke hide till the hair is just starting to loosen .3 to 10 days depending on thickness of hide. remove hide and rince with solutiom of baking soda and water for 5 min.strech and work the hide untill it is soft, thin hide with sandpaper to uniform thickness, and dry"this is called braking the hide" apply some good leather oil to keep it soft. takes about a month .good luck
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Borrego
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# Posted: 1 Feb 2012 02:57pm
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I thought this was going to be a tanning thread, like out here in SoCal where we lay out on our cabin decks with a cold beer and soak up the rays :-)
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cabingal3
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# Posted: 2 Feb 2012 11:55am
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Quoting: Just just finished this 20 lb beaver.
so Just-do u tan hides for taxidermy??
is this beaver finished??
what will u use it for??
i have a taxidermny book i can read.it tells how to skin squirrels and to tan hides.
this is all i know.this is what i read.it could be wrong.
first...get your hide off your squirrel.then soak it in water and pickling salt for 24 hours.then pull it out and scrape any extra what have u's off.then rub your squirrel brains on but now i am x'ing this info out cause i can use alum.so soak in alum and water for another 24 hours and then get it out and shake it out.nail it down and then when dry ...work it over till softer.i see your way.and i am comparing what i know to what u are saying.would this apply to a squirrel hide too?what u write?
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cabingal3
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# Posted: 2 Feb 2012 11:56am
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Quoting: Borrego I thought this was going to be a tanning thread, like out here in SoCal where we lay out on our cabin decks with a cold beer and soak up the rays :-)
it is.u can tan an animals hide and drink beer.we are not talking about u getting your hide tanned in the SoCal sun.hee hee.
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cabingal3
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# Posted: 2 Feb 2012 11:58am
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Just-i copied and saved all this info into my word pad.so i can reffer to it and read my book on tanning.
and now to get more practice shooting and aiming.
and to find out what squirrels not to kill.
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Just
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# Posted: 2 Feb 2012 06:12pm
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Quoting: cabingal3 hides for taxidermy??
I like to hang hides of all types up on the walls kind of a hunter thing much to Kates shgrin. The beaver is finished ' he has a cupple of red buttons for eyes and is streached out on a maple hoop " the tradichional native way of tanning a hide : .. I will be giving it to our kids nature center in the spring so they can display it and let the kids touch it . the beaver is canada's national animal .like the eagal is for you ..I already have a larger one , mounted the same way ,hanging up in my camp .this beaver was tanned in the round meaning it's hide was removed like you would a sweater . with the only cut being around the anus .
Quoting: cabingal3 what will u use it for
I also like to make things from both leather and hair on hides
when i did the beaver for the kids i also did one to make some hats, a beaver this size will make two winter hats .
A buck skin will make 2 gun cases a moose hide will make a front seat cover for a full size pick up. two squirrls or 1 beaver tail will make a fine wallet .a cyote will make a pair of winter boot covers
a squirrl hide is very thin it would not take long in the alum
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cabingal3
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# Posted: 2 Feb 2012 10:36pm
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do u ever earn money doing this??i saw a program where a fellow preserved peoples precious furbabies(pets) for them forever for quite alot of money.
well i really think its great for u to make something for kids to see and feel that are not in nature.i have to say i really want to do what u are doing in the pillow u made and that bear on the wall is fabulous.soo.did u shoot the bear?do u ever scoop up roadkill?
i ask cause my husbands gradeschool teacher to do to taxidermy and would scoop up things in good shape.i dont want to do this but i do want to hunt and to learn to butcher meats for us and use the hide so as not to waste what we kill.thanks so much for sharing all this info with me.sure enjoyed it.
soo do u have any hats u have made up?do u sew them together yourself? i mean all the things u make? is it tuff to sew thru the hide?do u use an upholstery needle? do u have to use a thimble on several fingers to pull the thread thru the hide? do u use a sewing machine ever when u make clothes like hats? what do u line a hat with to keep the hide off your hair and skin? just fabric lining?
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Just
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# Posted: 3 Feb 2012 10:41am
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No cab, I do not do it for money i 'm not that good as you can atess
that thing you call a pillow is a tradishonal canadian trappers hat . thoes are ear flaps the furry part keeps your neck and whole face warm,besides Kate dose not like the nasty bits lying around the place ,so i like to keep it down to just stuff for myself and friends .but i agree it is very hard to leave a nice dear hide in the bush when you know how nice it would look all done up .I left that nice buck skin in the bush last fall , at Kates request [ pic in hunting thread]no I do not do road kill unless i do the killing.
I shot the bear a few years back near mindon ontario He was hunting me , I was hunting moose , and it diden't work out for him ..
sewing,,,,, you can use a sewing machine on leather if it is thin and soft i used one to make the pillow. it's better if its a bit damp when you are sewing. For deer and moose hide you will need a sewing awl [ see pic ] bear and caribou have much thiner hide and sew easyly..
if you want to take the hair off any hide you would soak it in lime and water and salt [ after the first cleening] turning it daily and watching it ,, the lime will distroy the hide if left to long .leave it just till the fur will scrape off easely ..
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cabingal3
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# Posted: 4 Feb 2012 11:22am
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Just.thank u for all the info.i love that hate and it is just exactly what i have in mind.thanks for telling me of the sewing tools and what to do.now if i can just get some squirrels.
that is pretty funny about things not working out for the bear.good job.
have u seen that show on tv of the young couple where the man preserves things such as pets for people and the wife is always fussing at him as he is using her comb to comb some of the preserved and taxidermied pets hairs...pretty funny looking show.it is a reality show.does your wife ever get any of your finished work for a wallet or hat or purse or some such goodies.she is lucky.thanks so much for sharing your knowledge.
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Just
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# Posted: 4 Feb 2012 03:24pm
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no cab she's not into it but thats ok.I don't think i could do a pet just not into that . I have a lot of trouble doing bears when you take the hide off a bear what ' s left looks just like a man,, realy spooky!!.when you get that squirrel let me know i'll talk you through it !!!you need a 410 shotgun they work well for squirrl ...
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cabingal3
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# Posted: 4 Feb 2012 11:39pm
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Quoting: Just when you take the hide off a bear what ' s left looks just like a man
lol.that sounds pretty spooky.ok.i have a crossman 760.thats what i am starting out with just cause i dont want to shoot someone and wound them ...namely my poor mister.hee hee.
ok.thank u so much Just.i am going to the woods come the 3 week of feb.and i hope to shoot some then.thanks.
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Just
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# Posted: 5 Feb 2012 09:17am
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If you get close that will work ,most gales make good hunters ,quiet on there feet.good hunting!!!
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cabingal3
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# Posted: 5 Feb 2012 06:00pm
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Just.what is a gale? thanks.
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exsailor
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# Posted: 6 Feb 2012 09:07pm - Edited by: exsailor
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Just,
Have you ever had hair slippage after tanning with alum? I have used a lye solution to remove the hair from the hide so I have clean leather to work with. Works pretty good with minimal scraping in the stubborn spots. As far as cleaning the blood, sinew and flesh of it your way is simpler, than the scraping I do.
I have never been able to figure out the sewing punch Just suggests. For sewing leather I use a Glover's needle. They come in various sizes and it has a triangular head that actually cuts it way through the leather. For heavy sewing thread I use artificial sinew or for really fine work I use dental floss. When you're working with a needle, use a thimble or sailors palm to push the needle through the leather. I have also used a hard surface to push the hide down onto the needle once the point was set.
Panther Primitives has some nice instructional DVD's in theirs Wilderness series.
The log Cabin Shop has some excellent books on tanning the traditional way. Here are some that are in my reference library, MAKING BUCKSKIN CLOTHING by Roberta Moss, BUCKSKIN: THE ANCIENT ART OF BRAINTANNING HIDES by Edholm & Wilder, and BLUE MOUNTAIN BUCKSKIN: A Working Manual, Dry Scrape, Brain Tan by Jim Riggs. Here is one that I haven't read but may have to get TAN YOUR HIDE THE ALUM WAY by Kent Klein. I imagine perpetualsummer has found this thread, but she has piped in yet. Hope I helped a little and not muddied the waters too much.
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exsailor
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# Posted: 6 Feb 2012 09:23pm
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I have made a lot of small projects, Mostly bullet pouches, belts, knife sheaths, belt bags, and a shooting bag that loosely resemble a purse. The original muzzle loader's bag I have a suspicion was the pattern for modern woman's shoulder purse. I usually use waxed dental floss for small projects, and artificial sinew for heavier things like a knife sheath.. The Mountain men would use an entire tanned coyote skin or other similar sized animal to make a hat that covered their ears and back of their neck. The one I have is definitely cold weather wear. It does get hot under that fur. When I get enough hides, a set of buckskins are in my sewing future.
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cabingal3
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# Posted: 6 Feb 2012 10:48pm
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Quoting: exsailor When I get enough hides, a set of buckskins are in my sewing future.
now that i would like to see.pretty cool.i want to do some of this.along with sew our own clothing when we are retired and live up in our woods...but i can start getting practice now.
i have a taxidermy book not that i wish to do this ,but it tells how to do some of this.i will tell u the name of it next time i am here.
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Just
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# Posted: 6 Feb 2012 11:04pm - Edited by: Just
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Quoting: exsailor hair slippage
I find moose deer elk carebou and rabbit slip the most,if i am going to make anything but a wall hanging, on thows hides, i usualy remove the hair .i have used ether lye or lime i like lime the best it's a bit safer.
i have brain tanned a few deer hides [ hair on ] to use as gun cases. Nice to hear from a fellow cabiner afflicted WITH THE SAME HOBBY.B.T.W. THAT AWL COMES WITH A GLOVER . THEY HELP..
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cabingal3
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# Posted: 8 Feb 2012 12:02pm
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Just.that is a nice gun case.how did the brains work compared to the alum solution?
ok.i cleaned out my bookcases in search of my book.it is called outdoor life s COMPLETE HOME TAXIDERMY.
in this it details alot of things i need to know ,not so much in taxidermy but for skinning squirrels for tanning.
i have a question though.Is there a better way to skin a squirrel so as to have it in the best biggest shape for tanning and making something out of the hide?
is a hide with no hair still called a hide?thanks
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cabingal3
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# Posted: 8 Feb 2012 12:03pm
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p.s-my books by a Tim Kelly.
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Just
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# Posted: 9 Feb 2012 09:29am - Edited by: Just
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the best way is in the round that way there are no edges to finish .
you always get waste at the edges..you will need a board to put inside the animal..gary can make you one to fit,it should be just big enough to fit inside and stretch the hide as much as you can.after tanning you can cut the leather to fit your needs . if you leave it in the round you can also make leather lacing by cutting round and round the hide one squirrel can make 30 feet of lacing for sewing your projects.as far as brain tanning goes i'm no expert but i'll try
clean well
salt one week,rince
rub in brain usualy takes two or more brains
keep breaking and cleaning it for a week
place over a smokey fire for two days[not much heat just smoke]
rub in some oil and soften [thats it ]
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cabingal3
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# Posted: 9 Feb 2012 09:01pm
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thanks alot Just.
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exsailor
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# Posted: 1 May 2012 01:38pm
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Just,
You might know the answer to this. In my camping circle, a lot of people use commercially tanned fur-on sheep skins for chair covers. Sometimes things like coke get spilled on the hides. Any idea how to clean them without damaging the fur or leather? Thanks for your time and help.
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Just
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# Posted: 1 May 2012 03:31pm
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not sure ,soap water then re-oil ,leather dry cleaning .not sure!!
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cabingal3
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# Posted: 4 May 2012 11:49pm
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just.i am still thinking on this subject.been raising grandkids and havenot been out to our woods.
i do watch alot of shows on things like this...i saw some fellow on tv hunt down a rabbit and he said u just need to poke a hole in rabbit skins and they fur comes off more easily than most other animals.
so i am looking forward to my woods,to putting the gun i got to use and to cooking up a pot of something i have caught and tanning.still have it in my mind to do.looking for a squirrel dog too.
thanks for all your teaching on here.its great for a new person to learn all of this.
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Just
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# Posted: 5 May 2012 11:06pm
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There will always be squirrels to hunt cab, the little kids need you right now.hope you two make it to the cabin soon .
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cabingal3
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# Posted: 6 May 2012 02:28pm
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we sure at Just.we are taking the little guys on memorial day.we are all excited.thanks for all the good info.
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