Indian Tanning

Stretching hide image

stretching hide image

Stretching the hide on a frame

Scraping hair image

Scraping hair from the hide

waterproofing hide image

To waterproof the hide, it may be smoked. Sew the top and side of the hide together to form a bag. Suspend the bag over a smoldering hardwood fire (use green or rotten wood). The fire should be placed in a pit 6 to 8 inches deep and no more than a foot in diameter. Build up a bed of coals, then add the wet wood. Make sure the bag completely covers the fire pit with the bottom held in place by rocks. Check the hide periodically for color and to make sure it does not burn. When the desired shade of brown is reached, turn the bag inside out and smoke the other side. After smoking, roll the hide in a paper bag for a day to cure. Smoked buckskin remains pliable after wetting. This makes it especially suitable for garment leather.

Learn a historical tanning technique that uses only natural materials and produces superior leather.

Materials:

Procedure

  1. Obtain fresh deer or elk hides from sympathetic hunters or from butcher shops that handle wild game. Butcher shops may have pigskins available also. If possible, flesh the hides while they are still fresh. Connective tissue and fat will come off fresh hides much easier. If hides will not be worked immediately, fold flesh side in and then roll or fold and freeze solid until ready to use. The tanning process requires at least three days, so don't begin unless you can be near to watch and work with the hides.
  2. Place hides in a 20-gallon plastic trash can, weight down with rocks and cover with cool water. Make sure hides are completely submerged. Check periodically through the day and change the water if it becomes cloudy. Never soak it more than 12 hours without changing the water. Soak for one to three days. Avoid oversoaking because the hair will begin to slip.
  3. To stretch, make a frame from 2" x 4" lumber. The frame should be a foot larger than the hide on each side. Lace the hide to the frame by running nylon cord through holes spaced 3 to 4 inches (7 to 10 cm) apart along the edges. Use a knife point or awl to make the holes. Begin lacing at the head end and lace loosely at first. At the end of each side, tie the cord off with half-hitches. After the lacing is completed, go back and tighten it until the hide is taut. It is easier to lace the hide to the frame while it is lying on the ground.
  4. Flesh the hide by using a sharp knife or scraper blade to remove fats and other tissues from the stretched hide. Lean the frame against a tree or building (preferably in the shade) and begin scraping at the head end. Avoid cutting into the hide. The finished hide should be pink or white. Tighten the lacing so the hide remains taut. Allow the hide to air dry where there is good ventilation. The dried hide is rawhide which will keep indefinitely.
  5. Dehairing the hide is necessary to make buckskin. (If you wish to tan the hide with hair on, omit this step.) Start with a sharp scraper. Clean a section of the top of the hide by scraping sideways. Scrape downward with long strokes in the same direction that the hair lies. Hair and the top layer of skin should come off together. Sharpen the scraper as needed.
  6. For braining, use brains obtained from a butcher shop or grocer. Two pork brains should be sufficient for a deer hide. Neat's-foot oil may be substituted for brains since it is a natural oil extracted from marrow. Boil the brains, then cool in a cup of water for about 15 minutes. Let them cool until they are just slightly warm and squeeze them between your fingers to remove the membranes. Rub the brains onto both sides of the hide as if they were a bar of soap (flesh side only if hair is left on). When all portions of the hide are covered with the paste, use a large brush to apply the broth in which the brains were cooked. Leave the hide in a shaded place for half a day. You can also make a solution of brains and water (cream consistency) and soak hides, squeezing solution through the hides.
  7. Soak again by first dampening the hide with warm water (use a paintbrush). When the hide is pliable, unlace it from the frame and soak it in lukewarm water for 24 hours. If tanning with the hair on, do not unlace the hide. Instead, cover the flesh side with warm wet rags and allow the hide to soften.
  8. To re-stretch, remove the soaked hide from the water and lace it to the frame again. Use a 5- to 6-inch (12 to 15 cm) blade of wood or metal to squeegee water from the hide. While the hide is drying, continue to remove water using the scraper. Keep the hide stretched by applying pressure on the scraper as you scrape. Keeping the hide stretched while it dries is essential to getting a soft tan.
  9. Move the hide into the sun or turn a fan on it to dry. Continue to scrape or knead the hide with your hands until the hide feels warm and slightly damp. Cut the hide from the frame with a knife, leaving an inch margin that includes the lacing holes attached to the frame.
  10. Rubbing is done by tying one end of a rope (l/2-inch diameter) to a tree limb that branches at 6 or 7 feet (2 m) from the ground. Tie the other end of the rope at the tree's base. Make the rope tight, but take care not to damage the limb or tree.
  11. Pass the hide around the rope and grasp the ends on both sides, beginning at the top. Pull back and forth, causing the hide to stretch over the rope. Re-grip the ends slightly lower and repeat. Continue until you reach the bottom of the hide. Rotate the hide 90 degrees (so the edges are now the ends) and repeat the stretching.
  12. Now repeat the procedure until the hide is dry and soft. Remove and store the hide for several hours. If it begins to feel moist again (a result of water coming to the surface from within the hide), rub it over the rope. The finished hide should be dry, fluffy and white.