Brain tan ?

[Ken Cormier]

I just got a B/T deer skin as a gift. It was dye wih walnuts but not smoked and it is as hard as rawhide. Who do I get it back to soft thanks

Ken

 

[paulvallandigham]

You need to break down the cells in the leather, by rubbing the hide down. Put a loop over a beam in your garage, or a tree limb,- rope, steel cable that is clean- not rusted!--- strong nylon rope or cord, etc. Then put the hide through the loop, and pull back and forth with both hands gripping an edge of the hide. As one area softens, rotate the hide to work another area. It takes time, but its not as hard to do as it sounds. Some people mount a 4 x in a workshop, and then rub the hide over a rounded edge or end, to do the same work. You can mount a piece of 2 x 4 lumber in a Yankey workbench, and rub the hide over the rounded edges of the lumber.

smoking the hide is how you make it both water proof,and bacteria resistant. To smoke the hide, build a tripod or Tipi frame big enough to wrap the hide around. build a pit fire, and burn the wood down to coals. Then wrap the hide around above so that it seals the holes. Now, add wet, green wood to make the smoke. You may have to cover part of the "cone" with an old wet blanket you can throw away after the smoking is done, to completely seal the "tipi".

You actually want to see smoke coming through the hide evenly, before the job is done. Watch the heat, as too hot a fire will "cook" the hide, and ruin it. Early settlers always had smoke houses for preserving meat. They would hang hides over the rafters in the smoke house to smoke them.

You usually have to add more green wet wood to the fire periodically, so you need to have someone sit and watch the "tipi" to do this if smoke stops coming out the very top.

 

[skunkskinner]

If it is as stiff as rawhide you need to get the hide wet before you start to do as Paul said.

I would "brain" it before i started to soften it if it was mine. Youtube has some good info on braining buck skin.

Brain twice, soften once. Olive oil has worked good for me.

 

[rabjr]

Speakin of brain tanned...I got a very nice hide I need to do somethin with soon. :wink: :grin: :thumbsup:

 

[DTCoffin]

As an FYI to what Paul mentioned by waterproofing , your "waterproofing" the individual fibers so they won't break down, not waterproofing as in a raincoat.Skunkskinner, you mentioned olive oil, is that what you've used to "brain " the hide? I have have heard of egg whites and liquid ivory soap as well(seperately)

 

[skunkskinner]

Correct, brain tan makes a very poor rain coat, it's more like a sponge.

Olive oil is what i have use for braining. Tried neets foot oil once, turned out that i bought the wrong kind. That's a very disappointing feeling at the end of a day of softening.

 

[skunkskinner]

You'll think of something. :thumbsup:

 

[paulvallandigham]

Thank you for the additional explanation. I was thinking waterproofing the fibers( to resist bacterial decay) without thinking that someone might think we were making a rain coat! :rotf: :nono: :surrender: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

If smoke can get through the leather, surely its obvious that water will, too. :hmm: :grin:

 

[LRB]

Properly made brain-tan will allow smoke to be blown through it.