I was wondering if brain tanned fur can be done in the same manner that buckskin is done just leaving out the hair scraping and membrane scraping. Anybody tried it with success? I've got a whitetail buck hide that I may try it on. Thanks, Allen
It can be done with furs/pelts.I was wondering if brain tanned fur can be done in the same manner that buckskin is done just leaving out the hair scraping and membrane scraping. Anybody tried it with success? I've got a whitetail buck hide that I may try it on. Thanks, Allen
Of course! Black Hand gave you all the good info. That deer hide is kindergarten stuff! Have fun and when your done I'll contract you to do my other bison hide I need to do... First one about did me in, swore I'd never do it again, well here I am with another green hide...
That may be, but the sisterhood likely helped with the larger hides.Just think, the Indian women done it day after day.
I once had a hunting bag that was made from deerskin with the hair left on.I was wondering if brain tanned fur can be done in the same manner that buckskin is done just leaving out the hair scraping and membrane scraping. Anybody tried it with success? I've got a whitetail buck hide that I may try it on. Thanks, Allen
Yeah,, and year after year. Because the hides they did that way degraded, relatively quickly,, so new hides had to be made,, day after day,, year after year.Just think, the Indian women done it day after day.
I put the hide in the freezer for now. The winter storm coming put working on it on hold. I'll work on it come Spring. That will give me more time to think about fur on or fur off.
It has to do with the type of hair rather than tanning method. Deer, elk and antelope hair is hollow and breaks easily. Goat hair is different...In the 18th century, the British Army issued Back Packs made of "Hair On" Goat Skin, to make the packs more water/snow resistant. However, they almost surely Vat/Vegetable Tanned their "Hair On" Hides.
On the Frontier In the American Colonies it has been documented that many/most families had a "Tanning Pit" where they Vegetable Tanned their hides. Original Shot Pouches (Hunting Bags) sometimes have a "Hair On" Flap to also better repel water/snow.
What I DON'T know is if there is any difference in how soon the hair comes off between vegetable tanned and brain tanned hides.
Gus
I tie flies for fishing and have handled lots of different deer hair. Deer skin and elk hair are commonly used on LOTS of flies. Most of the deer hair and elk hair skins are not fully tanned and the small patches that we buy are stiff like rawhide. However I do sometimes get some patches that are fully tanned with a very pliable hide. I never paid much attention to that though because I was more concerned about the thickness of the hair and the color and shape of the tips.I was wondering if brain tanned fur can be done in the same manner that buckskin is done just leaving out the hair scraping and membrane scraping. Anybody tried it with success? I've got a whitetail buck hide that I may try it on. Thanks, Allen
Yes, it can be done with a chemical tan. But the poster asked specifically about brain-tanning. An essential part of the process is breaking the hide, which serves to soften. In this, the hide is stretched/rubbed vigorously with a wooden paddle to start the softening and finally twisting, stretching, scraping and working over a stake/branch/cable to bring the hide to the flannel-like feel and flexibility. This is what would break the hair, leaving a hide that looks more as if it has mange...I tanned a deer hide with fur on. After fleshing it, I heavily salted the hide side with kosher salt twice (two consecutive days). My understanding is that this causes the skin around the follicles to seize up and hold the hair in place before tanning. I then veg tanned it and applied Neat's Foot Oil to it. The hide is not as pliable as brain tanned but rolls up and works great as a cover for my camp chair to cushion my rear and keep the wind off my back.
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