SCRAPING HIDES SKIN

Deer skins* (rawhide): a hard, inflexible, untanned skin useful for drums, containers or cordage.

Furs (for example rabbit, squirrel or fox) can be brain tanned or bark tanned: great for hats and cold-weather clothing.

What skins can be tanned, and what are they used for? There has been a resurgence however вЂ“ in particular in North America, via the primitive skills movement, and in Scandinavia, learning from traditional Sami techniques. Tanning in Europe was a major occupation, and many traditional tanning techniques have been lost вЂ“ replaced by industrial chemical processes. Many indigenous hunter-gatherers still use traditional tanning techniques, all over the world, from Northern Inuit and Sami to sub-Saharan Africa and North America. There are wall paintings of tanning in Egypt, and leather clothing, many thousands of years old has been found preserved in peat bogs throughout Europe. Leather would have been the main вЂfabricвЂ™ for thousands of years. Archaeological finds suggest that hide tanning was carried out by our ancient ancestors, as far back as 70,000 years ago, through the study of various flint scraping tools. We require clothes in many climates, to keep warm, safe, shaded, and camouflaged. Humans are different to most animals in a number of ways вЂ“ a significant one being that we donвЂ™t have much in the way of insulative fur or any protective scales. There are a number of other methods, including the use of synthetic chemicals, though often these are neither good for the tanner nor for the environment (see below). Bark tanned deer skin вЂ“ the bark also gives the skin its rich colour. The skin is then oiled and worked soft (physical / oil process). Once the skin is tanned through вЂ“ a matter of days for small skins like rabbits, to months for deer or even years for large cows вЂ“ it is then removed and rinsed. The solution is made by boiling high-tannin plant material (such as certain tree barks, nuts and leaves) in water and producing a tannin-rich, acidic tea.

This process involves immersing the skin in a tannic acid solution (chemical process). This creates a soft, shammyвЂ“like leather.Д«ark tanning, or vegetable tanning. This skin must then be smoked, at which point formaldehyde enters the skin (chemical process) and ensures that even if the skin gets wet, it will retain its softness. This process involves using an emulsifiable (mixes with water) oil such as brains or egg yolks whilst working the skin soft (physical / oil process). In traditional (or natural) tanning there are two main techniques:Д®mulsifiable oil tanning вЂ“ sometimes called brain tanning, or smoke tanning.

Finished buckskins вЂ“ brain tanned and smoked. This process generally takes the form of a chemical stage and a physical manipulation with lubricants such as oils. This means that after the tanning process, the skin should be a stable material, and not rot or be overly attractive to animals and insects. Hide tanning is the process by which a raw skin becomes preserved. Skin is made up of a number of layers, and is predominantly a fibre network of interlocking spiral proteins. вЂњTanning a deer hide is a rite of passage, cementing blood ties to our hunting forebears who depended upon skins for warmth and who respected slain animals by never letting any part go to waste.вЂќ вЂ“ Kevin McCafferty What is skin & hide tanning?ДЄll animals have a skin covering their flesh and fat.

Scraping hides