Post by didster7 on Nov 18, 2005 16:10:15 GMT -5
[glow=red,2,300]BRAIN TANNING HIDES[/glow]
Brain tanned hides are much more comfortable because they are softer and more pliable, with the ability to breathe and wick away body moisture in the summer and it insulates in the damp cold weather.
Supplies needed to brain tan a hide:
knife
sharpening file or stone
a draw knife
an awl with three sides
needles
stretching frame
punky wood
brains 1lb.
rubber gloves
protective clothing
barrels for soaking
use spring or well water
rocks for weighing down hides
hides
[glow=red,2,300]Soaking the Hides[/glow]
Fill your barrel three fourths full of water. Put the hide in the water and place a large rock or block on top of it to assure it stays totally submerged. If you are tanning in hot weather it may only take one or two days for the hair to begin to slip. Make sure that the hide is soaking in the shade and change the water every day! If you are tanning in warm to cool weather you should only have to soak the hide two to three days before the hair starts to slip. Change the water every day! If you are tanning in cold weather, anything above freezing, it may take up to a week for the hair to slip.
[glow=red,2,300]Stretching the Hides for Scraping[/glow]
Hang hide on a frame and secure with lacing. The frame is usually six feet by six feet and the lacing is spaced approximately 2 to 3 inches apart. The hide is pulled as taut as possible.
[glow=red,2,300]Scraping the Hides[/glow]
On the flesh side you want to scrape down far enough to see small vein tracks in the hide. They will be indented into the hide. These should also be seen uniformly all over the hide. If these vein tracks can not be seen uniformly all over the hide, it is still under a layer of membrane and will be dealt with in another step. Also the hide will exhibit very tiny holes that are the blood vessels that transit through the hide. Scrape from top to bottom as you go down the hide. There is no hard and fast rule. Just remember to get all that you can. There will be a very thin layer of membrane left on and one will be able to get this in another step with relative ease. Now flip the hide over.
Be sure to scrape with the lay of the hair. Scrape from the neck to the tail. Scrape from top to bottom going from side to side. This allows you to systematically do the entire side without skipping around. Remember, the hair should easily slide off or at least be capable of being pulled out. To do the neck area it will be necessary to scrape against the flow of hair, but this is the only time that you should do this.
Scrape the epidermis and part of the dermis off. This is this step that is most difficult and discourages novice tanners but keep in mind that if it is not done properly will leave a skin barrier which will prevent the hide from absorbing the brain solution into it's pores and fibers.
Scrape the layers of skin down far enough until you come to a layer that seems smooth, but has a slight fibrous look to it. The small dark spots you might see are the blood vessels in the hide. They will look like holes in your hide and should not be confused with the roots of hair that you have just taken off. Roots tend to be up around the neck area of mostly male deer and elk and will usually come out during the process. At this point you should have a hide with a smooth appearance on both sides.
[glow=red,2,300]Stretching the hide[/glow]
Soak the hide in spring or well water overnight. After letting the hide soak over night in plain water it should look like blue/white piece of rawhide. Reattach the hide to the frame, making sure it is tight. Work it lightly at first for a couple of minutes. Do both sides. This has the effect of turning a hide from a dull bluish white to white as the hide dries and the fibers pull apart. Let the hide set for 20 to 30 minutes before doing both sides of the hide again. Let the hide dry all the way. Now at this time you should have a hide that is white with bits of dried membrane or even a soft fuzz on the flesh side and with the hair side showing fine ridges where the dermis has pulled up. They are now ready for the smoker!
[glow=red,2,300]Pre-smoking[/glow]
Inside the smoke chamber build a fire with the punky (very old dry wood ) wood. Allow it to build a bed of coals. Hang the hides (up to 10) on strings that are run back and fourth across the inside top of the smoker. These hides hang to within 2 feet of the fire pit, always hang the longer hides to the outside strings. Always keep distance from the fire pit so that no damage occurs to the hide. Keep 4-6 inches of space between the hanging hides so that the smoke has a chance to circulate. Smoke hides for about 3 hours.
[glow=red,2,300]Braining Process[/glow]
Smash the brain and mix the brains with water until it is a milkshake consistency. Pour into a large container with 5-7 gallons of water. Insert the pre-smoked hide. Push the hide into the water until it is fully submerged and mix it around for a few seconds to make sure it is thoroughly saturated with the warm brain solution. The solution, which at this time will be foamy and pink will start to turn gray and take on the smell of wet wood as the smoke combines with the water. This action slows down the rotting process of the brains. Soak in the solution as long as a couple of hours. It is very important that the hide be as pliable as possible so as to not allow the scraping tool to cut into the hide when running it back over your beam. Take it back to the beam.
When starting out on the beam, do the flesh side first. Starting at the neck you will see the fibers start to pull apart as you remove any excess membrane that was left on the first go around. If the hide received a lot of smoke or heat the hide will seem to be very stiff, almost like armor, and will need special attention when soaking in the solution. The excess membrane will come off looking much like paper, in the case of a hide that has not soaked long enough, to thin gray strips of flesh. At this point you will begin to notice the little holes that are the blood vessels that transit the hide. Sometimes the holes look more like indentations and you have to look very close, but they are there. Another sign are the blood vessel grooves that will start to show up. These are found especially along the spine of the hide. This means that you've reached the limit that you want to pursue on this side. You will have also noticed that the smoke colored hide changed color as you scraped to a lighter shade. The smoking shows you where you have scraped before so you do not go over the same area again too often. Get what you can off and don't be to meticulous or they hide might dry on you and you will have to soak the hide again for a few minutes. Now turn the hide over. If at this point you feel that the hide is too dry on this side, soak it in the solution for 10 minutes or so and throw it on the beam.
The same procedure is followed on the hair side as well except for seeing the blood vessel holes. You will notice that some more of the dermis will scrape off and cause the hide to really stretch as you go over this side. Concentrate on the neck, middle back, and the area on either side of the spine at the rear of the hide in the flank area. These areas will either be much thicker or usually contain long scars that will have to be cleaned out if the cut did not transit the hide. Cleaning out the scar tissue will leave a small groove, but it will also allow you to soften those areas. A thru and thru scar will come out stiff in the final process and some old punctures will even tear open when running the scraping tool over those areas. Another hole to sew up is all. You will notice that as you go over this side that the fibers will stand out at you. The blood vessels might even present an outline of themselves such as you would get from a pencil rubbing.
One of the nice things about putting your hide back over the beam a second time is that this really works the fibers in the hide around even as you thin it a bit more. When you have finished this phase you can now go and place the hide back into the solution. You might notice that the hide will swell up as it soaks the solution in. This is what it is supposed to do. You will then wash the hide around in your soaking container every couple of hour so as to allow the solution to cover the entire hide. Soak for 2 days. Return hide to rack and stretch tightly. Allow to dry. At this time you will have will have an off white stiff hide that is ready to go back into the smoker for another round of smoking. Smoke for 2 hours, then return hide to the brain mixture and leave overnight.
[glow=red,2,300]Final Buffing[/glow]
Start by wringing the excess water out of the hide. Keep in mind that the dryer you make the hide, the faster you will complete this portion of the task at hand. Wringing the hide out can be done by making your hide into a tourniquet. Remember to twist the stick in both directions!
Work the hide for 5 minutes on each side and then letting the hide rest for 15-20 minutes. Be sure not to rub too long a stretch of hide as this might make you work harder than you would have to. Try to keep the amount of hide between your hands at about 18 inches or whatever is comfortable for you to hold and pull on without having to twist your body around 90 degrees all the time.
When buffing up the hide it is recommended to constantly rotate the hide so that all areas are stretched first one way and then at least 45 degrees in another. Do not concentrate on any one particular area as this could lead to a hard spot forming. You will start to notice at this point that the fibers are becoming more pronounced .
After each round of buffing flap the hide as you would when cleaning a blanket in the wind so as to help it get back to its original shape. You can also pull the hide over your legs and knees and stretch it as well, but always end each round by flapping it. Make sure to do all sides and then hang it up out of the wind or direct sun light and let it rest and dry a bit.
This also allows the fibers to dry some so that when you go back to another round of buffing you will , in effect, pull the fibers apart more and create more drying surface. When completely dry you should have a soft pliable hide ready to use.
Brain tanned hides are much more comfortable because they are softer and more pliable, with the ability to breathe and wick away body moisture in the summer and it insulates in the damp cold weather.
Supplies needed to brain tan a hide:
knife
sharpening file or stone
a draw knife
an awl with three sides
needles
stretching frame
punky wood
brains 1lb.
rubber gloves
protective clothing
barrels for soaking
use spring or well water
rocks for weighing down hides
hides
[glow=red,2,300]Soaking the Hides[/glow]
Fill your barrel three fourths full of water. Put the hide in the water and place a large rock or block on top of it to assure it stays totally submerged. If you are tanning in hot weather it may only take one or two days for the hair to begin to slip. Make sure that the hide is soaking in the shade and change the water every day! If you are tanning in warm to cool weather you should only have to soak the hide two to three days before the hair starts to slip. Change the water every day! If you are tanning in cold weather, anything above freezing, it may take up to a week for the hair to slip.
[glow=red,2,300]Stretching the Hides for Scraping[/glow]
Hang hide on a frame and secure with lacing. The frame is usually six feet by six feet and the lacing is spaced approximately 2 to 3 inches apart. The hide is pulled as taut as possible.
[glow=red,2,300]Scraping the Hides[/glow]
On the flesh side you want to scrape down far enough to see small vein tracks in the hide. They will be indented into the hide. These should also be seen uniformly all over the hide. If these vein tracks can not be seen uniformly all over the hide, it is still under a layer of membrane and will be dealt with in another step. Also the hide will exhibit very tiny holes that are the blood vessels that transit through the hide. Scrape from top to bottom as you go down the hide. There is no hard and fast rule. Just remember to get all that you can. There will be a very thin layer of membrane left on and one will be able to get this in another step with relative ease. Now flip the hide over.
Be sure to scrape with the lay of the hair. Scrape from the neck to the tail. Scrape from top to bottom going from side to side. This allows you to systematically do the entire side without skipping around. Remember, the hair should easily slide off or at least be capable of being pulled out. To do the neck area it will be necessary to scrape against the flow of hair, but this is the only time that you should do this.
Scrape the epidermis and part of the dermis off. This is this step that is most difficult and discourages novice tanners but keep in mind that if it is not done properly will leave a skin barrier which will prevent the hide from absorbing the brain solution into it's pores and fibers.
Scrape the layers of skin down far enough until you come to a layer that seems smooth, but has a slight fibrous look to it. The small dark spots you might see are the blood vessels in the hide. They will look like holes in your hide and should not be confused with the roots of hair that you have just taken off. Roots tend to be up around the neck area of mostly male deer and elk and will usually come out during the process. At this point you should have a hide with a smooth appearance on both sides.
[glow=red,2,300]Stretching the hide[/glow]
Soak the hide in spring or well water overnight. After letting the hide soak over night in plain water it should look like blue/white piece of rawhide. Reattach the hide to the frame, making sure it is tight. Work it lightly at first for a couple of minutes. Do both sides. This has the effect of turning a hide from a dull bluish white to white as the hide dries and the fibers pull apart. Let the hide set for 20 to 30 minutes before doing both sides of the hide again. Let the hide dry all the way. Now at this time you should have a hide that is white with bits of dried membrane or even a soft fuzz on the flesh side and with the hair side showing fine ridges where the dermis has pulled up. They are now ready for the smoker!
[glow=red,2,300]Pre-smoking[/glow]
Inside the smoke chamber build a fire with the punky (very old dry wood ) wood. Allow it to build a bed of coals. Hang the hides (up to 10) on strings that are run back and fourth across the inside top of the smoker. These hides hang to within 2 feet of the fire pit, always hang the longer hides to the outside strings. Always keep distance from the fire pit so that no damage occurs to the hide. Keep 4-6 inches of space between the hanging hides so that the smoke has a chance to circulate. Smoke hides for about 3 hours.
[glow=red,2,300]Braining Process[/glow]
Smash the brain and mix the brains with water until it is a milkshake consistency. Pour into a large container with 5-7 gallons of water. Insert the pre-smoked hide. Push the hide into the water until it is fully submerged and mix it around for a few seconds to make sure it is thoroughly saturated with the warm brain solution. The solution, which at this time will be foamy and pink will start to turn gray and take on the smell of wet wood as the smoke combines with the water. This action slows down the rotting process of the brains. Soak in the solution as long as a couple of hours. It is very important that the hide be as pliable as possible so as to not allow the scraping tool to cut into the hide when running it back over your beam. Take it back to the beam.
When starting out on the beam, do the flesh side first. Starting at the neck you will see the fibers start to pull apart as you remove any excess membrane that was left on the first go around. If the hide received a lot of smoke or heat the hide will seem to be very stiff, almost like armor, and will need special attention when soaking in the solution. The excess membrane will come off looking much like paper, in the case of a hide that has not soaked long enough, to thin gray strips of flesh. At this point you will begin to notice the little holes that are the blood vessels that transit the hide. Sometimes the holes look more like indentations and you have to look very close, but they are there. Another sign are the blood vessel grooves that will start to show up. These are found especially along the spine of the hide. This means that you've reached the limit that you want to pursue on this side. You will have also noticed that the smoke colored hide changed color as you scraped to a lighter shade. The smoking shows you where you have scraped before so you do not go over the same area again too often. Get what you can off and don't be to meticulous or they hide might dry on you and you will have to soak the hide again for a few minutes. Now turn the hide over. If at this point you feel that the hide is too dry on this side, soak it in the solution for 10 minutes or so and throw it on the beam.
The same procedure is followed on the hair side as well except for seeing the blood vessel holes. You will notice that some more of the dermis will scrape off and cause the hide to really stretch as you go over this side. Concentrate on the neck, middle back, and the area on either side of the spine at the rear of the hide in the flank area. These areas will either be much thicker or usually contain long scars that will have to be cleaned out if the cut did not transit the hide. Cleaning out the scar tissue will leave a small groove, but it will also allow you to soften those areas. A thru and thru scar will come out stiff in the final process and some old punctures will even tear open when running the scraping tool over those areas. Another hole to sew up is all. You will notice that as you go over this side that the fibers will stand out at you. The blood vessels might even present an outline of themselves such as you would get from a pencil rubbing.
One of the nice things about putting your hide back over the beam a second time is that this really works the fibers in the hide around even as you thin it a bit more. When you have finished this phase you can now go and place the hide back into the solution. You might notice that the hide will swell up as it soaks the solution in. This is what it is supposed to do. You will then wash the hide around in your soaking container every couple of hour so as to allow the solution to cover the entire hide. Soak for 2 days. Return hide to rack and stretch tightly. Allow to dry. At this time you will have will have an off white stiff hide that is ready to go back into the smoker for another round of smoking. Smoke for 2 hours, then return hide to the brain mixture and leave overnight.
[glow=red,2,300]Final Buffing[/glow]
Start by wringing the excess water out of the hide. Keep in mind that the dryer you make the hide, the faster you will complete this portion of the task at hand. Wringing the hide out can be done by making your hide into a tourniquet. Remember to twist the stick in both directions!
Work the hide for 5 minutes on each side and then letting the hide rest for 15-20 minutes. Be sure not to rub too long a stretch of hide as this might make you work harder than you would have to. Try to keep the amount of hide between your hands at about 18 inches or whatever is comfortable for you to hold and pull on without having to twist your body around 90 degrees all the time.
When buffing up the hide it is recommended to constantly rotate the hide so that all areas are stretched first one way and then at least 45 degrees in another. Do not concentrate on any one particular area as this could lead to a hard spot forming. You will start to notice at this point that the fibers are becoming more pronounced .
After each round of buffing flap the hide as you would when cleaning a blanket in the wind so as to help it get back to its original shape. You can also pull the hide over your legs and knees and stretch it as well, but always end each round by flapping it. Make sure to do all sides and then hang it up out of the wind or direct sun light and let it rest and dry a bit.
This also allows the fibers to dry some so that when you go back to another round of buffing you will , in effect, pull the fibers apart more and create more drying surface. When completely dry you should have a soft pliable hide ready to use.
