[TheForge] tanning hides

[blakkpawss at yahoo.com]

As I recall from my copy of Foxfire that dealt with the subject, it was recommended to collect in the spring when the tannin levels were up.  Being that the trees were gearing up from the winter and their sap was highest then.  Brain tanning is always possible too.  The brains are free if you collect after you killed the deer (and of course if you didn't shoot the deer in the head).  Not sure what leather was traditionally used.  I'd say in America in the 1800's it would have been Buffalo/bison since it was extremely plentiful and cheap in those days. I would say that it has to be flexible, which buckskin would be.  But, I've always been told elk hide was superior to deer hide in buckskins as often the deer hides are too thin to hold up to use after tanning.  Remember any hide you tan for flexible leather will have to be worked a lot to get that flexibility.
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-----Original Message-----
From: Bruce Freeman <freemab222 at gmail.com>
Sender: theforge-bounces at mailman.qth.net
Date: Fri, 2 Dec 2011 23:33:07 
To: Bob Ehrenberger<eforge at centurytel.net>; Blacksmithing List Sponsored by ABANA<theforge at mailman.qth.net>
Reply-To: Blacksmithing List Sponsored by ABANA <theforge at mailman.qth.net>
Subject: Re: [TheForge] tanning hides

Try Wikipedia as a starting point for info like this.

FWIW, I came across this via a magazine I get:
http://news.clariant.com/clariant%E2%80%99s-easywhite-tan-process-%E2%80%94-leaner-cleaner-and-safer/



On Fri, Dec 2, 2011 at 10:29 PM, Bob Ehrenberger <eforge at centurytel.net> wrote:
> I know that this seems a lottle off subject, but it is blacksmith related.
> A couple years ago I had someone give me the wooden pieces off of an old
> bellows. I always intended to restore them but due to time and the cost of
> leather I haven't gotten to it.
>
> This year after skinning out a couple does it hit me that if I could tan
> them they would go a long way toward providing the leather needed for my
> bellows.
>
> So, have any of you used buckskins to make a bellows?
>
> Have any of you made buckskins? I'm following the instructions in a book,
> but have some questions.  To do a vegtible tan it says to use bark off of an
> oak tree.  I doesn't say whether it needs to be a live tree or a standing
> dead tree.  I cut down a large dead oak tree and am using the bark off of
> it, but was wondering if the tannon leaches out of the bark as soon as the
> tree dies or does it stay pretty strong as long as the bark is still on the
> tree?  The first batch of tanning solution looks pretty dark, the hide has
> been soaking for two days and is starting to develope some color.  This is
> pretty much what I have for this time, but I was wondering if next year I
> need to cut down a live oak for the bark, or is standing dead going to work?
>
> Robert Ehrenberger
> Shelbyville, Mo.
> eforge at centurytel.net
>
>
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-- 
Bruce
NJ
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