As you learn how to tan a hide, this part of the process will become more clear, but not necessarily physically easier. It’s easiest to remove the grain if you scrape from an area with no grain (that you’ve already scraped) into an area with the grain still attached. We like to start scraping in the middle of the hide. Scrape a small area at a time, with a good amount of force. Using a careful, methodical approach is most likely to yield success. So, if you try this step and find it difficult, consider signing up for much more specific and detailed instruction. It’s best to learn about this visually, which is one of the reasons we created the Online Hide Tanning Course. It can be very tricky to get all the grain off as it is quite well attached to the hide and very hard to see. Beneath the hair (which you will scrape off too) is a layer of grain that holds in the hair. Here’s where the hard work begins! Animal skins have layers of different kinds of tissues above and below the thick part we turn into leather. Getting ready for your brain tanning solution: Scraping, Membraning, Wringing It’s done when you can easily pull the hair out of the hide with a firm tug. The soaking process will take between 2 days and a couple of weeks, depending on the temperature of the water. If you’re using a bucket, be sure to agitate the hide a couple of times a day. You can either soak your hide in a creek (tied to a large rock or tree so it doesn’t float away), or a bucket with a rock to weigh it down. It loosens the hair and softens the membrane layer, which will be the next part you scrape off. Soaking a hide after fleshing is a process of controlled rotting. Watch the videos below for more detailed instruction on making your own fleshing tool, and the process of fleshing a hide Scrape a small area at a time with your scraping tool to remove all of the flesh. We show you exactly how to make a scraping beam in our online hide tanning class. Spread your hide on the beam, making sure it’s flat and not folded. Once your hide is deemed worthy and has been trimmed up, it’s time to flesh. These areas can be hard to work and it’s best to just get rid of them right off the bat. Next, trim off any dangly bits and the very thickest part of the neck. Unless all you want to make is lashing, a holey hide is not ideal. Look out for knife marks that penetrate into the gray layer between the flesh and skin. Lacerations that don’t go all the way through the hide can become holes later. Learning how to tan a hide is a lot of work, and it doesn’t make sense to undertake this effort if you’re starting out with a poor-quality hide. The first four steps we listed above prepare your hide to be worked. Preparing your hide for tanning: Evaluating, Trimming, Fleshing and Soaking Your arms: strong, or ready to become strong.Punky (half-rotten) wood: 5-15 gallons of evenly punky wood, or a combination of punky wood and fir boughs.Wringing pole: a smooth strong stick of very hard wood 2-3 inches in diameter and 3-5 feet in length broken tool handles work well for this.Wringing beam: a pole lashed to 2 trees works well.Three beading needles and beading thread.Cable: 5 feet of ⅛ inch steel cable and 2 cable clamps.Fat: ¼ cup olive oil or rendered bear fat.A dozen egg yolks will work in place of the brains, but brains are slightly superior. Brains: one deer brain is just enough, but more is better.
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