Trad Gang
Topic Archives => Memorable Hunts => Topic started by: Little Tree on January 08, 2007, 04:15:00 PM
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Hey Gangers, just thought I would throw my latest adventure at you. And what and adventure it CAN become with hazy or incomplete information. I hope I can shed a little light on this often misunderstood art. It is actually a very simple process, with very simple tools most people have laying around the ranch. It just involves a fair ammount of elbow grease, and a bit of patience. I first learned how to do this 10 years ago at Tom Browns Wilderness Survival School, coincidently that was also where I learned how to make a Self-Bow. A few years ago, a few good buddies and I (you may know Shaun from the Gang)took a hunting trip to the Eagle Cap wilderness in N.E Oregon in search of the wily Elk herd bull...well to make a long story short, Shaun decides to drop the herd bull at 8 yards, and we all get get sent home with a share of meat and a lifetime of memories (thanks again buddy). But I was fortunate enough to get the hide...minus the cape...which know resides in Shauns den! Anyways, that hide is my motivation for this project. I need some handle wrap material for my buddy Jims' (who was also on the hunt) new python backed osage static recurve that I am building for him, and thought it would be fitting to add a piece of that magical hunt to his new bow.......and he is being sooooo patient, might I ad!...It has also been a goal of mine to tan enough buckskin to outfit my wife and I for the upcoming Renzdevous season. I figure I will need about 10 hides to complete the mission. A shirt, pants, moccs X 2, and a full dress and shawl. I heard through the grape-vine that Elk is a pain in the ass to soften because of the thickness. So I want to freshen my skills on a few Deer hides before I attempt the Elk.... So...I better get to work, hope you join me for the ride!
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The first thing you will need a hide. We will be using deer here. You want to use your skinning knife as little as possible to remove the hide, to prevent nicks and cuts. Try to pull it off as much as possible, and if you do need to cut, just be cautious. Next, you need a good stable fleshing beam and scraper, I built one out of dead ironwood and elm with a diameter of about 6 inches. What you want is something at the right height, I found if it comes up to about your belt line, you are in the right ball park. As far as the scraper goes, you just want something that has an edge (not too sharp) and comfortable handles. I just made one with a piece of scrap steel, dowel and duct tape.
You are now ready to flesh the meat and tallow off the hide to prepare it for the soak. I found that if you let the hide crust over ever so slightly, it becomes much easier to work with. Not so slipery, and the meat and fat comes off in sheets. This process makes for very happy dogs! Anyways, once you have fleshed most of the stuff that can rot off the hide (you don't have to be too picky here as you will do it in earnest later when the hair is removed), you are ready for the bucking process.
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y4/littletree4/afleshingbeam.jpg)
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my scraper
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y4/littletree4/ascraper.jpg)
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The process that I follow is from the book Deerskins to Buckskins by Matt Richards. I have found that this process works the best for me. So the Bucking process uses an alkaline sulution to make the hide swell up, both releasing the hair and the grain, (the layer that holds the hair to the hide) from the fiber(Dermis) of the hide. You can use hardwood ash and water or hydrated lime and water, but I have found KOH (potassium hydroxide) or Red Devil Lye to do the best and cleanest job. All you need is your 30 gal. trash can and 8 oz. KOH to 20gal H2O for your bucking solution. Place the hide or hides in the solution and stir. Let sit for three or four days, and you are ready to grain your hide..........more to come.
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y4/littletree4/amagicbucket.jpg)
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Following along Brad.
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Cool Brad! Looking forward to the rest of this. Always wanted to know how it's done. Matt
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I will be watching this one real close, been studying to do the same thing. Decided not to use my elk hide I got this year but maybe next. Keep it coming.
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Alright, 3 days have passed in cyberworld... time to scrape all the hair and grain off the hide. The lye has done its job and has swolen up all the layers of the hide so they can be separated with the scraper. Remember, we are after the fiberous dermis here, we want to remover the hair, grain, and membrane (flesh side) and leave the dermis behind. The lye will also make the grain easy to differentiate from the dermis. The grain is lighter colored, and the dermis is tawney. notice that I am wearing gloves, Lye will dry out your skin like a harsh soap. So after contact, rinse the slimey feeling off your hands and rub some oil or something into your skin....we got to take care off our hands!! also notice the strip of grain in the front of the scraper, it will come off in strips.
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y4/littletree4/agraining.jpg)
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Tomarrow I will try to membrane, rinse, and dress the hide with the conditioner (eggs instead of brains in this case) stay tuned!!
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I am just about at the same point Brad. It's a tough gig, doing this for the first time. I'm glad you are here to show the way :)
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This is great. Teddy Roosevelt mentioned - on many occasions in his books- using buck-skin as camo. I always wondered how it was made.
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This tan-along couldn't have come at a better time,getting ready to do my first buckskin soon. Thanks Brad, keep it coming.
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Properly smoked buckskin is one of natures greatest camo set-ups. Esp. with fringe to break up your outline. And the smoking can help cover your scent. My ultimate goal in my de-evolution through time is to hunt exclusively in buckskin and fur. And then...stone points.
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Good job, LittleTree! I've got my doeskin in the freezer right now, and soon I'll have it in the eggs. I'm looking to make tiny moc's for my new baby girl, and hopefully some for her mama, too.
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Originally posted by Little Tree:
My ultimate goal in my de-evolution through time is to hunt exclusively in buckskin and fur.
I've been trying to get my brother in law to wear a fur hunting outfit for years but he keeps balking when I hand him the hat with the fork horn rack tied on to it... :p
But seriously, I got to hides in the freezer just waiting for me to get after it...
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I've been waiting for one of these tutorials for a long time!
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Ah yes, the build along season. Good one Brad, very timely. When you do the elk, save me a piece about handle size, good COD mojo in that one.
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No problem Shaun, there should be plenty....hope it turns out, I am a little intimidated by it, Some sections of the hide are nearly 3/8 of an inch thick! It has been dried on the rack for a few years now, so I have been rehydrating it for two weeks, and it still has some stiff spots, but it is loosening up slowly. I plan to egg it numerous times to get the penetration, and plan to soften it with a few people working it.
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Couldn't do much today, cause the wind chill was 12 degrees, and my hands were freezing. The job is hard enough as it is with all your fingers working! Tomarrow should be warmer, will try to post some more info.
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I did this a few years ago with a small piece of hide. I used Lime from the Hardware store and eggs. Cool!
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Hey Brad, you're doing fine, and don't let it intimidate you. I've been doing this for -- I forget how many years. But yeah, the first is the worst, or at least it should be. There are few things worse than an easy success your first time, that does not set the stage for realistic expectations down the road.
I also use eggs. I cannot get my hands to squish through brains and feel those veins and strings of connective tissue snap crackle and pop. I can't eat Rice Krispies anymore... I get dry heaves just thinking about it these days. And the suggestions to put them in the blender do even worse to me!
That hide WILL thin-out REALLY fast once you put it in the rinse. I cheat and use Red Devil lye from the store for my buck.
One thing I'm going to try next time I "brain"tan is Ballistol. Yes, not necessarily traditional, but what it's done for barktan and alum taw is amazing. Right now I've got two deer hides that I tawed, oiled them with Ballistol instead of egg yolks or neatsfoot. Next, I will smoke it. I realize that's not generally done, but there are distinct advantages to smoking alum taw, principally that the aldehydes in the smoke impart the same thing to the taw that it does to braintan -- once wet and then dried, it can be worked back to soft. Otherwise alum taw gets like cardboard after wetting and drying. And the resulting skin is tougher and less stretchy than braintan.
Anyhow, good on you for doing this! As said by others, very timely and very useful.
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Alright...I froze my ass off today, but I got some important steps done.
After the graining is complete, and you are sure that you got it all, flip it over to Membrane it. This is alot like graining, but the membrane comes off really easy. 15 minutes of scraping or so, and thats about it.
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y4/littletree4/amembraning.jpg)
Next. The alkali needs to be rinsed out of the hide, at this point the dermis is all tensed up and kind of rubbery. Once it is rinsed out, it will become very white , supple and stretchy. If you have a stream or creek, soak it in there for a day or so. We have a stream, but I worry about Coyotes, and my damn dog!. What I do is use the 30 gal. garbage can, and rinse in that, leave the hose on a bit to slowly replenish the water in the container. The hide will ajust itself to the same PH as the water that it is in. You can speed up the process by putting a cup or so of apple cider vinegar in with the rinse, this slight acid helps pull the alkali out of the hide. What you want is neutral to slighly acidic when you are finished with the rinse. You will know when it is done, it is very supple and flowing, and really white. Right before you start the dressing step (eggs, brains, soap), give it one last rinse in 10 gal or so of water, and a half a cup of vinegar. This will make sure that you are slightly on the acidic side, which will help the dressing penetrate.
After that, we have to get most of the water back out of the hide, the dressing will not displace water, so we have to get it out, so the eggs can go in. This is the ringing step. drape the rear of the hide on a horizontal beam. Pull the neck end up and over(making a big tube). Roll in each end to the center, making sure all layers get wrapped up. Making a hide donut of sorts. This ia actually a dressed hide(that is why it is yellow) but good enough to get the point accross.
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y4/littletree4/adonut.jpg)
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y4/littletree4/awring.jpg)
Insert stick and twist...Hard! Then back the other way, then unwind and rotate the "donut" around the beam and keep going. Get as much water out as possible. When you feel like you got alot of it out, put the hide back on the fleshing beam and squee-gee the rest of the water out of it with your scraper in the same way as as you grained and membraned. This will open up the hide, and help spread what water there is left in the hide around and get it closer to a even moisture content. (Remember EVEN moisture content, very important in the dressing and softening stages)
Now we are ready to dress.
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:thumbsup: :campfire: :coffee:
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Now to dress. I will use eggs here. They do the same thing as brains or soap. What we need the dressing to do is lubricate the dermis and get between the glue structure that is within it, allowing us to move the hide constantly while it goes from damp to dry(softening stage). But in order for the dressing to do its job, we have to concentrate on working them into the hide.
Grab a 5 gallon pail with a sealable lid. Crack a dozen eggs into it and mix. Thats it. Add the hide. It will seem at first like there is way to many eggs. But if everything has been done right, the hide will soak them all up. Work the hide and eggs with both hands until the hide becomes silky smooth and obtains a very consistant texture. After about 20 minute or so, the hide will have soaked up much of the egg mixture.
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y4/littletree4/aeggysituation.jpg)
Put a lid on it and let it sit overnight, to let the eggs do their job.
Now it gets a bit tricky, the slimy eggs make it very difficult to wring the excess eggs and water out in order prepare for softening because the hide just wants to slide out of the wring. So back to the beam and scraper to squee-gee out as much juice as possible. Soon it will tacky enough to wring. So Wring away.
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After the ring, go back to the beam and scraper, and really concentrate on an even moisture content. It is critical at this point to not have any really wet sections of the hide, as they will take way too long to soften. So really spend some time here. I spent 10 hours softening my first hide because of uneven moisture, and that was just a pure drag. Get the hide as DRY as possible! Next,spread the hide out and make little 3/8 inch long slits (parralel to the hides edge) every 3-4 inches around the hide. This is also a good time to sew up any arrow holes with a #12 beading needle and beading thread. (Glad my wife is a beader!)
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y4/littletree4/aevenmoisturecontent.jpg)
Start lacing it to a sturdy 4x6' frame, starting with the neck area, then accross the bottom, then each side.
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So it looks like this. It doesn't have to be super tight, but not floppy.
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y4/littletree4/arackedhide.jpg)
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Lookin good Brad. Pic of that shop reminds me of some good times and lots of shavings in that room.
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Make sure your space is heated to about 80 degrees. Empty your bladder and bowels, and get yourself a snack....cause you will be softening for awhile! This is where it all happens, if you thought it has been a lot of work so far, your in trouble. Today I spent 5 physical hours on this hide, naked from the heat, blistered and bleeding...I have to say, it felt pretty good, I will make and wear a loin cloth for the next one though! Here are the two tools that will be giving you blisters.
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y4/littletree4/atools.jpg)
A softening stick about three feet long, and a pumace stone.
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Now, time to sweat! Work the dry and drying areas only with the stick by DEEPLY pushing and sliding it across the hide to stretch it open and prevent the glues from setting up, leave the wet areas alone for now, or you will just be wasting your energy. Remember, the hide needs to be worked as it goes from DAMP to dry, not wet to dry, so only focus on the almost dry areas for now. Try to get into a rhythm. Use your open hand and feel the hide as you work it to determine the areas that are drying out and need to be worked. After alot of work the hide will look like it is crusting over, which it is. The glue on the surface is starting to set, and needs to be buffed off with the pumace stone. Esp. on the grain side. Alternate between the stick and the stone, and work, work, work. And when you just need to take a break, work some more. If you feel like you are going to pass out, remember that this was a womans' job in the past. Get over your self-pity that you are indeed a modern weekling, and work some more. LOL. Soon the hide will start to lighten quite a bit on its way to white and soft. At this point, rest assured, you still have a crapload of work to do! So get a drink of water, and keep at it. You all know what it is suposed to feel like.....the opposite of rawhide, so if it starts to fell more like rawhide, work that much harder, if it starts to feel like soft buckskin, great, but still keep at it.
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y4/littletree4/adryinghide.jpg)
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You will notice that the sides will finish first....nice and dry, stretchy and very soft. If an area is dry, it is done. Focus on the damp, stiff areas. Usually the thick neck area is the last to dry, preceeded by the rumps, then spine. Use your hand and feel for damp areas and work them. Pumace the S*it out of it again all over both sides, if you can still see yellow specs of glue through the surface fibers on the grain side, you still have to buff more. There should be no yellow specs at all. I cannot stress enough how this is a VERY physical job, and if you think you are a step ahead of the hide, think again. That little bit of dampness will stiffen like a board if left alone for just a short time. So keep at it!!
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Keep at it, and imagine how it will feel on your skin as a garment, if you fell like "Damn, this wouldn't be very comfortable as a loin cloth.....keep working! If you feel like you just can't wait to wrap your manhood in it, and like it......Congrats! you are done! Cut it from the rack, trim the stiff edges off it, and prepare to smoke.........the hide that is!
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y4/littletree4/afreakwithbuckskin.jpg)
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What was saun referring to by "lots of good times and lots of shavings"LOL were you Naked then also.All kidding aside that is alot of work but the hide looks great.
The deer hide that is
John
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great thread and great job on the hide
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Brad, did you use any water with the eggs. the book I have says to mix with half gal. of warm water.I got 4 hides soaking now
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Smiley, I did not use water, i wonder if warm water would help penetration. In the book I have they mix warm water with brains, but it does not mention eggs. Here is my softening helper, he is usually good for about 2 hours.
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y4/littletree4/helperj.jpg)
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Dude, that pic of you holding that awsome buckskin blew me back about five feet whhooow!
This is a great build along. As a taxidermist I'm always working my tail off to keep capes and pelts in the best shape possible and when I seen you take the shaver to the hair side I just about had a heart attack. Looks great.That is sweet!!
Take care Jason B.
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I can identify about the hard work part of working a hide. I did a little of it myself.
I read a funny thing related to this subject. You know when there's a distasteful job to do, people might say " That's harder than digging a ditch."? Well in one Plains Indian tribe , when one of those jobs came up , the person would make a funny face and make the motion of scraping a hide. That says a lot about the work involved.
Joey
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This hide was from a 200+ lb deer that I killed this fall. The finished hide would have been even bigger if I wouldn't have cut most of the neck off. He was in full rut and the neck was very, very, thick, tough, and scarred. Stay tuned for the Smoking part coming up, as this is what really makes a hide!
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Brad,
Nice job so far. My son told me he wanted a buckskin coat a couple years ago. I now have enough hides for it and some pants. I just need a few weeks to get them all done :) If I could just go on sabbatical.
John
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My buddy tanned 30 hides last year and plans to do a hundred this year. He tans, I usually design the garments. I prefer leggings and breach cloth over pants, much more airflow,LOL!
Just make the shirt longer. Forget about fringe while hunting in dense woods.It is a pain in the ... It will not help breaking your silhouette. It even enhances your movements.
I use ground walnut hulls and cook them for one hour, then I dye the hide for about one hour, then I remove, rinse and wash cold in the wool program of my laundry maschine with some wool detergent and a little softener. Do not dye longer than that, your hide may become too tight. The color you`re after is right the supple brown of a deer. I usually add a limb pattern with iron gall ink like in the stick and limbs pattern. Viola, that breaks your silhouette. The good old camo buckskin,LOL!
This ink will not wash out, just brush on with 2 applications, that`s all!
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Great idea tecum-tha. This is what I did this morning. Time to smoke. This important step is what makes the hide able to get wet without it getting stiff when it dries, if you were to get a white hide wet, it would turn back into rawhide. The smoke protects the dermis fibers and allows the hide to be washed. It also adds a lovely color and smell to help with camoflaging your smell when hunting in a buckskin garment. So, get an old canning pot, and collect some dry punky wood from a standing dead tree. (I used poplar). Fold the hide lengthwise and with a tiny glue bead on the edge, glue it into a big long tube. Glue the top and sides. Leave the bottom open and staple a "skirt" made of a thick material like canvas or denim to the bottom to prevent the hide from making contact with the smoking vessle. Put some coals from the wood stove into the pot covering the bottom. Throw in a thick layer of punk, and you have smoke...and alot of it. Rig up the hide over the smoker like so.
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y4/littletree4/asmokingbighide-1.jpg)
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Make the tube as tight as possible(clothes pins to seal leaking smoke) to prevent the smoke from escaping, thus creating pressure in the tube and blowing it up. This both keeps surfaces from touching and forces the smoke through the hide. After about 15 minutes with good smoke and pressure, open up the glue bead to check your color, if it is where you want it, great, if not, use clothes pins to close it back up, and give it some more time. When the side is done, turn it inside out, and smoke the other side.
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y4/littletree4/asmokedside.jpg)
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Soon, you will be done!!!! Take the skirt off, trim the edge where the little glue line and staples were, and rejoice! Rub it all over yourself, then let your friends admire it and watch them rub it all over themselves! Then take it back and make something out of it! This will be my hunting shirt....Time to get out the sewing machine!
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y4/littletree4/afinishedbighide.jpg)
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A couple tips to remember...
1. Make sure your scraping beam is nice and smooth, and hard. With no checks or other voids on the surface.
2. Make sure you slightly acidify the hide before you dress to help the penetration.
3. Get yourself a copy of Deerskins to Buckskins by Matt Richards!
4. Remember the importance of an Even moisture content for dressing penetration, and even softening.
5. Get a pumace stone!!!!!!!!!invaluable!
6. During the entire process, keep in mind that most tanning societies in the past had the women in the tribe do this challanging and knuckle busting work. Considering that the same women were also responsible for both childbirth and child rearing.......while all we had to do was hunt. mate, and occasionally fight.......We had it pretty damn easy fellas!!!
Thanks for coming along on the journey, hope this thread spread some light on the subject. Until next time. Keep on keepin' on.....Peace, LittleTree
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y4/littletree4/abuckskinandbows.jpg)
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Thanks for the ride. Hope they put this one in the How-to section so we can refer to it later.
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:clapper: :clapper: :clapper:
Thanks Brad
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Amazing job. I hope to tan as well as you, though not judging by the pic. of your bare legs!
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good job brad. you going to have it on it at mo-jam this year?
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Good thing the hole in the hide you were standing behind, while naked, wasn't over to your right a little more....that hole would have been positioned about right for exposing something none of us would want to see! It wouldn't have been buckskin...unless your name is Buck!
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Nice job Brad!!!
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Good stuff, I echo the to the how-to section move.
This year I sent two large buck hides in to be modern tanned. Maybe next year I'll go for the home made plan. Thanks for showing us how.
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Thanks Brad ! That was very good !!
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:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
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Hey SNAG...........my knickname is Buck!.....really, I'm not kidding!
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Very nice. I would like to see it make it to the how to section also. Jason
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Little Tree, before you pack out the sewing machine please dye the hide first and wash it. If you won`t dye it, and you will wash it later on,the color of the smoke fades real fast. I am referring to a chapter in the book "Traditional clothing of the native americans" by E.H.Gibby here.Since you want to use your shirt for hunting, I guess you will wear it quite often. If you wash it every 2 weeks (one week is more realistic) after 20 washings it should be close to white. The least favorable color in the woods!
I really like thes static tip recurves, they look awesome!
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great build a long ========thanks
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Nice!
On almost all deer I or my brother have killed we've wanted to tan them...but it always seemed to fall through 'cause we didn't exactly know how to do it. Thanks for the real detailed and well documented journey. Mods please put this into the How-to section, it is a worthy addition!!!
Timberbound
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Thanks TiberBound, if any of you have any more questions, please don't hesitate to P.M. me. Love to be able to help. Take Care.
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Brad,
Thanks for the informative how-to. Couldn't the softening step that takes so long and so much work just be supplemented through the use of a fan to dry it faster and thus less muscle power to soften it till it dried? Just a thought. Take care, Matt
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Nice tanning class you threw here...
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thanks for the tut, Very Enjoyable.
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Hey Matt, I used both a fan and cranked my woodstove until it was 85 in my shop! The most important thing is getting it as dry as possible and with an even moisture content accross the whole hide, before it goes onto the rack. Today I softened two hides that each took 3.5 hours. So I seem to be getting it down. I have enough for my hunting shirt now, so I will start sewing it up this week!
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Thanks, Brad, this is a real treasure! I am looking forward to seeing your finished shirt.
Killdeer :campfire:
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very cool !!!!!
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Alright folks...Hope you are not bored, cause I decided to go right into making my buckskin hunting shirt/jacket. Thought I would bring this thing full circle! Hope you come along for the ride, cause this is the easy part, and can be extremely enjoyable. This is why we put in all this time and energy into creating this ultimate "fabric".
After smoking three hides, I have enough material to construct my shirt.
So now we have to wash or rinse the hides, and let them dry on their own. After soaking them for a few minutes in cold water, hand ring them out, and lay them flat on some bath towels to dry, just get them flat, and kind of let them do there own thing. This will insure that the finished garment will not stretch or shrink in a weird way after it is made......which would truly be a bummer!!! Esp. after all this work. When they are dry, they are ready to be cut into pieces......but before that.....................more on the way.
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I'm ready!! bring it on Brad :bigsmyl:
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Very interesting!
Thanks for sharing!
Pretty neat looking bows as well. They look to have some radical tips.
Robert
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Very, very cool :D
Can't wait to see the finished article!
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you make it sound almost easy--it isn't and you, sir, did a great job!
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Very interesting!
Woody
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Originally posted by snag:
Good thing the hole in the hide you were standing behind, while naked, wasn't over to your right a little more....that hole would have been positioned about right for exposing something none of us would want to see! It wouldn't have been buckskin...unless your name is Buck!
Zactly, we don't want to know how you got the name Little Tree! ;) Just Jok'n.
Very nice how too. I've done two small hides just to learn the process and found out in a hurry it is a lot of work. I think I'll give you method a try on the next one. I can wait for the next section to see how you make clothes out of them. Very cool!
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What you want to do next is find a good pattern and sew up a replica out of an old sheet or something, there is usually some special tailoring adjustments you may want to do from the original pattern. I was fortunate enough to live with my Grandmother when I was an early teen, and she insisted that she teach me how to sew. I loved it, I used to make my own swimming shorts and holloween costumes and such....my older brother and cousins used to call me seamstress Sally! I took alot of ****. But it is coming full circle now! They can all kiss my ass. LOL. Thanks Grandma!
Anyway, I bought a pattern from Braintan.com of a frontier shirt, but I will not do most of the fringe, except I do want a little hanging off the bottom. So I made a shirt quickly on the sewing machine, and did a few little adjustments to accomadate my shooting form and intention..... You can also take an old shirt that fits you well, and take it apart for the pattern pieces, that way you will know ahead of time exactly how the new piece will fit.....Anyhow, I want to be able to put two layers of wool underwear under this garment so I need it to be loose enough but not too bulky where it gets in the way when I shoot. I made the necessary adjustments on the pattern, and started to look at how I was going to cut the hides. This is a very important stage of the consruction....Layout.
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Keep it comming,buddy!
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Awesome and inspiring. I admit to a fair degree of guilt over not utilizing my skins. But I'm not sure where I'll find the time to do this. I gotta try it though! Still a couple weeks left to kill a deer here in MD.
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Thanks for the leather how to ...Great job sally.or aaah...LITTLE TREE ! LoL.. Just joking ! Great thread man . Thank you sir.........!
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What you want to do, is layout your shirt pieces along the spine of the hide, with the hair-side of the hide the outside of the garment. I happen to have a very large hide, and two smaller does.
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y4/littletree4/bhidestocut-1.jpg)
So the front and back of the shirt I can get out of the large hide with the back of the shirt piece cut from the top half of the hide with the spine being the centerline of the piece. The back of the shirt was cut from the lower half of the hide with the spine of the hide matching the spine of the wearer.
The two sleeves were cut from one of the smaller hides with the spine running down the length of the sleve pieces. The bottom of the shirt, front and back, collar, and sleeve cuffs were cut from the third hide. The bottom pieces were layed out so the soft wavy belly hide becomes the fringe on the bottom of the shirt. The reason why you want to layout the pieces along the spine, is that is were the hide is the most stable from stretching and shrinking. You want your pieces to be as symetrical as possible with the stiff and stretchy areas of the hide. Your garment will be very stable this way , wet or dry. Also, I was fortunate enough to have a thick hide, a moderately thick one, and a thin one. So the thick hide became the front and back panels, the medium one the bottom, cuffs, and collar, and the thin one, the sleeves. Which is great because I want the sleeves to move and flow easily, and the panels to be more riged and stable.
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y4/littletree4/bpatternwork.jpg)
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After all the pieces are cut, you can start whip-stitching the pieces together. I used a sewing machine with a fine needle and thread to stitch the entire shirt together before I began to hand stitch. The fine thread allows you to rip it apart to adjust and re "tack" pieces back together if need be, and the fine needle doesn't leave large holes behind. This way also enables you to test fit the shirt, and do any nips and tucks and trimming before you spend all the time it takes to hand whip-stitch the whole thing together. For instance, if you were to whip-stitch the shoulders together then tried it on, and there was a large pucker or lump along the shoulderline, you are kind of screwed, unless you took the entire stitch apart, made the adjustment, and started again....which would suck.
I am very fussy about how my hunting clothes fit, as I imagine a number of you are too. So, I really want to make sure I fit this garment properly, as I plan to hunt with it for many years.
Now, find yourself a nice sharp "glovers needle". This is a needle designed for leather. It is triagular and the edges are sharp, cutting as it passes through the leather. After working with needles and leather I realized how important a cut-on-impact broadhead is. It takes about three to four times the force to push a conical shaped needle through a hide, where as a chisel point slides right through.....compare that to broadhead penetration, and give me a WW-style head anyday.
Next, you need a thread, I wanted to find a very, very, strong thread. Alot of folks use artificial sinew, and the hard-core primatives use real sinew threads. I wanted something lifetime.....so I tried to find the strogest thread around, and realized I already had some....FastFlight! Perfect for stitching leather, and slightly waxed so it stays put in the needle. And I will never have to worry about seems failing because of the thread! This pic shows a little custom tailor stitching to pull the back in at the hips a bit for a more form-fitted shape.
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y4/littletree4/bwhipstich.jpg)
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After a few days of constant whip-stitching, It is starting to look like something.
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y4/littletree4/bshirtgettindone-1.jpg)
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Nice work Brad.
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Brad,
Great how to. Can you explain a whip stitch. :thumbsup: Thanks
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A whip stitch is when you take the in-side-out garment edges, match them up flat one on top of the other, and stitch around and around the cut edges every 1/8 inch or so. Then when you turn it right side, all stitching will be on the inside. If you look at how most leather gloves and hats are made, if the stitches are on the inside, chances are it is whip-stitched....hope that helps.
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Awesome how-to, I also vote for this going into the resources/how-to forum to be archived.
(tagging it to email me now LOL)
Thanks for doing this,
B :clapper:
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A nice little walkthrough man...and wow tip overlays on your bows now and everything. My how my little Brad is growing!
dan
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great thread
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Here is a close-up of a whip-stitch..
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y4/littletree4/cwhipstitch.jpg)
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Well, I stayed up late last night and finished it up. Some say to wash it, wring it out and wear it dry for a truly custom fit, but it is cold outside, so I will just wear mine around for awhile, I went sleding with the kids this morning, and I can already feel it breaking in to my shape. If you look closely at the pic of the back, I stitched on a deer track in the center of the back, and under the track is a leather arrowhead that should pattern itself through the leather track over time! Also, I stitched the sides and cuffs with a buffalo leather thong in a X-stitch(sides) and a running stitch(cuffs), Then I finished it out with a knapped hunting point mounted as a rip-stop at the neck-line cut. I am very happy with how it turned out. This project was long and tedious, but very rewarding. And I should have a one of a kind hunting jacket for years to come! Next is the pants, I will start tanning again after some bow-work. Thanks again for coming along for the ride....Peace. LittleTree
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y4/littletree4/calldone1.jpg)
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y4/littletree4/cabackshot.jpg)
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y4/littletree4/calldonetwo.jpg)
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Good stuff, Brad...bring that to MoJam, so we can check it out in person!!!!!
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Brad,
Great thread. :thumbsup:
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Looks great Brad ! Thanks for sharing. What kind of hat is that you have on ?
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Very fine work. Thanks for the posts.
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Little tree...where did that snow come from ? I left (Madison area) on the 13th and it was almost "shorts" weather. (went to Europe for a while, work, so I guess I missed the snow this year....crud !
ChuckC
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Brad, needs just a little something... know anyone who does bead work? Nice shirt buddy. Looks like a real hunting tool.
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Thanks Guys. The hat is a buckskin and sheepswool hat my Grandmother gave to me, it matches the jacket pretty good, I must say.
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I just got in from stumpshooting the snow-covered woods. It is so beautiful outside. I alomost had a shot on a cottontail, and counted coup on a turkey.....the squirrels were quiet......great day.
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Awesome! I need a large. What's the address to send my skins!
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Very, very well done. Nice work.
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Absolutely Gorgeous! Excellent work of art! Thanks for the thread Brad.
Shell
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i want one! :)
nice work. i've got one i made from some commercial tanned hides but nothing compares to braintan!
thanks for sharing little tree!
enjoy the day,
Kyle
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LOL I want one too. That would make a GREAT St Judes Auction item :readit: :saywhat:
Great Work. Thanks for takin us along.
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you are very talented!
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Words cannot describe your craftmanship, now I know how to make a shirt from the 3 hides I tanned this year. THANK YOU SIR!! :notworthy:
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many thanks for showing us the work as it progressed. This has been a very interesting thread for me. Great work, shows a lot of talent.
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Thanks again. Anyone can do it, it is just the whole Time thing. I am fortunate enough to have the winter to dedicate to skills. I hope someday to have most the year to hang out in the shop.
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Great job little tree ! Hope to be able to make myown some day ! Looks great ! Thanks for this thread ! >>>-------------->RIVERWOLF
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:notworthy: :notworthy: :notworthy:
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What a cool thread.
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Very good and a beautiful shirt.
We have some sheep brains in the freezer, I guess they could be used. Bue--.
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Little Tree, that is awesome. Way to go. This is the type of thing that keeps me coming back to Tradgang!
:clapper:
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Great "Threads" Pun intended. That is a beautiful shirt. Don't know where I'll find the time, but I've got to try this. That's a shirt to be proud of.
Steve
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Just to let you all know, I have hunted with the jacket three times now, and it has totally broken in to my shooting form and very quiet, burrs don't stick to it. And it is surprisingly warm and windproof. Excited to take it out in the deer woods in 8 months!
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you are the man!! i'd love to do that, but so many hobbies, so little time! sigh.., besides, good hunting clothes are just too cheap, compared to the time invested in something like that. hold you're head high, you are a rare breed.
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here ya go Dave...Enjoy
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Little Tree, thanks for sharing. I just bought a book this past year on brain tanning, and it just didn't go into the detail that you did, I may embark on the journey you just took. BTW you shirt is to cool.
"If one man can do it??"
Thanks man
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looks really nice, thanks for sharing
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I got one word to say "Pimpin" :thumbsup:
I want to make me one of those hats. To bad I have never ever thought about saving the hides I have had in the past.
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Great thread!!!!
Its amazing what all goes on here and the talent aint it?
:notworthy: :notworthy: :notworthy:
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Dang that's really nice! You look like Oetzi the Iceman they found in the Alps a few years ago.
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Yes Terry, It is a great thread, can it be archived?
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Thanks Brad, I'd like to try my hand at that next year. I also turned mine in this year and it should be back shortly. Really nice job!!! Is the elk next?
Dave
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@ Little Tree: Wonderful work! Thanks for sharing!
I have had an idea.... (i guess a dumb one)
I wonder if it could be an option to use an old washingmachine or a Dryer for softening the hide?
Put in the hide with some stones, like they do with blue Jeans?
Well i guess it would be a little loud and the machine couldnt be used for anything else anymore. but maybe it works...
what do you think?
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I have three more hides that are scraped and ready to go. Just got to find the time, as it is bow-making time in the shop now to get ready for the travelin' season!
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Jaberwok....I havn't thought of that one, sounds like something to experiment with. But I am in the market for an old ringer-washer for the ringing stages. After the hide are egged, they are very, very slippery. Making them very difficult to wring. It has become one of the most frustrating stages of the whole deal. So I would like to be able to send them through the wringer to squeeze all the slimey stuff out of them. I hope it works.
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This is an awesome thread. I thought I would bring it up ttt for those, like myself that missed it the first time. Nice work little tree.
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Any luck hunting while wearing it this past fall?
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This is great thanks for the thread.
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iv always wanted to brain tan some hides and make a jacket really need to give it a go some time, thanks for taking the time to share it with us.
here is vest i made out of impala leather
(http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h101/tradtusker/IVY_20080331_2435.jpg)
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Great thread, Brad! Well done! That's one sweet jacket!
That's something I've wanted to do for a long time too!
Thanks for sharing with us! :thumbsup:
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The big tanneries use drums to soften the hides, so a old dryer would work....just going to be very noisy.
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When can I order mine?