Homemade Buckskin/Hunting Jacket A-long Finally Done! WHEW!!!

[Tim Clark]

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.

[Little Tree]

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.
   

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.
   
 

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.

[BigRonHuntAlot]

       

[Little Tree]

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.
 
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.

[Little Tree]

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!)
 

 Start lacing it to a sturdy 4x6' frame, starting with the neck area, then accross the bottom, then each side.

[Little Tree]

So it looks like this. It doesn't have to be super tight, but not floppy.
 

[Shaun]

Lookin good Brad. Pic of that shop reminds me of some good times and lots of shavings in that room.

[Little Tree]

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.
   
A softening stick about three feet long, and a pumace stone.

[Little Tree]

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.
   

[Little Tree]

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!!

[Little Tree]

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!  
   

[Hunter John]

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

[TimBow2]

great thread and great job on the hide

[smiley]

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

[Little Tree]

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.
 

[whitebuffalo]

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.

[jdupre]

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

[Little Tree]

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!

[John Scifres]

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

[tecum-tha]

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!