Lifesong

                        Wilderness

                      Adventures ©2008

Hide Tanning

Generally hide tanning involves four basic steps after skinning : fleshing, braining, stretching, and smoking.

                                                                         Skinning an ungulate.

Illustration by Heather Bolyn from  "Tom Brown's Field Guide to Wilderness Survival"

   Fleshing will remove the left over fat,  

   meat and the inner membrane from       

   the hide so that essentially the hide

   will not rot.

Braining is the act of utilizing the brains of the animal from which the hide has been removed.  Most animals have just the right amount of brain matter for the process.  Hides tanned in this manner are known for their exceptional softness and the ability to be washed.

.

Stretching the hide

can be done in numerous

ways, but for large

ungulates the illustration

below is recommended.                   

                                                   Smoking the hide

                                                   is the last portion of

                                                   the process and

                                                   must be done carefully.  You only want smoke

                                                   not fire.

            Illustration from                                                                                    Illustration Heather Bolyn & Trip Becker

     "Deerskins into Buckskins "                                                                           "Tom Brown's Field Guide to Living With the Earth"

             Matt Richards                                                                                     

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