I knew zero about tanning leather 2 years ago. I didn't know where to start, I looked at a ton of videos and then happened across yours. They are the most thorough, well researched explanations I've seen, not to mention the loads of personal experience that you share, which is invaluable. Now I have 4 tanned deer hides and am tanning two more as we speak. Best tanning content on the web in my book.
That's really great to hear. I've been trying to promote bark tanning and get people off to a good start. I'm still seeing a lot of problem hides, but most of the people following my stuff and taking the time to absorb it (it's a lot to absorb when starting something new) are turning out some really nice stuff. It's a very satisfying undertaking for sure.
@@SkillCult I have a problem hide for you. If you don't mind answering a long comment. Lol. It's been really hot. I've been soaking 2 hides to get out the lime but only scraped them once so far (too busy). One of my hides absorbed a lot of fluid and swelled from the lime. It is still swollen seems fine, smells like usual. The other never really swelled and it seemed about as floppy as it was going to get after deliming. I let it sit in water for the last 2 days anyway so I can scrape it once more. But, now it smells horrible (more of a fermenting + rotting smell) feels a bit spongy, but seems mechanically intact still. Can this be salvaged? I put in a bunch of salt to try and kill off the bacteria, this worked for me once before, but it wasn't as bad with that hide. What do you do with really stinky hides?
Just in case anyone read the above comment and was wondering... I was able to salvage the hide. I put in some salt and a 1/2 cup of bleach, let is sit for a day, then dumped out the nasty water, rinsed it about 5 or 6 times trying to squeeze out more of the nasty water, and then put it in a strong brine for a few days. It still stunk, but not as bad. After tanning for a few days, the smell is almost completely gone from the hide.
Great job. Excellent content with you explaining your extensive knowledge gained through tough hands-on experience! You really put your heart and soul into this video. You get right to the point; no fluff, no baloney. A true American homesteading hero. I thank you for the kindness of your presentation. It is folk like you that made this nation great over our first one and a half centuries. But today’s youth waste the Gift of life addicted to cellphone video games. Thank GOD I grew up poor having to heft three newspaper routes; and in the summers between the ages of 11-17 worked a 50 hour week as a farm hand for 25-35 cents an hour after which I loaded tractor trailer trucks at night between the ages of 14-17. That was almost sixty years ago. The end product was that I was able to work as a Christian medical missionary physician for a decade. Now I am almost 75 years old and I’ve still got another 45 years to live and teach. Once again, Thank you, Brother. Keep up the Good Work!
It just doesn't really work that well unless you cater to the lower elements of people's character. 7 years later I have less money than I started with and I have to leave my homestead and no money to buy a new one. So, I'm not that enthusiastic anymore.
Did a workshop on brain training a few years back, and now this video gives me the opportunity to go for it with the next hide I come by. Many thanks for so many outstanding videos over the years...
This got me thinking, there is quite a bit of skill that goes into making leather and almost every early civilization across the globe had figured out how to do it to some degree. Makes me wonder how each civilization came to acquire such skills. 🤔 Thank you uploader!!
for one, skins are commonly used as containers in primitive societies. So, it's easy to accidentally find out the effects of different substances on skin.
Dude, your videos have been phenomenal. I've been pit tanning capeskin (hairless sheepskin) for a year now. I use it because it tans in just over 20 days which gives me time to experiment. One thing I'd add about going to the lumber mill is always bring a case of good beer with you. Those guys are always putting good bark through the chipper. I asked them to toss it into the kiln for a few hours to deal with mold and bugs and it gives me tons of tanning material. Ask around, people are quite willing.
That was a great overture to the rest of your tanning content, thanks as always. On chickens: They are neither disruptive or cute (to me), but anyone that disapproves of them must not appreciate pastured eggs. That would lead me to question one's character. Lol
@@SkillCult ¿Crees que la mejor introducción de bronceado al cromo para el sebo de piel de merino español y cuántos ph debería ser y debería usar un bronceador de aluminio?
my girlfriend just gave me a pair of these elbow gloves. They are simply amazing - what a great upgrade to my tanning setup. Actually one of the best things is they are really easy get off. You always seem to have to fight the normal short gloves to get them off
They're kind of a game changer :) Wish I'd started using them ages ago. I'm trying a new brand now. I've had two pairs of the yellow atlas eventually start leaking a little.
Not yet. The best I can point you to is the series I'm just finishing up ua-cam.com/play/PL60FnyEY-eJBsE5mbHhW2gQMILnndQN9o.html There is another shorter one too, sear for "strops from scratch" DIT?
Just when you think you know a little you come out with another great vid and learn more. I've done 15 hides, thanks to you and this one is great Steven. I would love to see some vids on brain tanning and this process. As before I discovered Skillcult, I watch quite a few brain tanning vids only to be more confused. Not downing anyone's efforts but your instruction is excellent Professor Steve! And a p.s. I recently had copies of my GGGrandfathers ledgers from his shoemaking business from the 1840s50s and 60s. I have 4 ledgers and picked out pages I thought would be of interest to you. Bartering for bushels of oats, firewood and leather. Even a contract drawn up in one ledger to hire a young man for a 3 year period. I believe it was for $25 a year. And I cut his original sole leather for a ladies shoe in half for you, as I said before. It is a fine example of period leather that has been laying around from the 1840-60s and is still supple and tough. It will not crack even if bent sharply. Nothing like good tanned leather. Now that I have the ledger pages copied I will be sending you a package very soon. Thanks So Much as usual Steven. And by the way I used a hollowed out log that fell and smoothed it out and made legs for my beam. It is oak and heavy but good and solid. I filled in any small checks with epoxy wood filler and shellacked it with about 3 or 4 coats and paste waxed it, which I relax from time to time. I've also tried to cover it with a heavy plastic, then a heavy cloth or cavnas and the dry it off. I keep it in my shop and it has stayed very nicely. And here in Pa. It gets damn cold during hide season. So I lay down a plastic sheet and curl the edges so I can work in my wood heated shop. Can't scud when you're freezing your buds! If it gets to the 50s or even mid 40s I've done it but must wear liner gloves, the hide is stiff and it a pain. So expect a package soon, which will include some pieces of air dried hickory. Many Thanks! DaveyJO
Cool Davey. Look forward to it. I'll have more out on veg tan soon. We'll see about braintanning. I might just make support videos on particular topics related to it. Or, when the book is republished I might make some vids in support of it. I'm going to send you a copy of the book as I still have a few. My beams end up outside year round and finally get so bad they have to be replaced. Maybe someday I'll have a small covered tannery and I can keep all my stuff in order and make a nice beam.
Very informative video. Could I suggest covering the use of commercial powdered tannic acid, which is used by commercial tanneries? For urban folks, it is a much easier and cheaper source of tannins, compared to finding bark and boiling.
Wow you've been doing this as long as I've been alive. Thank you for sharing your knowledge, sir! I think I'm going to try a buckskin/ brain tan first before attempting the veg-tan process but I'm excited to get started. Your website is awesome!
Yeah, I've been around a while I guess lol. I don't spend much time with people my age though. They are usually too settled into who they think they are (identity is dangerous) resigned and boring. I think veg tan is actually probably easier to learn. Unless you have a teacher. A good place to learn tanning is primitive skills gatherings, which are just awesome anyway. Rivercane or falling leaves on the east coast, rabbitstick rendezvous in Idaho, and several on the West coast. I'm sure there are more. Those are the long standing ones. Save your pennies and attend one if you can. It'll open up a lot of possibilities.
I'd be surprised to find any single video concerning any aspect of bark tanning and anywhere close to as good as this one. Great work, honestly! thanks for it. I tend to lean to the minimalist (aka lazy) side when it comes to gear, but this video is definetly going to make me invest some time in upgrading my equipment. the arm-board, ofcourse, and a steel blade for the stake... and a slicker. which makes me ask: any reason you could think of not to make a ceramic slicker? we've just built a kiln here, and it looks pretty easy to make this shape out of clay. no slate in the vicinity. It's funny that you raised the chicken issue up, because this time I actually paused the video and glanced out to figure what my darn hens are doing this side of the fence, which they were not. other then that I don't mind them. needless to add, any more content of this kind will be highly appreciated nimrod
Hi Nimrod. Good tools to have, but you can get away with surprisingly little. Graining board is fun and a labor saver. Ceramic could work, but I'd glaze it well with something very glossy. Could be great then. Also, some of the old glass ones are shaped like a drop in cross section, so the thick end forms the handle. The heavier it's more or less better if heavier too, so that extra thickness would be a bonus. Coming soon, huge list of tanning materials from all over the world!
could you utilize corn meal in the wood tubs to stop mosquito larvae from hatching. It works with our rain barrels that I use around the yard. Refresh every two weeks during breeding season. The oil stops them from breathing and they die.
Great video! I have a bunch of goat hides from processing and this helps out alot. Right now I've just been nailing to wood and salting. This is great thank you.
I have a playlist on making pocket axe strops from scratch that shows the whole process of barktanning deer except for finishing that is the best thing to watch on the internet for bark tanning as far as I know.
Videos are always great but this one really shines. Sheer amount of knowledge on the topic is obvious and the production value is incredible! Thanks for making these. Definitely would be interested in the brain tanning side of things. I haven’t done it since high school and even then I was patching together what I could from old books. Looking forward to trying some veg tanning this year after deer season.
I tried to put int he extra effort on this one. Between this and the long ass blog post there is probably close to four days into this project. You'll like veg tanning. It's really fun and a lot less physical work than braintanning. I haven't done a lot of braintanning since my book was published. I think I was just over it after eating, sleeping and writing about it for a year straight.
I want to say "Thank you!!!" This is the breakdown I was looking for years ago. I mildly understood the process and have done 3 hides; 1 deer, 1 raccoon, 1 cat. You have greatly helped put all the pieces in the right order with more knowledge on each piece. I can't wait to get back into tanning!
Information (from any source), action and observation/contemplation. Those together are the keys to progressive knowledge. Collaboration I would include with information for the most part. Information contemplation are each dangerous enough, but put the two together and you have a fool in the making, or an academic lol.
Extremely clear and helpful, thank-you. Re the chicken: I vote C: it didn't fuss me but if it did fuss you, exit chicken for a while. Again, thank-you. Ps fleshing knives and draw knives look rather similar. Curved for preference?
you literally answered all of the questins i had in my mind for years and years thank you! to bad the dreads are off but suits ya ether way haha howdy!
Hey thoughts on fish skin leather there’s multiple evasive fish species in the United States most notable the grass carp that is in huge numbers and a popular target for bowfishing but is a fish that isn’t good to eat and most chop up for compost or just take a picture and throw the carcass away.
Thank you for all the effort of making those videos! I am having some problems with bleeding dyed leather( not veg tanned) and odor from leather that have been contacted with body sweat(things like leather watch straps and gloves). So i am looking for your videos on those issues in the future. Good day to you!
I don't use dyed leather, but I'm not surprised. I would probably wash them, but they might never be the same again. I haven't gotten into traditional dyes and dyeing yet.
I would try it both ways. get some wood ashes and add water to make a batter, like pancake battter (not in aluminum!) soak some in there for one to two weeks and stir around a couple times a week. Put the others straight in the bark. Make sure you wash and flesh the wood ash out in 4 to 6 changes of water before tanning.
@@SkillCult alrighty sounds good, I'm going to be articulating their skeletons but I figured I'd try my hand at leathermaking so nothing goes to waste. No websites have any information on how to do it so I'm just gonna wing it and see how it goes.
@@SkillCult cane toads are a pest and are pretty easy to get, I'll let you know how it turns out. If it works I'll probably make dice bags or mini toad leather books to sell in some taxidermy groups. Toad leather has a pretty cool texture.
@@SkillCult so I'd say its going pretty good so far, I didn't use wood ashes I used hydrated lime powder since I already had it on hand and I only soaked it for about 2 days because I didn't want to over lime (the skin is very thin) and they felt ready so I went with my gut. I washed them 6 times just to be safe and now they're in the tannin solution. They took the color almost immediately and I keep taking them out and repositioning them. They aren't ready yet but they're so thin I wouldn't be surprised if they only needed a couple more days before oiling.
Very informative, this looks like a good alternative to brain tanning. I will be hunting in a week, maybe I'll have a chance to try my hand at it. I'd love to see a video on sources of tanins. Thanks for sharing!
So glad I stumbled upon your channel!This really makes me appreciate why natural veg tan leather is so pricey also it makes me ponder what our ancient ancestors went through to figure out how to soften and tan leather as they depended on it to stay alive especially during the Ice Age!Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge and experience tanning leather hides!
Epic, my friend! This is the kind of quality information we seek from experienced craftsmen like yourself. Amazing amount of work to put this together. Many thanks!
hey recently found out your channel. I have not watched all your vids but i wanna ask is pig skin and rabbit skin in any use? WE have home pigs and rabbits for meat but their skin ends in the belly of the dogs every time so i want to ask if i can use it for anything. Cheers! Kinda surprised how little views you get...:(
Pig skin is very useful. It is usually pretty dense and it doesn't stretch hardly at all. Goof for sheaths and stuff where you need something tough that doesn't flop around or stretch out. Domestic rabbit skin is allright. Probably just for tanning with the fur on. I've never tried taking it off.
Can you do this process with a rabbit? And have no fur just leather as I can't find anything on the internet that talks about this. I am afraid that it will be too thin and will break apart
I used the hunters and trappers tanning formula and it worked great...however when I get my hide wet, it soaks through in 2 seconds, and it ends up looking like it just came off the deer. it dries fine I just have to stretch it again. but i was just wondering what I have to do to make my hide waterproof so I can make some nice leather gloves.
Leather really isn't ever waterproof unless you treat the hell out of it. but some will be less sponge like. Good bark tan can be slightly water resistant, and won't hold onto a lot of water when it does get wet.
Have you used the Weibe yet? Really, really sharp. Feel like I need to dull mine but can't bring myself to do it. I find those Sterlite containers a little thin too; definitely don't leave them in the sun. The thicker yellow and black bins work better for me. Aluminum works for me. This is amazing info, by the way! I love this video.
I have not. I have a hide in lime right now. It will need to be dulled I'm sure, for my preferences/purposes anyway. I dull and sharpen my fleshing knives a fair amount anyway. It seems really nice though, I have to say. I talked to the manufacturer and he said they are tempered tool steel. Even if that part of them is not great, I like the form factor in general, weight, flexibility etc. Hard to cmplain at the price. Like most things its made in china though. Do you do the bark part in aluminum? I know ash reacts pretty strongly with aluminum and eats it up. I wouldn't be surprised if it just acts as a sort of mordant though. The black bins are cool,b ut they can be a little big for smaller skins. I like having that size and some smaller 18 gallon or so sized.
@@SkillCult Yeah I have done a bunch of bark and fat solutions in aluminum pots. Works OK for me. Never seen any color problems or strange results. I don't use Ash/potassium hydroxide as I have done most of my tanning in places with softwoods. It's dumb I know this (been shopping for green deer hide season), but there are now 18 gallon sized of those thick plastic yellow and black bins. I definitely agree the 18 gallon are better for goat, sheep, and deer hides. I find tannins break those thinner sterlite containers down too. I want to add about getting five gallon buckets to anyone reading this: I don't want to completely blow up my five gallon bucket source, but I will say that any place with lots of frosting (hint, hint) is likely giving away five gallon buckets. Pizza places and delis seem to have buckets too.
Alum is usually used to brighten colors in dyeing, so it might just change the color a little. KOH in ashes will destroy aluminum, it's a common science trick to make hydrogen gas, put tinfoil in lye. not sure what alum oxides produced would affect the skin or color, but it might even be useful. I use whatever tubs I can get for 3.00 at the thrift store usually. The worst are the clear ones and the rubbermaid. The rubbermaid used to be good, but they sold the name out and now are probably the worst. Thanks for the bucket tip. Always need more.
Do you ever sell the leather you tan? I am a beginning leatherworker however I am always looking out for unique and interesting materials to work with.
Awesome. Love your content! I have watched almost all of your videos, I like how you have recapped and are now going over the process again nice and organized. I actually have a question about your wood skinning beam... You mentioned that you might need to replace yours soon. Would "stabilizing" the beam with epoxy before smoothing it help with splitting?
I imagine it might. That's not really my style though. What I need is a covered area so I can build a really nice beam and keep it under cover then it should last a really long time. Beams that were in traditional tanneries were glued up from sections like a cutting board. I'd like to build one of those someday.
Probably the illustrations I drew for the blog post that accompanies this video. My buckskin tanning book has a lot of illustrations like that, but it's out of print temporarily :/. amzn.to/2tdbkOj
I really love your videos, unfortunately I live in the city, but my relatives from the outskirts usually go hunting from time to time and had the concern to tan my own skins, since I do leatherwork, but I would not like to lose the skins :(, I really enjoy watching your videos of skins, axes or various tools, I still do not start with apples, keep it that way :D
Thanks. You can experiment small with tanning anywhere with small pieces. What part of the world are you in? I'm working on a new project about tanning materials from around the world. Should be out pretty soon.
I prefer to dry or freeze usually to keep the fur on. You can salt too, a lot of people do, but make sure it drains well and you get rid of most of the moisture in the skin before setting it away. beyond that, tanning anything is a large endeavor. I don't have any vids on hair on tanning yet.
LOL ya,,, a and B? vegan here,, still gotta learn ugh man it was disgusting,, and not easy to find the real native natural way to tan,, now its always fkin chemical bull shit nothing naturall nemore,, always some crap someone buy somewhere,, or mass scaloe polution bull shit,,, and i thought vegans might have exagerated about the crazy polution leather does,,, cause obviously plastic cant be worse?,, but now im not sure,, always just avoid both i guess,, but i thought since it lasted really long,, it wasnt such a big waste,, i have old leather boots i bought before going vegan,, and except the fkin under shoe that unstick unhook? that i need to,,, maybe i could learn how to cordonier,,, eee hey why not
watch my series on making strops. I do the whole process. Usually lime, but wood ashes can be used too. ua-cam.com/play/PL60FnyEY-eJCcE3gKzj0GkadKlSF_8xbj.html
I apologize if you have already answered this question in the many comments below, but... you say for slipping the hair you use "lime or wood ash" I am a little confused because I thought wood ash made Lye, do you mean lye? or is lime used? or is it a preference thing? is one better than the other? thanks in advance for any further clarification on that.
I don't remember what I said in that video about ash. Ashes contain three alkaline substances, which are hydroxides of sodium, calcium and potassium. Calcium hydroxide is lime the other two are considered "lyes". They have similar properties, but different solubility and activity levels. Sodium is the strongest, but the least present. lime is the most abundant, I think something like 20 to 30%, but highly variable. Probably the most active in wood ash, at least usually, is potassium hydroxide. Some say that wood ash is superior. P.hydroxide is easier to remove from the skin than lime, but lime can be removed thoroughly. the best thing about lime is the self regulation.
The tanning water is pretty acidic. It's fine to dilute and dump out, probably anywhere if it's diluted enough. I don't hesitate to dump in in the forest full strength, or on a meadow or anything, like that but probably wouldn't dump it straight in my garden. The lime is very useful in most soils, unless you have a very limey or sweet soil already. Here it's very valuable for fruit trees or the garden or really anywhere.
I knew zero about tanning leather 2 years ago. I didn't know where to start, I looked at a ton of videos and then happened across yours. They are the most thorough, well researched explanations I've seen, not to mention the loads of personal experience that you share, which is invaluable. Now I have 4 tanned deer hides and am tanning two more as we speak. Best tanning content on the web in my book.
That's really great to hear. I've been trying to promote bark tanning and get people off to a good start. I'm still seeing a lot of problem hides, but most of the people following my stuff and taking the time to absorb it (it's a lot to absorb when starting something new) are turning out some really nice stuff. It's a very satisfying undertaking for sure.
@@SkillCult I have a problem hide for you. If you don't mind answering a long comment. Lol. It's been really hot. I've been soaking 2 hides to get out the lime but only scraped them once so far (too busy). One of my hides absorbed a lot of fluid and swelled from the lime. It is still swollen seems fine, smells like usual. The other never really swelled and it seemed about as floppy as it was going to get after deliming. I let it sit in water for the last 2 days anyway so I can scrape it once more. But, now it smells horrible (more of a fermenting + rotting smell) feels a bit spongy, but seems mechanically intact still. Can this be salvaged? I put in a bunch of salt to try and kill off the bacteria, this worked for me once before, but it wasn't as bad with that hide.
What do you do with really stinky hides?
Just in case anyone read the above comment and was wondering... I was able to salvage the hide. I put in some salt and a 1/2 cup of bleach, let is sit for a day, then dumped out the nasty water, rinsed it about 5 or 6 times trying to squeeze out more of the nasty water, and then put it in a strong brine for a few days. It still stunk, but not as bad. After tanning for a few days, the smell is almost completely gone from the hide.
Best youtube ever, 0 dislikes, what a legend
Actually, they started hiding dislikes recently lol. Oh well there is always a few no matter how good a video is to everyone else.
Ladies and gentlemen I give you Ron Swanson's brother ! Gotta Love his enthusiasm and his vast knowledge of the fleshy arts🙏🏻
Sir, you are mistaken, Ron Swanson is my spirit guide. Now pass that bacon. :)
its even more fascinating having a chemistry degree and learning the chemistry behind tanning and other natural crafting strategies
There aren't a lot of folks out there that practice these skills. Thank you!
Great job. Excellent content with you explaining your extensive knowledge gained through tough hands-on experience! You really put your heart and soul into this video. You get right to the point; no fluff, no baloney. A true American homesteading hero. I thank you for the kindness of your presentation. It is folk like you that made this nation great over our first one and a half centuries. But today’s youth waste the Gift of life addicted to cellphone video games. Thank GOD
I grew up poor having to heft three newspaper routes; and in the summers between the ages of 11-17 worked a 50 hour week as a farm hand for 25-35 cents an hour after which I loaded tractor trailer trucks at night between the ages of 14-17. That was almost sixty years ago. The end product was that I was able to work as a Christian medical missionary physician for a decade. Now I am almost 75 years old and I’ve still got another 45 years to live and teach. Once again, Thank you, Brother.
Keep up the Good Work!
I've watched a few vid's on leather skills. I really enjoy watching yours.
I just want to say thank you...Please keep uploading and grow your channel to make more money and to change more lives...Am from South Sudan
It just doesn't really work that well unless you cater to the lower elements of people's character. 7 years later I have less money than I started with and I have to leave my homestead and no money to buy a new one. So, I'm not that enthusiastic anymore.
Did a workshop on brain training a few years back, and now this video gives me the opportunity to go for it with the next hide I come by. Many thanks for so many outstanding videos over the years...
I really appreciate all your knowledge. An taking the time to share
This got me thinking, there is quite a bit of skill that goes into making leather and almost every early civilization across the globe had figured out how to do it to some degree. Makes me wonder how each civilization came to acquire such skills. 🤔
Thank you uploader!!
for one, skins are commonly used as containers in primitive societies. So, it's easy to accidentally find out the effects of different substances on skin.
Dude, your videos have been phenomenal. I've been pit tanning capeskin (hairless sheepskin) for a year now. I use it because it tans in just over 20 days which gives me time to experiment. One thing I'd add about going to the lumber mill is always bring a case of good beer with you. Those guys are always putting good bark through the chipper. I asked them to toss it into the kiln for a few hours to deal with mold and bugs and it gives me tons of tanning material. Ask around, people are quite willing.
Yeah, good tip lol. Beer diplomacy...
That was a great overture to the rest of your tanning content, thanks as always.
On chickens: They are neither disruptive or cute (to me), but anyone that disapproves of them must not appreciate pastured eggs. That would lead me to question one's character. Lol
lol.
@@SkillCult ¿Crees que la mejor introducción de bronceado al cromo para el sebo de piel de merino español y cuántos ph debería ser y debería usar un bronceador de aluminio?
Thank you for your video tutorials. They are thorough interesting, and very helpful.
my girlfriend just gave me a pair of these elbow gloves. They are simply amazing - what a great upgrade to my tanning setup. Actually one of the best things is they are really easy get off. You always seem to have to fight the normal short gloves to get them off
They're kind of a game changer :) Wish I'd started using them ages ago. I'm trying a new brand now. I've had two pairs of the yellow atlas eventually start leaking a little.
The chickens make your videos more authentic to me. They really add a lot.
Thank you for taking the time to make these this information that needs to be available so we don't lose the art
Good to see your videos again, love them. Thanks.
Phenomenal video thank you I have been searching forabout three months now for this video. Absolutely amazing thank you so much.
So glad I can help.
Thank you thank you for this wonderful explanation. Do you have a book?. I want to make DIT bark tanned leathers.
Not yet. The best I can point you to is the series I'm just finishing up ua-cam.com/play/PL60FnyEY-eJBsE5mbHhW2gQMILnndQN9o.html
There is another shorter one too, sear for "strops from scratch" DIT?
Very good video and easy to understand tips and tricks! Thanks
Just when you think you know a little you come out with another great vid and learn more. I've done 15 hides, thanks to you and this one is great Steven. I would love to see some vids on brain tanning and this process. As before I discovered Skillcult, I watch quite a few brain tanning vids only to be more confused. Not downing anyone's efforts but your instruction is excellent Professor Steve! And a p.s. I recently had copies of my GGGrandfathers ledgers from his shoemaking business from the 1840s50s and 60s. I have 4 ledgers and picked out pages I thought would be of interest to you. Bartering for bushels of oats, firewood and leather. Even a contract drawn up in one ledger to hire a young man for a 3 year period. I believe it was for $25 a year. And I cut his original sole leather for a ladies shoe in half for you, as I said before. It is a fine example of period leather that has been laying around from the 1840-60s and is still supple and tough. It will not crack even if bent sharply. Nothing like good tanned leather. Now that I have the ledger pages copied I will be sending you a package very soon. Thanks So Much as usual Steven. And by the way I used a hollowed out log that fell and smoothed it out and made legs for my beam. It is oak and heavy but good and solid. I filled in any small checks with epoxy wood filler and shellacked it with about 3 or 4 coats and paste waxed it, which I relax from time to time. I've also tried to cover it with a heavy plastic, then a heavy cloth or cavnas and the dry it off. I keep it in my shop and it has stayed very nicely. And here in Pa. It gets damn cold during hide season. So I lay down a plastic sheet and curl the edges so I can work in my wood heated shop. Can't scud when you're freezing your buds! If it gets to the 50s or even mid 40s I've done it but must wear liner gloves, the hide is stiff and it a pain. So expect a package soon, which will include some pieces of air dried hickory. Many Thanks! DaveyJO
Cool Davey. Look forward to it. I'll have more out on veg tan soon. We'll see about braintanning. I might just make support videos on particular topics related to it. Or, when the book is republished I might make some vids in support of it. I'm going to send you a copy of the book as I still have a few. My beams end up outside year round and finally get so bad they have to be replaced. Maybe someday I'll have a small covered tannery and I can keep all my stuff in order and make a nice beam.
perfect starting video for the leather
Fantastic information, well edited and the host is exceptional. Subscribed only five minutes into watching.
:)
Very informative video. Could I suggest covering the use of commercial powdered tannic acid, which is used by commercial tanneries? For urban folks, it is a much easier and cheaper source of tannins, compared to finding bark and boiling.
Glad I found this channel.
B. The chickens are amazing. Thank you for the awesome information.
Great input, fast data, lot to absorb. Thank you
Well done. I can imagine what a PITA putting all this footage together must have been.
Yep, lots of digging around in the archives.
Wow you've been doing this as long as I've been alive.
Thank you for sharing your knowledge, sir!
I think I'm going to try a buckskin/ brain tan first before attempting the veg-tan process but I'm excited to get started.
Your website is awesome!
Yeah, I've been around a while I guess lol. I don't spend much time with people my age though. They are usually too settled into who they think they are (identity is dangerous) resigned and boring. I think veg tan is actually probably easier to learn. Unless you have a teacher. A good place to learn tanning is primitive skills gatherings, which are just awesome anyway. Rivercane or falling leaves on the east coast, rabbitstick rendezvous in Idaho, and several on the West coast. I'm sure there are more. Those are the long standing ones. Save your pennies and attend one if you can. It'll open up a lot of possibilities.
I'd be surprised to find any single video concerning any aspect of bark tanning and anywhere close to as good as this one. Great work, honestly! thanks for it.
I tend to lean to the minimalist (aka lazy) side when it comes to gear, but this video is definetly going to make me invest some time in upgrading my equipment. the arm-board, ofcourse, and a steel blade for the stake... and a slicker. which makes me ask: any reason you could think of not to make a ceramic slicker? we've just built a kiln here, and it looks pretty easy to make this shape out of clay. no slate in the vicinity.
It's funny that you raised the chicken issue up, because this time I actually paused the video and glanced out to figure what my darn hens are doing this side of the fence, which they were not. other then that I don't mind them.
needless to add, any more content of this kind will be highly appreciated
nimrod
Hi Nimrod. Good tools to have, but you can get away with surprisingly little. Graining board is fun and a labor saver. Ceramic could work, but I'd glaze it well with something very glossy. Could be great then. Also, some of the old glass ones are shaped like a drop in cross section, so the thick end forms the handle. The heavier it's more or less better if heavier too, so that extra thickness would be a bonus. Coming soon, huge list of tanning materials from all over the world!
Lol I love the whole "shut up, listen, learn" attitude
Big thank you for making the video, I have gained a lot from it. Please continue to make these videos
So good, thank you for sharing your knowledge
could you utilize corn meal in the wood tubs to stop mosquito larvae from hatching. It works with our rain barrels that I use around the yard. Refresh every two weeks during breeding season. The oil stops them from breathing and they die.
Great video! I have a bunch of goat hides from processing and this helps out alot. Right now I've just been nailing to wood and salting. This is great thank you.
I have a playlist on making pocket axe strops from scratch that shows the whole process of barktanning deer except for finishing that is the best thing to watch on the internet for bark tanning as far as I know.
Awsome video, wish i grew up like this
Wow, this video is amazing! Lots of detail, thanks a lot!!
Congratulations on hitting 30k subscribers!
Yay!
Yes!! Anything on brain tanning would be greatly appreciated.
Videos are always great but this one really shines. Sheer amount of knowledge on the topic is obvious and the production value is incredible! Thanks for making these.
Definitely would be interested in the brain tanning side of things. I haven’t done it since high school and even then I was patching together what I could from old books. Looking forward to trying some veg tanning this year after deer season.
I tried to put int he extra effort on this one. Between this and the long ass blog post there is probably close to four days into this project. You'll like veg tanning. It's really fun and a lot less physical work than braintanning. I haven't done a lot of braintanning since my book was published. I think I was just over it after eating, sleeping and writing about it for a year straight.
For my own reference
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Thank you for this channel and information. I'm just getting into trapping/tanning.
Coon creek outdoor is a good channel for trapping and fur handling related stuff.
I want to say "Thank you!!!"
This is the breakdown I was looking for years ago. I mildly understood the process and have done 3 hides; 1 deer, 1 raccoon, 1 cat.
You have greatly helped put all the pieces in the right order with more knowledge on each piece.
I can't wait to get back into tanning!
I hopeyou will show more and information. God bless an thanks a milloin.seth
No nonsense, info packed half hour. Nice!
Yeah, it's like 3% fat.
Great content. Do you know how to tan cactus!!
Excellent information for all leatherwork as well as tanners! Good you know where your material cones from
Information (from any source), action and observation/contemplation. Those together are the keys to progressive knowledge. Collaboration I would include with information for the most part. Information contemplation are each dangerous enough, but put the two together and you have a fool in the making, or an academic lol.
Awesome video! I'm a fan of yours. Eager to start this process on my own
cool, do it, it's fun!
muy buena explicacion, saludos desde el sur de argentina.
Gracias, glad to help.
Extremely clear and helpful, thank-you.
Re the chicken: I vote C: it didn't fuss me but if it did fuss you, exit chicken for a while.
Again, thank-you.
Ps fleshing knives and draw knives look rather similar. Curved for preference?
Yeoman work. Thank you for all your effort.
:)
you literally answered all of the questins i had in my mind for years and years thank you!
to bad the dreads are off but suits ya ether way haha
howdy!
Hi. I'm glad to hear that. I had been needing to make that vid for a long time.
dor ziv glad the dreads are off!
Hey thoughts on fish skin leather there’s multiple evasive fish species in the United States most notable the grass carp that is in huge numbers and a popular target for bowfishing but is a fish that isn’t good to eat and most chop up for compost or just take a picture and throw the carcass away.
Outstanding video packed with valuable information. Of course that's par for the channel. Thank you.
Wonderful video and content thanks man
best post ever, you win the internet
woohoo!
Yep, loving the videos!
Hey skillcult love your videos always look forward to the new 1
Thank you for all the effort of making those videos!
I am having some problems with bleeding dyed leather( not veg tanned) and odor from leather that have been contacted with body sweat(things like leather watch straps and gloves).
So i am looking for your videos on those issues in the future. Good day to you!
I don't use dyed leather, but I'm not surprised. I would probably wash them, but they might never be the same again. I haven't gotten into traditional dyes and dyeing yet.
Awesome video, really a great amount of information, thanks for sharing :)
If I were to make cane toad leather, would I need to soak it in the alkaline solution?
I would try it both ways. get some wood ashes and add water to make a batter, like pancake battter (not in aluminum!) soak some in there for one to two weeks and stir around a couple times a week. Put the others straight in the bark. Make sure you wash and flesh the wood ash out in 4 to 6 changes of water before tanning.
@@SkillCult alrighty sounds good, I'm going to be articulating their skeletons but I figured I'd try my hand at leathermaking so nothing goes to waste. No websites have any information on how to do it so I'm just gonna wing it and see how it goes.
@@taylorvolek3589 dude, if you could make good leather out of those, I think there is a market, and I'm assuming no shortage of toads.
@@SkillCult cane toads are a pest and are pretty easy to get, I'll let you know how it turns out. If it works I'll probably make dice bags or mini toad leather books to sell in some taxidermy groups. Toad leather has a pretty cool texture.
@@SkillCult so I'd say its going pretty good so far, I didn't use wood ashes I used hydrated lime powder since I already had it on hand and I only soaked it for about 2 days because I didn't want to over lime (the skin is very thin) and they felt ready so I went with my gut. I washed them 6 times just to be safe and now they're in the tannin solution. They took the color almost immediately and I keep taking them out and repositioning them. They aren't ready yet but they're so thin I wouldn't be surprised if they only needed a couple more days before oiling.
Great info. What’s the result if you were to to bark tan a reptile?
Ive done snake, its pretty cool! planning to do more for sure. instagram.com/p/B0jC1bMBl-M/?
Sir i am complete my hide but it’s not soft Thank you for give me sifting way,,i will try it 😊💘
Pls can you tell me how can make hide soft
Pps I also wonder if there are good disposal uses for the flesh and hair residues.
fertilizer for sure.
Very informative, this looks like a good alternative to brain tanning.
I will be hunting in a week, maybe I'll have a chance to try my hand at it. I'd love to see a video on sources of tanins.
Thanks for sharing!
It's a lot easier. More brains involved than braintanning, figratively of course :). and less braun.
I want to know how to turn a skin into leather step by step full process can you help me
So glad I stumbled upon your channel!This really makes me appreciate why natural veg tan leather is so pricey also it makes me ponder what our ancient ancestors went through to figure out how to soften and tan leather as they depended on it to stay alive especially during the Ice Age!Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge and experience tanning leather hides!
Epic, my friend! This is the kind of quality information we seek from experienced craftsmen like yourself. Amazing amount of work to put this together. Many thanks!
Yeah, you know how much work that was :). Thanks.
Excellent ! Power packed info !
hey recently found out your channel. I have not watched all your vids but i wanna ask is pig skin and rabbit skin in any use? WE have home pigs and rabbits for meat but their skin ends in the belly of the dogs every time so i want to ask if i can use it for anything. Cheers! Kinda surprised how little views you get...:(
Pig skin is very useful. It is usually pretty dense and it doesn't stretch hardly at all. Goof for sheaths and stuff where you need something tough that doesn't flop around or stretch out. Domestic rabbit skin is allright. Probably just for tanning with the fur on. I've never tried taking it off.
@@SkillCult TY for the fast answer, i hope i will figure it out till next time we slaughter a pig. Cheers!
Can you do this process with a rabbit?
And have no fur just leather as I can't find anything on the internet that talks about this.
I am afraid that it will be too thin and will break apart
I used the hunters and trappers tanning formula and it worked great...however when I get my hide wet, it soaks through in 2 seconds, and it ends up looking like it just came off the deer. it dries fine I just have to stretch it again. but i was just wondering what I have to do to make my hide waterproof so I can make some nice leather gloves.
Leather really isn't ever waterproof unless you treat the hell out of it. but some will be less sponge like. Good bark tan can be slightly water resistant, and won't hold onto a lot of water when it does get wet.
Excellent vid. Thank you.
Could you use coffee in place of tree bark to make your tanning solution? I know it is very high in tannic acid
I wouldn't bother. It is not that high in tannin and some is washed out.
How long would you leave a squirrel hide in there for?
Hi mate just a thought, could you use a cement mixer to move the hide around in the liquor continuously?
If it were stainless maybe. Rust and bark tanning, or tanning in general, don't mix. Otherwise, might work, but a washing machine would work too.
@@SkillCult thank you
Gas or electric pressure washer ?
Have you used the Weibe yet? Really, really sharp. Feel like I need to dull mine but can't bring myself to do it. I find those Sterlite containers a little thin too; definitely don't leave them in the sun. The thicker yellow and black bins work better for me. Aluminum works for me. This is amazing info, by the way! I love this video.
I have not. I have a hide in lime right now. It will need to be dulled I'm sure, for my preferences/purposes anyway. I dull and sharpen my fleshing knives a fair amount anyway. It seems really nice though, I have to say. I talked to the manufacturer and he said they are tempered tool steel. Even if that part of them is not great, I like the form factor in general, weight, flexibility etc. Hard to cmplain at the price. Like most things its made in china though. Do you do the bark part in aluminum? I know ash reacts pretty strongly with aluminum and eats it up. I wouldn't be surprised if it just acts as a sort of mordant though. The black bins are cool,b ut they can be a little big for smaller skins. I like having that size and some smaller 18 gallon or so sized.
@@SkillCult Yeah I have done a bunch of bark and fat solutions in aluminum pots. Works OK for me. Never seen any color problems or strange results. I don't use Ash/potassium hydroxide as I have done most of my tanning in places with softwoods.
It's dumb I know this (been shopping for green deer hide season), but there are now 18 gallon sized of those thick plastic yellow and black bins. I definitely agree the 18 gallon are better for goat, sheep, and deer hides. I find tannins break those thinner sterlite containers down too.
I want to add about getting five gallon buckets to anyone reading this: I don't want to completely blow up my five gallon bucket source, but I will say that any place with lots of frosting (hint, hint) is likely giving away five gallon buckets. Pizza places and delis seem to have buckets too.
Alum is usually used to brighten colors in dyeing, so it might just change the color a little. KOH in ashes will destroy aluminum, it's a common science trick to make hydrogen gas, put tinfoil in lye. not sure what alum oxides produced would affect the skin or color, but it might even be useful. I use whatever tubs I can get for 3.00 at the thrift store usually. The worst are the clear ones and the rubbermaid. The rubbermaid used to be good, but they sold the name out and now are probably the worst. Thanks for the bucket tip. Always need more.
Great video, thank you for your work!
Another great informative video, links very helpful, thanks.
Do you ever sell the leather you tan? I am a beginning leatherworker however I am always looking out for unique and interesting materials to work with.
Awesome. Love your content! I have watched almost all of your videos, I like how you have recapped and are now going over the process again nice and organized.
I actually have a question about your wood skinning beam... You mentioned that you might need to replace yours soon. Would "stabilizing" the beam with epoxy before smoothing it help with splitting?
I imagine it might. That's not really my style though. What I need is a covered area so I can build a really nice beam and keep it under cover then it should last a really long time. Beams that were in traditional tanneries were glued up from sections like a cutting board. I'd like to build one of those someday.
Appreciating this
Great video, thanks a lot. You showed a couple of pictures from a book in the video, which book is that?
Probably the illustrations I drew for the blog post that accompanies this video. My buckskin tanning book has a lot of illustrations like that, but it's out of print temporarily :/. amzn.to/2tdbkOj
I really love your videos, unfortunately I live in the city, but my relatives from the outskirts usually go hunting from time to time and had the concern to tan my own skins, since I do leatherwork, but I would not like to lose the skins :(, I really enjoy watching your videos of skins, axes or various tools, I still do not start with apples, keep it that way :D
Thanks. You can experiment small with tanning anywhere with small pieces. What part of the world are you in? I'm working on a new project about tanning materials from around the world. Should be out pretty soon.
Sar tanning lathar A to Z process and use cemical name full video please sar
I"ll get right on that.
Thanks for this great content! What do I do to preserve a skin if I want to preserve the hair though? How do I proceed once I've fleshed the skin?
I prefer to dry or freeze usually to keep the fur on. You can salt too, a lot of people do, but make sure it drains well and you get rid of most of the moisture in the skin before setting it away. beyond that, tanning anything is a large endeavor. I don't have any vids on hair on tanning yet.
I do have a video on salting, but there are probably a lot of them out there.
@@SkillCult So, tanning the same way you do it with hides? It's not going to change the colour of the fur?
@@roumdrive9703 You can use veg tan materials, but they will usually dye the fur somewhat.
@@SkillCult Thanks!
"Go have your issues somewhere else!" 🤣
LOL ya,,, a and B? vegan here,, still gotta learn ugh man it was disgusting,, and not easy to find the real native natural way to tan,, now its always fkin chemical bull shit nothing naturall nemore,, always some crap someone buy somewhere,, or mass scaloe polution bull shit,,, and i thought vegans might have exagerated about the crazy polution leather does,,, cause obviously plastic cant be worse?,, but now im not sure,, always just avoid both i guess,, but i thought since it lasted really long,, it wasnt such a big waste,, i have old leather boots i bought before going vegan,, and except the fkin under shoe that unstick unhook? that i need to,,, maybe i could learn how to cordonier,,, eee hey why not
amazing video and great thank you Bro
Would love for you to do the video on brain tanning. Really great content in all your videos.
noted.
Are you Canadian?
GREAT VIDEO LOADS. OF INFO!!!
I just wondering how can I remove the leather hair first? Do i need to put any tips of acid?
watch my series on making strops. I do the whole process. Usually lime, but wood ashes can be used too. ua-cam.com/play/PL60FnyEY-eJCcE3gKzj0GkadKlSF_8xbj.html
can you do the lye bath and tanning bath together?
Definitely not.
Have you written any books and where can I buy one
Not on this process. My book on making braintanned buckskin is out of print currently.
Well done! How's the health?
Pretty bad, but slightly better this week. working on it.
Have you read any books by John Seymour (author of the Complete Guide to Self-Sufficiency), or RM Williams' "The Bushman's Handcrafts"?
I've browsed through a couple of seymour's books. Seemed really cool. Never heard of William's book though.
I apologize if you have already answered this question in the many comments below, but... you say for slipping the hair you use "lime or wood ash" I am a little confused because I thought wood ash made Lye, do you mean lye? or is lime used? or is it a preference thing? is one better than the other? thanks in advance for any further clarification on that.
never-mind... i found your video about it: ua-cam.com/video/2B3y6iZPCzY/v-deo.html
I don't remember what I said in that video about ash. Ashes contain three alkaline substances, which are hydroxides of sodium, calcium and potassium. Calcium hydroxide is lime the other two are considered "lyes". They have similar properties, but different solubility and activity levels. Sodium is the strongest, but the least present. lime is the most abundant, I think something like 20 to 30%, but highly variable. Probably the most active in wood ash, at least usually, is potassium hydroxide. Some say that wood ash is superior. P.hydroxide is easier to remove from the skin than lime, but lime can be removed thoroughly. the best thing about lime is the self regulation.
What do you do with the fluids after you've finished the process? is it safe to just throw out on the ground/garden/culverts?
The tanning water is pretty acidic. It's fine to dilute and dump out, probably anywhere if it's diluted enough. I don't hesitate to dump in in the forest full strength, or on a meadow or anything, like that but probably wouldn't dump it straight in my garden. The lime is very useful in most soils, unless you have a very limey or sweet soil already. Here it's very valuable for fruit trees or the garden or really anywhere.