Archive for Downsizer For an ethical approach to consumption
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frewen
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tanning a deer skinWell I finally got round to defrosting and scraping a deer skin the butcher gave me.
It is sitting in some pickle now - but I don't think I've got anywhere near enough membrane off. I'm afraid that I did get totally fed up of being bluebottle central while scraping it, and the wasps too! I never realised that wasps would be interested!
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Rob R
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Yes, funny old things, wasps. We had one with a rifle hole in the side of the carcass and the wasps were very interested particularly about the hole itself.
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dpack
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im not sure what you mean by pickle
scraping is best done between when it is not too wet and not too dry and crunchy,it takes time and effort,for a deer skin a curved blade(or well knapped flint scraper)on a flat surface seems to work well,a pair of long nose corrugated grip pliers is ace for pulling bits off as well.
i have a fair bit of experience of using natural materials(tea ,oak bark, wasp galls ,brains etc) so "pickle"is a bit of a mystery to me .
wasps are a prob judging by how interested they were in my ongoing squirrel but they lose interest if the skin is rubbed in wood ash(which also makes it a bit alkaline to get the tannins into the matrix(then fix em by using a wash that is a bit acidic such as vinegar.
if by pickle you mean alum or a commercial mix(rather than salting ) the chemistry is different so the instructions on the packet apply
when it is done nail it to a flat thing or hook it to a frame for the final dry to get it stretched .when dry it will need dressing (saddle soap is one option) and working by twisting and stretching by hand to make it flexible and long lasting
the above probably has too much and too little info ,so ask specific things and i will try to help 
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dpack
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ps doing a skin beside a fire does seem to reduce the insect interest 
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Mistress Rose
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Wasps feed their young on insects or other meat and they might also have been interested in the salts produced by the remains. Other unlikely insects have odd tastes too; purple emperor butterflies are attracted by dead animals and human sweat, and even honey bees like urine. It was remarked in the 16th century and was thought to be a 'physic' for them at that time. Modern bees are still interested.
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dpack
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i have noticed 5 out of 9 wild bee species that visit my tiny yard are rather keen on dog wee,i suspect it is a good source of potassium and phosphorus salts for them.
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Slim
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honeybees LOVE to get their water from swimming pools.
I think it's all about salt rich sources
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NorthernMonkeyGirl
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im not sure what you mean by pickle
scraping is best done between when it is not too wet and not too dry and crunchy,it takes time and effort,for a deer skin a curved blade(or well knapped flint scraper)on a flat surface seems to work well,a pair of long nose corrugated grip pliers is ace for pulling bits off as well.
i have a fair bit of experience of using natural materials(tea ,oak bark, wasp galls ,brains etc) so "pickle"is a bit of a mystery to me .
wasps are a prob judging by how interested they were in my ongoing squirrel but they lose interest if the skin is rubbed in wood ash(which also makes it a bit alkaline to get the tannins into the matrix(then fix em by using a wash that is a bit acidic such as vinegar.
if by pickle you mean alum or a commercial mix(rather than salting ) the chemistry is different so the instructions on the packet apply
when it is done nail it to a flat thing or hook it to a frame for the final dry to get it stretched .when dry it will need dressing (saddle soap is one option) and working by twisting and stretching by hand to make it flexible and long lasting
the above probably has too much and too little info ,so ask specific things and i will try to help |
If you see this, can I hijack for a moment?
I used this to do some rabbit skins. They are now dry but the aroma still fills the flat (general rabbit / meat smell; not a chemical smell and not a rotten smell). The fur is also falling off  If they are duds then that's fine, I can throw them away as failures. If it's normal, what do I do now? Should I wash them again? I only used a tiny bit of shower gel.
I did put my thumb through a few of the smaller skins when de-fleshing after the first bath 
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dpack
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i really dont know about the alum methods
my current process for fur on( one bunny)
skin
first scrape
salt with the same thickness of salt as the skin is thick for 48 hrs
shake,scrape, cover in wood ash ,week
shake ,scrape any last bits
smash and boil 30 oak wasp galls(or 200gms oak bark or 100 gm nasty dark tea)in 500ml water with a teaspoon of wood ash,cool ,do not sieve so as the bits continue to leach tannins
steep pelt until liquor goes pale 2 to 4 weeks
steep quarter strength vinegar 24 hrs
wash no soap in dripping water,stream or whatever until no vinegar smell
stretch and dry until damp
work in fingers to stretch
dry until only a little damp
saddle soap or boot polish on skin side for pouches etc etc
or
start with a lime steep (wood ash takes longer)until the fur falls out when pulled/scraped)
then as above until the last stretch/drying stage which is done by nailing to a board
dry
use as vellum (surface prep of vellum is a whole new thread im not qualified to write yet) or leather if treated with saddle soap/boot polish
brain cures work but they smell horrible for ever if they get damp and some of the "traditional"methods using "best"etc etc are even worse:lol:
a few industrial methods produce a very strong leather ,the chrome alum /sulfuric acid fix process is nasty to do but does make good leathers.
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