[Healeys] leathers

[Michael Oritt]

Here's a short squib on yet another disgusting way to tan leather.

Best--Michael Oritt

*Brain Tanning*

This is a very primitive method of tanning leather. Oddly enough each animal
has just enough brains to tan its own hide. Brain tanning produces a
beautiful buckskin and it does require a bit of work to produce it.

After removing the hide from the beastie, stretch the hide out by laying it
on the ground flesh-side up. Punch wooden stakes at intervals around the
edges and drive them into the ground. You want the stakes close to the edge
but not so close that the skin tears. It will all depend on the animal and
the thickness of the hide. Dont stretch the hide beyond its original size.
You dont want to stretch the hide, just keep it from shrinking.

Now you need to flesh it. This will be easier if you are careful while
skinning the animal and not let a lot of meat or fat on the hide. You can
use a stone, a bone flesher or the dull knife from above. Once again, be
careful to not cut or tear the skin.

Scrap the skin to get every bit of meat or fat off, this includes the tiny
veins that cling to the surface of the skin. Any fat or meat left on the
hide will cause you misery later. Now that the fleshing is done its time to
decide if you are going to make buckskin or a fur.

On Fri, May 20, 2011 at 11:29 AM, Barrie Robinson <barrie at look.ca> wrote:

> You do remember that leather used to be tanned using human urine - do you
> not?  Does a great job too !
>
>
> At 06:21 PM 5/19/2011, Eric (Rick) Wilkins wrote:
>
>> And some of the old simple "chemicals" were dropped in favor of high
>> tech solutions. Hide glue and other animal products like horse hair
>> are a big part of the smell that was lost to plastic resin glues and
>> such.
>>
>> Wilko
>>
>>
>>>  What I find is that NO leather smells like
>>> that anymore as tanning chemicals and techneques have completely
>>> changed. Is
>>> that true??    Mike Gougeon   '56 BN2
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>
> Regards
>
> Barrie
> barrie at look.ca
> 705-721-9060 _______________________________________________
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