“Some
men hunt for sport, others hunt for food. The only thing I’m hunting for, is an
outfit that looks good! See my vest! See my vest! Made from real gorilla chest!
See this sweater? There’s no better, than authentic Irish setter!... Like my
loafers, former gophers…”-Mr. Burns, The
Simpsons
What’s more hillbilly
than eating squirrel? I suppose tanning squirrel pelts could qualify! My friend
Naomi wanted to learn traditional hide tanning and as I have had a bit of
experience with this technique and know how difficult it can be, I suggested we
start small…really small! Luckily my waste-not-want-not forager mentality drove
me to freeze a few squirrel pelts from earlier in the season, so we had plenty
of materials to work with.
Hide tanning is one of
the oldest hominid traditions and (in my opinion) art forms. As soon as our
early ancestors started hunting, and perhaps even while still scavenging, they
found uses for animal hides. If simply scraped and left to dry, animal skins
are transformed into tough and resilient rawhide. This prized material has been
used by cultures throughout the world for millennia for a variety of purposes
from foot wear to ornate parfletch bags. At some point some brilliant ancestor
realized that the application of animal brain or egg yolk coupled with vigorous
stretching would produce a soft hide or fur that remained extremely flexible
when dried. The genius ancestor or ancestors we have to thank for this technological
innovation are unknown, but the tradition is still present. And this is the
subject of today’s post.
The basic principles of
fur tanning are simple. The hide is made up of millions of fibers that want to
align and dry as stiff as a board (rawhide). By coating with mashed animal
brain or egg yolk, the fibers are coated with oils. By agitating and stretching
throughout the drying process, each fiber is coated with oil and cannot adhere
to neighboring fibers. The result is a dry, soft and flexible fur. Next, the
hide must be smoked for at least ½ hour to preserve the skin (helps keep away
moths and mold). The beauty of a traditionally tanned fur is incomparable. And
it is 100% organic. You could take your shirt off, throw it on the ground, and
if it were to rot on the spot, flowers or berry bushes could grow out of it
with no risk from harmful chemicals!
We started out scraping
free the membrane layers with a hafted Altamira shale biface.
Next we applied egg
yolk and laced it into a frame to begin stretching the skin.
Once dried (and very
flexible) we sanded the remaining membrane from the hide with abrasive
sandstone. This left the skin very smooth.
Finally we smoked the
hide over a black walnut and sage fire.
This was a good and
educational Saturday.
Interested in learning
to tan furs yourself?
Check this out! http://www.braintan.com/articles/furs/miller1.html
Keep the old ways
alive!
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