How does one go about brain tanning? How hard is it and what special tools if any would one need. I am going to buy a book about it if its something I think I would like to try but I know nothing about it. Just thought I would ask about it.
-
Friends, our 2nd Amendment rights are always under attack and the NRA has been a constant for decades in helping fight that fight.
We have partnered with the NRA to offer you a discount on membership and Muzzleloading Forum gets a small percentage too of each membership, so you are supporting both the NRA and us.
Use this link to sign up please; https://membership.nra.org/recruiters/join/XR045103
Brain tanning
- Thread starter ian45662
- Start date
Help Support Muzzleloading Forum:
- Joined
- Aug 22, 2004
- Messages
- 1,366
- Reaction score
- 188
Very labor intensive, but rewarding. I've done several hides myself. I recommend everyone do it at least once. (And for a lotta folk, that's all they can take!)
I just realized I should expand a bit: I like to use an old fashioned draw knife for most of the fleshing. Plastic buckets are great for the actual bucking and brain-soaking. A long 4" PVC pipe is great for working the hide, and a steel cable works well for softening. These aren't PC, of course.
It ain't brain surgery, but it is physically demanding. Takes some time, too.
I just realized I should expand a bit: I like to use an old fashioned draw knife for most of the fleshing. Plastic buckets are great for the actual bucking and brain-soaking. A long 4" PVC pipe is great for working the hide, and a steel cable works well for softening. These aren't PC, of course.
It ain't brain surgery, but it is physically demanding. Takes some time, too.
Guest
Deerskins into Buckskins by Matt Richards
Blue Mountain Buckskin by Jim Riggs
Brain Tanned Buckskin by John McPherson
Wet-Scrape Brain Tanned Buckskin by Steven Edholm and Tamara Wilder
http://www.smokylake.com/history/native/tanning.htm
http://www.ehow.com/how_2044338_tan-leather.html
Blue Mountain Buckskin by Jim Riggs
Brain Tanned Buckskin by John McPherson
Wet-Scrape Brain Tanned Buckskin by Steven Edholm and Tamara Wilder
http://www.smokylake.com/history/native/tanning.htm
http://www.ehow.com/how_2044338_tan-leather.html
Last edited by a moderator:
skunkskinner
50 Cal.
- Joined
- Aug 10, 2005
- Messages
- 1,107
- Reaction score
- 2
I agree with Homesteader, it's very rewarding and a good work out. But after you have done one, you will be looking for more skins to do.
I bought and would recommend Deerskins into Buckskins by Matt Richards.
I bought and would recommend Deerskins into Buckskins by Matt Richards.
Woods Dweller
45 Cal.
- Joined
- Nov 28, 2009
- Messages
- 642
- Reaction score
- 1
I don’t know if this is a problem just in my area or all over. I usually get the brain from our local supermarket to brain tan. This year they stop selling hog & cow brains in our supermarket. “Something about mad cow”. If your going to brain tan make sure you get the deer’s brains.
Where I live there is a mom & pop restaurant that everyone going hunting stops at before they go out in the woods to eat. I ask these guys if they would throw there hides away would they mind putting them in a garbage bag and giving me a call. I have also posted in my local paper that I will pay $3.00 for a hide. I would freeze these hides buy hog or cow brains to work them. NO more! Where I live most hunters give the deer’s brains to there dogs, [there treat]
Where I live there is a mom & pop restaurant that everyone going hunting stops at before they go out in the woods to eat. I ask these guys if they would throw there hides away would they mind putting them in a garbage bag and giving me a call. I have also posted in my local paper that I will pay $3.00 for a hide. I would freeze these hides buy hog or cow brains to work them. NO more! Where I live most hunters give the deer’s brains to there dogs, [there treat]
paulvallandigham
Passed On
- Joined
- Jan 9, 2006
- Messages
- 17,538
- Reaction score
- 87
I believe you can use egg whites instead of the brains.
John Wasmuth
50 Cal.
- Joined
- Nov 8, 2005
- Messages
- 1,328
- Reaction score
- 6
Wrote this on another forum using a bit of comical releif,,,,,,
in the event that you dont have brains you can use a good tanning oil sold by any taxidermy supply company.The most important step is wringing, the brains have to pass thru and over each individual fiber or you will get hard spots.
I'm going to teach you how to brain tan. Yes, thats correct, brain tan. Once you figure this out you'll toss every hide you have in the trash and scream AAAAHHHH at the top of your lungs! You’ll kick the dog, snatch the tail of your cat, and basically have a bad attitude towards fur'd things all together.
Step 1. Kill somthing. Easy enough, but make it big enough to bother with, like a deer or somthing.
step 2. skin it, try like heck not to use the knife to much and leave any marks, flesh or fat on the skin.
step 3. Salt the skin down and hang it over night. Ya, ya, I know, salting sets the hair. But it also makes the knife grab the membrane better and makes it easier to peal off.
step 4. Invest in a bottle of whiskey, yer gona need it.
step 5. After you have all the membrane, flesh and fat off the inside of the skin, take a bucket and dump like 10 gallons of water into it. Add about a pound of hydrated lime. You can use wood ash but it takes longer to do it with wood ash.
step 6. for about 3 days to a month keep stirring the bucket with the stinky nasty, smelly, ugly hide in it until the hair will slough off by just wiping your hand against the grain. use a glove or your hand will smell like dead stuff for a very long time.
step 7. Now that the hair has started to slip, and your nearing retirement, lay the skin slick side down and use your dull knife to scrape not only the hair off, but also the epidermis, or however you spell it, at the same time. The reason you do this is so you can tell people "Heck ya, I can brain tan like a pro, and I get lotsa stretch outa my hides. Kinda like the IRS gets lotsa cash outa our wallets.(you'll need a fleshing beam)
Go over the hide a few times, after all, it will only take you about four hours to get all that manure off of the skin the first go round, whats 8 more hours?
step 8. Now that you are crippled and have carpal tunnel syndrome in both hands, take the hide and rinse it in cold water. Then take about 10 gallons of good water, the stuff we aint got much of and is sinful to waste, and dump it in the bucket. No wait, rinse the dang bucket out first. ya, like that. Now, pour in about a pint of viniger. Stir it up good and let the skin swim around in it over night.
step 9. Take the brains you saved,... whatya mean ya didnt save the brains? Geeze, they call it brain tanning for a reason ya know.
Come up with some brains from somewhere, anywhere, no not your next of kin, or brotherinlaw, and put em in a blender. Then add like a cup or two of hot water and turn on the blender. WAIT Dangit! Put the lid on first.Slurry it up real good.
step 10. Take the skin outa the viniger water, no, you cant use the water to mix a salad dressing afterward, thats pushing it don't ya think? Anyway, rinse the skin again in water you don't have enough of to waste, and then wring the skin out real good, twist it up, wrap it around two sticks and twist it so it's like damn near dry.
step 11. Then take the dried up shrivled thing that used to be a deer hide that was as big as a buick and place it it the warm brain slurry. Squish it around real good and then make sure you squish it around again so the brains get sucked up into it real good.
step 12. Let it sit in there over night, after wringin it out you'll start drinking heavely and will need the night to recover from the hangover you'll have. Your brain will hurt, that way you'll know your doin it right.
step 13. Now, take the hide out of the brain slurry and wring it about again, ya, I know you did that, but you have to do it again. Heck, I don't know why, just do what yer told.
step 14. Ok, now you have this dried up shrively thing that again used to be a deer skin, and it looks like a dried up piece of thing that used to be a deer skin, so it must be a dried up shrively thing that is a deer skin. Now you take it and start pulling it in all directions and watch it stretch and turn white. You keep doing this until it is nice and soft and your whiskey bottle is about 1/2 empty. Keep pulling and stretching the hide until it is nice and soft and your bottle of whiskey is empty, and yer done!
Next time we'll go over why you need to smoke the brain tanned hide and why you'll be a member of AA by the time your done! Until next time, always remember, A beer is a terrible thing to waste!
I brain tan about 100 skins a year and its not as difficult as it sounds. After you have tanned a few of them you'll develope a pattern that will make it easier as it goes along. On a good day I can get about 4 done. Larger skins like elk, moose, bison will require you to build a frame for breaking them down.
in the event that you dont have brains you can use a good tanning oil sold by any taxidermy supply company.The most important step is wringing, the brains have to pass thru and over each individual fiber or you will get hard spots.
I'm going to teach you how to brain tan. Yes, thats correct, brain tan. Once you figure this out you'll toss every hide you have in the trash and scream AAAAHHHH at the top of your lungs! You’ll kick the dog, snatch the tail of your cat, and basically have a bad attitude towards fur'd things all together.
Step 1. Kill somthing. Easy enough, but make it big enough to bother with, like a deer or somthing.
step 2. skin it, try like heck not to use the knife to much and leave any marks, flesh or fat on the skin.
step 3. Salt the skin down and hang it over night. Ya, ya, I know, salting sets the hair. But it also makes the knife grab the membrane better and makes it easier to peal off.
step 4. Invest in a bottle of whiskey, yer gona need it.
step 5. After you have all the membrane, flesh and fat off the inside of the skin, take a bucket and dump like 10 gallons of water into it. Add about a pound of hydrated lime. You can use wood ash but it takes longer to do it with wood ash.
step 6. for about 3 days to a month keep stirring the bucket with the stinky nasty, smelly, ugly hide in it until the hair will slough off by just wiping your hand against the grain. use a glove or your hand will smell like dead stuff for a very long time.
step 7. Now that the hair has started to slip, and your nearing retirement, lay the skin slick side down and use your dull knife to scrape not only the hair off, but also the epidermis, or however you spell it, at the same time. The reason you do this is so you can tell people "Heck ya, I can brain tan like a pro, and I get lotsa stretch outa my hides. Kinda like the IRS gets lotsa cash outa our wallets.(you'll need a fleshing beam)
Go over the hide a few times, after all, it will only take you about four hours to get all that manure off of the skin the first go round, whats 8 more hours?
step 8. Now that you are crippled and have carpal tunnel syndrome in both hands, take the hide and rinse it in cold water. Then take about 10 gallons of good water, the stuff we aint got much of and is sinful to waste, and dump it in the bucket. No wait, rinse the dang bucket out first. ya, like that. Now, pour in about a pint of viniger. Stir it up good and let the skin swim around in it over night.
step 9. Take the brains you saved,... whatya mean ya didnt save the brains? Geeze, they call it brain tanning for a reason ya know.
Come up with some brains from somewhere, anywhere, no not your next of kin, or brotherinlaw, and put em in a blender. Then add like a cup or two of hot water and turn on the blender. WAIT Dangit! Put the lid on first.Slurry it up real good.
step 10. Take the skin outa the viniger water, no, you cant use the water to mix a salad dressing afterward, thats pushing it don't ya think? Anyway, rinse the skin again in water you don't have enough of to waste, and then wring the skin out real good, twist it up, wrap it around two sticks and twist it so it's like damn near dry.
step 11. Then take the dried up shrivled thing that used to be a deer hide that was as big as a buick and place it it the warm brain slurry. Squish it around real good and then make sure you squish it around again so the brains get sucked up into it real good.
step 12. Let it sit in there over night, after wringin it out you'll start drinking heavely and will need the night to recover from the hangover you'll have. Your brain will hurt, that way you'll know your doin it right.
step 13. Now, take the hide out of the brain slurry and wring it about again, ya, I know you did that, but you have to do it again. Heck, I don't know why, just do what yer told.
step 14. Ok, now you have this dried up shrively thing that again used to be a deer skin, and it looks like a dried up piece of thing that used to be a deer skin, so it must be a dried up shrively thing that is a deer skin. Now you take it and start pulling it in all directions and watch it stretch and turn white. You keep doing this until it is nice and soft and your whiskey bottle is about 1/2 empty. Keep pulling and stretching the hide until it is nice and soft and your bottle of whiskey is empty, and yer done!
Next time we'll go over why you need to smoke the brain tanned hide and why you'll be a member of AA by the time your done! Until next time, always remember, A beer is a terrible thing to waste!
I brain tan about 100 skins a year and its not as difficult as it sounds. After you have tanned a few of them you'll develope a pattern that will make it easier as it goes along. On a good day I can get about 4 done. Larger skins like elk, moose, bison will require you to build a frame for breaking them down.
John Wasmuth
50 Cal.
- Joined
- Nov 8, 2005
- Messages
- 1,328
- Reaction score
- 6
Egg yolks Paul, the yolks are all fat which is what we need to brain tan. Some people use the entire egg, takes a dozen and a couple cups of hot water.
I use cooking oil instead of brains. Mix with a bit of soap in hot water. Works fine, less stinky, easier to find. Its all about lubricating the fibers and then keeping them moving until the hide is dry. Then smoke it to try to keep it that way.
Sean
Sean
paulvallandigham
Passed On
- Joined
- Jan 9, 2006
- Messages
- 17,538
- Reaction score
- 87
AH-h-h-h! Thank you very much for the correction. I had read that somewhere, but didn't have it written down in the two different-no, three different books I have on brain tanning. I like the idea of using vegetable oil instead. I like eating the eggs, but the egg whites are not my cup of tea. :thumbsup:
- Joined
- Aug 22, 2004
- Messages
- 1,366
- Reaction score
- 188
One can use eggs, soap chips, all manner of things. If I can't get or keep regular brains, I'll buy those little cans of pork brains they sell in the canned meat section of the supermarket. Drain off the milk and use them as you would any other. They work just fine.
Matt Richards website not only has a lot of great info, they'll answer just about any question posted in their forum. I highly recommend it.
:thumbsup:
Matt Richards website not only has a lot of great info, they'll answer just about any question posted in their forum. I highly recommend it.
:thumbsup:
John Wasmuth
50 Cal.
- Joined
- Nov 8, 2005
- Messages
- 1,328
- Reaction score
- 6
Yeppers, any oil that can mix with water, such as corn oil, neats foot oil, olive oil, will do. As was writen above, its all about coating each and every fiber and working the hide till it is dry and velvety soft. In order to keep it soft it needs to be smoked and the smoke needs to penetrate the hide as well and coat the fibers so that if it gets wet the glycogens cant set up and lock the fibers as it drys.
Yer right about Matt, he really helps a lot, has a great site as well, the dvd and the book are a great investment for anyone wanting to tan in a traditional way.
Yer right about Matt, he really helps a lot, has a great site as well, the dvd and the book are a great investment for anyone wanting to tan in a traditional way.
Here is an interesting video series. I don't know what happened to #11, and #23 was pointless, but #23.5 :idunno: was interesting. And he does not seem to complete the series on smoking the hides, but you get the idea.
I have saved the hide and brain from the buck I got this year (alas, not with a ML ... yet...) and have it soaking in the garage even as we speak.
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Part 8
Part 9
Part 10
Part 12
Part 13
Part 14
Part 15
Part 16
Part 17
Part 18
Part 19
Part 20
Part 21
Part 22
Part 23.5
Part 24
Part 25
Part 26
Part 27
Part 28
Smoking hides Part 1
I have saved the hide and brain from the buck I got this year (alas, not with a ML ... yet...) and have it soaking in the garage even as we speak.
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Part 8
Part 9
Part 10
Part 12
Part 13
Part 14
Part 15
Part 16
Part 17
Part 18
Part 19
Part 20
Part 21
Part 22
Part 23.5
Part 24
Part 25
Part 26
Part 27
Part 28
Smoking hides Part 1
John Wasmuth
50 Cal.
- Joined
- Nov 8, 2005
- Messages
- 1,328
- Reaction score
- 6
Interesting it is. One of the ways to avoid having to sew up holes is dont use the knife much during skinning, use it to make the initial cuts but use raw strength to peel the hide off. Every time a knife cut is made on the inside of the hide you will usually blow a hole in the grain side as yer graining. Spare the knife, save the hide.
I figured the holes he was sewing up were bullet holes. But as you say ...
skinning part 1
skinning part 2
skinning part 3
skinning part 1
skinning part 2
skinning part 3
Peace Eagle
32 Cal.
- Joined
- Feb 16, 2008
- Messages
- 11
- Reaction score
- 0
Matt Richards is your friend, I highly recommend his book and video, video first if you want to choose just one. I ruined the first hide I ever tried using a brief article from an old Muzzleloader article. After finding Deerskins into Buckskins I have turned out some pretty sweet hides if I do say so myself :wink:. I have not reviewed any other books or videos so therefore cannot comment on them.
And to the OP, it is labor intensive, time consuming and requires large amounts of fresh water if you buck the hides. And, it is very rewarding the first time you see that wet noodle turn into soft white buckskin.
And to the OP, it is labor intensive, time consuming and requires large amounts of fresh water if you buck the hides. And, it is very rewarding the first time you see that wet noodle turn into soft white buckskin.
smokymtnsmokepole
32 Cal.
- Joined
- Nov 2, 2009
- Messages
- 21
- Reaction score
- 0
Micanopy, that is the most realistic set of braintanning instructions that I have ever read. :rotf: I prefer two bottles of likker for the stretching and softening stage.
John Wasmuth
50 Cal.
- Joined
- Nov 8, 2005
- Messages
- 1,328
- Reaction score
- 6
Figured throwin in the comical side of it would make it a little more interestin. Thanks. :rotf:
Similar threads
- Locked
- Locked
