So i have done some work today on it. Id like to yack about it for a moment.
Now, I have only tanned one skin before and thats a deer. I have another deer in progress but that doesnt count as I'm still membraning it. Experienced folks know what am am talking about but for the new guys here you go.
This hide has grain. Very easy to see as I dry scrape it. It wants to come off in layers in some spots. These layers cris cross in grain. I notice this mlstly where hips and shoulders were. It is very difficult to scrape these areas. Mind you i am using the curved boot knife you see in previous pictures. It works great for the task. I wish I had made it bigger for more of a hand hold on it. My fingers cramp after a bit. These tough sections scrape off in very stringy sections and peel off like sunburnt skin, once you can get a good hold on them. The skin turns from a dark black to a white as I scrape.
The spine has not dried out yet and cant be scraped. There are spots that seem very greasy that bavent hardened up like the rest of the hide. When I scrape over these spots the hide flexes in and wont scrape. They feel very greasy, more so than the rest of the hide. Im concerned they may be greasy hard spots when I finish if I dont figure this out now.
As a side. Note, I scraped some with an obsidian flake. It worked just like my knife, only smaller. So I put it down. This is a very fun project. Its a lot involved but just like anything, I'm just working on the task at hand. Even the largest projects are just made up of individual small details. So I am working one detail at a time. Nice thing is, you see the results instantly as you work. Every thing you do changes the hide. Soon, it will be leather.
