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Big fella into buckskin/Smoking/Lots of pics./Items made

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freke:
I working on a deer skin myself and comere you have done a better work:), I have a visible exit hole....yours have no visible holes - have you sew or done other trick?

BowEd:
freke....The deer was shot in the fall with it's winter hair set in already.The hole is there.A dogwood arrow hole.Lower to the right.I sew all holes after I brain it and just before roping it.
I'm gonna try to show along here the whole process with tools etc. for those interested.It's not the only way to brain tan just my tried and true way I'm used to getting success.
A side note here.....I started brain tanning back in the 80's.Buckskinning a lot back then.Learned from a book or books and trial and error.Many many books out there.Done well over a 100 or so but still a person can't really take any short cuts doing this.It won't work.Like most passion driven type hobbies it takes persistence.You do get a feel and eye for it the more you do.Can't explain that really but no matter how much I show or pictures I show there will still be a hands on type doing learning curve to overcome for success.
At the moment I have it about 1/3 dehaired.Have to do this inside garage because of all of the critters running around here wanting to eat it.

BowEd:
The process of brain tanning starts for me right from the get go.Skinning the deer.Evenly slit up belly/no knife slits while skinning.Shot in the fall or winter I roll it up flesh side to flesh side to avoid freezer burn.It waits there till I get time to work it to brain tan.You can salt and dry it but it will need to be rehydrated to get into frame to flesh.Also having a fleshing beam and fleshing knife around can be nice too.
You soon figure out if you seriously want in to do this that there is a need for different sized frames for different sized animals.I used to use a lot of parachute chord for lacing it in.Fairly cheap stuff and strong.Personally anything of nylon works well.It does'nt knot up on you in a pile and does'nt rot.20 to 30 foot lengths.Holes are cut around perimeter every 4 to 5 inches about a 1/2" long.This whitetail is big in my book and I'm using a frame intended for beef hides.

BowEd:
Scrapers....A flesher and a couple of deharing scrapers.Around a foot long handle.These are elk antler but they can be made with a wooden a handle too.Works just as well.Blades are from very hard steel to hold an edge good.Sharpened with a stone.Only beveled or sharpened from one side.Blade width will make a difference too.A blade of about 3/4" to 1" wide works good.Wider one for fleshing.Attached with glue and rawhide.
Elks' second tine off main antler for blade attachment was made into a hide scraping or fleshing tool called the wahyenta[not sure of spelling].Elks' Siouw indian name is the wapati or waterhorse because it likes to submerge itself in deep water occasionally.

Pappy:
Nice racking Ed, it has gotten almost to hot and humid here, I like doing them in the winter months.
Pappy

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