Main Discussion Area > Primitive Skills
Tanning Leather
nclonghunter:
--- Quote from: Chippintuff on October 17, 2016, 11:08:12 am ---I'm not sure whether this is the correct forum for these questions. If it is not, please move this topic.
I know generally about different types of leather, but I don't know how each type is produced.
1. What does tanning do to leather? I know it can make it softer and more flexible, but does it do anything else to the leather?
2. What makes the difference between tooling leather and soft leather? What about delicately soft leather?
3. Does tanning make leather more durable? If so, is the extended durability caused by the greater flexibility or something else?
4. Does tanning neutralize (or remove) the hide glue?
--- End quote ---
WA
Those questions are best suited for a chemist....a hide is similar to a bunch of cotton balls flattened into a hide. Inside the cotton fibers are proteins and glues (aka hide glue). Those glues and proteins are removed from most tanning processes. For brain tanning the smoking process coats those glues so they do not bond again after becoming wet and dry, which keeps it soft. Most vegetable tans result in a firmer or hard leather (tool leather) due to "tannins" attaching to the cotton fibers and making them firm by shrinking and preserved from bacteria. Braintan puts natural oils(brains) into those cotton fibers and allows them to move and stretch in a soft clothing type result. These are very basic and simple descriptions of soft and firm tanning. Hides are very durable but tanning just allows them to be preserved from bacteria growth and rotting so they last longer. Hope this helps and doesn't confuse more.
DC:
Did the Native Americans use brain or veg tan? Or do we know?
nclonghunter:
Brain tan is well documented for native Americans going back many moons....not certain about a bark tan. Good question.
Chippintuff:
Thanks for all the discussion everybody, esp. NClonghunter.
If I want to make some thigh pads for flintknapping using hog hide, would the bark method be the best? If not, what method is better? A thigh pad for knapping needs to be tough to reduce shock from the blows with billets or hammerstones and tough to resist cuts from flakes. Does the bark method have to take several months to a year?
WA
nclonghunter:
Look at Van Dykes Taxidermy website. They offer many types of tanning techniques. There is a Quebraco Vegteable tan that gives a good bark tan result. It sounds lime you want to use the pig hide for knapping. I have thought that a section of hair on deer hide may be a good cushion for the leg.
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