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Framed beef rawhide
BowEd:
Always enjoy your comments JW.I've never heard of Joe but there's a lot of excellent brain tanners out there these days.All trying to make money off of books and DVD's.My DVD is in my head.....ha ha.
Back in the 1980's in the basement of my old farm house I had a set up frame I could get to either side of the hide.Staples were hit onto the edges of the 2"by4"'s for lacing holes and onto the ceiling beam and onto a 2"by4" bolted to the cement floor.I had a wood burner and a fan going then too.Very convenient!!!Ahhhh the good old days.
Here I've got to flip this big frame around in order to stake this hide on both sides.Plenty of time though.No big deal.I keep saying it's not over till it's over.If I've got to rebrain and reframe stretch this hide again that's the way it'll be.I seen a small knife split open up to a small hole just while stretching it the short period of time before putting it into the freezer so I know I'm getting a good stretch on this hide.
I've personally seen first hand brain tanned beef hide articles in a museum.I forget where.It's been done.I think mostly during the early reservation period of times back in the late 1800's.Since I can't get or too cheap to get my own moose or bull elk I'll have to make beef hide work for me......ha ha.
When the weather is right I'll thaw this hide out of the freezer.Brain slurry too.Rebrain and twist it again multiple times.Put it back into the frame and stake it dry.I expect it to take at least 12 hours worth of staking to get this one dry.Hope I'm wrong though.
Were'nt you at John Bybees' place when I did a small deer hide brain tan demonstration there?I think his wife was upset about all of the deer hair in her woods.....ha ha.I keep that under control here by dehairing on quiet days.....ha ha.She might of not liked the brains being cooked on her stove either....ha ha.
bjrogg:
Thanks for sharing this Ed. I always learn something when you document these tan jobs.
It’s a enormous undertaking even without the documenting and posting.
Just want you to know I appreciate it.
Bjrogg
JW_Halverson:
Joe runs a fair sized commercial tannery. I got some really fine bark tanned deer hide from him and it is BUTTER.
BowEd:
Thanks BJ.Us country folk think alike.Sure hope you get the rain you'll need up there.It's getting drier and drier here now and the actual summer has'nt even begun yet.These bigger hides are being done by quite a few people actually.I feel like I'm just trying to keep up.
JW....That's cool.It would be interesting to walk through his tannery.The one north of me is too expensive to suit me though.They do fine work too,but not brain tanning.Did Joe do some brain tanning?
I've figured out a way to set this frame up in the shade in a way that I can get to both sides of the hide to stake so I'm good to go.
JW_Halverson:
I know he has done brain tanning in the past, but he does not offer that as a commercial tanning operation.
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