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Brain tanned elk hide

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JW_Halverson:

--- Quote from: BowEd on October 04, 2021, 03:51:18 pm ---One thing someone can't avoid doing these is just plain old hard work,but it's all worth it to me and to anyone that likes fooling with real brain tan.There are no tanneries that do this that I know of.Some to their credit advertise theirs for sale as look-a-like or imitation brain tan but still not the same thing.
The toughness of it and ability for articulate bead and quill work on it I guess captures my likeness of it.

--- End quote ---

Anytime someone says they have a shortcut or labor saving technique for brain tanning I automatically put whatever they say in the mental delete files. If there was an easy way of brain tanning then everyone would have known about it long ago. Braintanning means WORK.

That's a gorgeous looking hide, Ed, and no two ways about it.

Piddler:
BowEd. The hide looks really good. And thanks for some of the knowledge you shared with me on PM's. I brained my second deer hide a couple weeks ago. Came out good could have smoked it a bit longer but it's ok. So, I know how much work is involved in a deer I can only respect the amount in a large hide.
Piddler

BowEd:
There's a fair amount of people doing these elk hides.Really anyone can do it.It's about like doing 3 deer hides at once really so I used 3#'s of brains [pig brains] in 5 gallons of water. also.The only way it truely gets easier IMO is when with experience one recognizes by feel when the leather needs to be stretched at certain stages of drying.Recognizing by sight that all the epidermis is off etc. too.Recognizing the weather too as to whether it's a good drying day also by the humidity in the air and the wind etc.
Softening in the frame makes things easier though as you get a goooood stretch on that hide.Sew all holes before stretch softening.They'll come out nice,flat,and softened to edge of hole.
I suggest doing a few deer hides in the frame before doing an elk to get the hang of it.Although with deer I just still rope them dry from start to finish.Their thickness dictates this.Elk is thicker all together so it can stand getting thinner.
Stretching in a frame makes the leather thinner.Roping the leather makes the leather thicker [puffed up]as the hide shrinks to a certain degree but still stays soft.
The leather will be flatter on the edges [lending easier pattern tracing] from frame softening.Roping leaves the edges a little rippled or wavy.

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