Main Discussion Area > Around the Campfire
More hidework
Will B:
Thanks for the detailed photos Ed. Those are really well made scrapers. I can see I’ve been using too wide of a scraper. I will be making a couple like yours before this fall.
BowEd:
OK...Show me what you come up with for a scraper.I would of sent you a scraper if I'd known you were in need of one.I have sent them to other members before showing interest in brain tanning.
Right now I'm dehairing this big doe which is being tougher to get done than the larger buck I did.
It's taking quite a few strokes to get every bit of epidermis and hair roots off.
In the thinner areas its wise not to push too hard and look out for any scars along the way.
Some deer can be like that.Older deer many times can have thicker epidermis.That's why a very sharp dehairing blade is needed.Takes the epidermis off narrow enough without much pressure.
After all is dehaired though I usually give it a good sanding to be sure.I don't like to use any more coarse of sand paper than 60 grit on deer.Usually 80 grit is used.
Thicker hided animals like elk,buffalo,and beef 40 grit can be used on them.
Will B:
Ed, I used a fleshing knife on a fleshing beam my buddy let me use. It worked really well on the flesh side of the hide. I then soaked my hides in lye (made from wood ashes) and then scraped the hides with the fleshing knife. I then put the hides on a frame to dry.
BowEd:
Ahhhh yes.I've fleshed and dehaired them that way before too after fleshing them good on the same beam.Makes for a smooth hair side surface.Many quillers and bead workers like that type of surface to work on.They usually call that the wet scrape method.Just like fleshing a coon.
Here's a picture of my beam fleshing tool.I've had this tool for 40 years.The outside 2" on each end are sharp while leaving the center 10" to 12" dull.
A semi dull scraper in that case is the best to use.One that you can run your finger across length wise with no fear of cutting yourself.Many times just a good soaking in water is enough.Don't even need to lime it and then delime and rinse it.
Frankly the flank leathers' usefullness is'nt much more than used as fringe anyway.Very thin and very stretchy.
I've removed those slight peppered hair root remanants before after dry scraping by soaking the hide in water and using a dull fleshing knife on a beam too.Then if the brains are ready I brain it and rope it dry right then without reframing it.
Dry scraping leaves a fuzzier surface.
Finished the stubborn to remove hair roots on the older big doe up with a lot of sanding.Nice smooth surface then too when finished.Used to do that by hand.Nowadays I use a palm or orbital sander.Suprisingly I used 40 grit on that doe and it worked.Right around 13 to 14 square foot there.Should end up with at least 10 square feet of brain tan from this one.Perfect for shirts and such,or even a shorter legged full lengthed pants pipe.Notice how narrower the necks are on these does.
1 more 1 and 1/2 year old doe to do and then I'll start braining and roping them all dry.
BowEd:
Got this 1 and 1/2 year old doe framed and fleshed this nice cool morning.
Sidenote....It's always nice getting up at dawn in the summer.Many songbirds rekindle their mating rituals with song ready to raise another hatch and the woods sound pretty nice.
This doe was one that squirted right underneath my stand running away from a buck and I spine shot her.Less than 5 yards beneath me.She dropped on the spot.
Very nice clean hide.Free of scars.
Navigation
[0] Message Index
[#] Next page
[*] Previous page
Go to full version