Author Topic: first try at buckskin (Read 6511 times)

iowabow · « **on:** December 22, 2011, 10:02:32 am »

First time making buckskin. This was a lot of work when you do it the first time. This was a deer that a friend of mind shot. I think it was about 4 or 5 year old deer and the skin was about a 1/4 inch thick around the neck. I have one question for those who have done this. Is there a way to make this smell less like smoke or will the odor decrease with time? When it gets light out I will post a completed picture.

madcrow · « **Reply #1 on:** December 22, 2011, 10:43:17 am »

Looks great. Sometimes I thin the necks and rump to make the drying go faster. That smoke smell will be there for a long time, but will decrease. I hang mine in the shop and let them air out a few weeks.

Pappy · « **Reply #2 on:** December 22, 2011, 11:22:27 am »

You can rinse it out with a little dish warshing liquid and that will help. Did it turn out soft ? I thin the neck/rumb arer also if it on an older /bigger deer.

Pappy

iowabow · « **Reply #3 on:** December 22, 2011, 11:36:49 am »

Thanks pappy for the reply. How are you thinning the neck?

iowabow · « **Reply #4 on:** December 22, 2011, 12:03:05 pm »

Here is a picture of the fleshing tool I made and the finished hide. I had to put it on the porch because it was so strong that the odor was coming in the house from the garage and my wife had a cow. I hope that the smell will weaken like a coat does after camping. I was concerned that the color was not going to be good because I got the hide real dirtly when fleshing on the beam I had in the woods. The hide keep getting in the mud. Before I smoked it there was a gray color to it. But now I really like the color.

iowabow · « **Reply #5 on:** December 22, 2011, 12:04:23 pm »

cracker · « **Reply #6 on:** December 22, 2011, 12:09:32 pm »

looks pretty darn good to me looks store bought.Ron

iowabow · « **Reply #7 on:** December 22, 2011, 12:11:54 pm »

Yes the hide turned out real soft like a peice of cloth feels like flannel. But up and in about 4 inches in the neck it is less like cloth and more like leather. I want to make a shirt up don't have a pattern any suggestion on where to get some.

Pappy · « **Reply #8 on:** December 22, 2011, 12:16:57 pm »

I just thin the area when I scrape the hair off,You will need more than one for a shirt,at least 3 or 4 unless they are really large.

Not sure how you would thing it if you wet scrape,never done that.

Nice color to it,looks like you got a good even smoke.

Pappy

iowabow · « **Reply #9 on:** December 22, 2011, 12:56:42 pm »

Maybe I could frame it after I remove hair and take a stone to the thick areas when it is rawhide. More or less sanding it. It took awhile to figure out how long to soak it in the ashes. So pappy when you dry scrape it are you removing the hair and the epidermis? If I dry scraped I could skip two steps. I could skip the ashes and the rinse to remove the lye is that correct?

Pappy · « **Reply #10 on:** December 22, 2011, 01:07:37 pm »

Yes I remove it all at the same time,it comes off in a sheet if you are doing it right.

You can also thin it at that time.

Pappy

Bryce H · « **Reply #11 on:** December 23, 2011, 11:09:57 am »

Missouri River has patterns for all kinds of things, Iowabow. Or, if you're making it in the manner of a northern Plains warshirt style, then the book, Mytic Warriors of the Plains by Thomas Mails has a good description that you can go from. I'm in New Jersey at the moment, far from my Texas home, or I'd scan it and post that page for you.

YosemiteBen · « **Reply #12 on:** December 23, 2011, 01:47:41 pm »

www.braintan.com

Will H · « **Reply #13 on:** December 23, 2011, 07:23:04 pm »

WOW

That turned out exceptionally well! Good job man!

~Will

M-P · « **Reply #14 on:** December 23, 2011, 11:34:55 pm »

That color looks great! The feel of well done buckskin is unique isn't it. I suspect that the real test of your skill will come in being able to duplicate the look so you have matching skins. Ron

Primitive Archer