Primitive Archer

Main Discussion Area => Primitive Skills => Topic started by: Blacktail on April 29, 2009, 10:42:46 pm

Title: need tanning info help
Post by: Blacktail on April 29, 2009, 10:42:46 pm
o.k. what i am looking for is some help about tanning video...i do my best learning from video not reading..now i have a video by matt richards but i trouble understanding alot of it...and i was wondering if dry scraping is easer than wet...and if there is a faster way of doing it..NOW,i am not saying i want it done for me lol....just a better way of understanding what is going on...so,is there any other videos that you have see that might be a differant way of doing this..thanks john...p.s.is dry scraping better or is wet...
Title: Re: need tanning info help
Post by: smokeu on April 30, 2009, 02:17:06 pm
Ive never done these methods but they look good and not sure if they have a vid or not but primitiveways.com has some good pics and info on the subjuct. You may try and search youtube  or paleotube or paleoplanet
Title: Re: need tanning info help
Post by: billy on April 30, 2009, 02:27:20 pm

I've done both methods.  For making buckskin, I prefer the wet scrape method...I think the finished product is better.  Problems with wet scrape is that sometimes you don't get complete brain penetration so you have to re-brain.  However, there is a trick:  if you brain the skin, then let it with the brains in it and leave it for a few months, then resoak it and pull it soft, the mucus seems to break down making softening much easier with less chance for stiff spots. 

Dry scraping gives a good finished product if you're careful while scraping.  Brain penetration is almost never a problem with dry scrape, as long as you get all the grain off.  But dry scrape involves building a frame and then hoping for dry weather so the skin can dry.