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Post by paskinner on Aug 14, 2008 20:19:00 GMT -5
I softened these two hides today. The deer hide had been soaked in a quebacho and sumac solution after rinsing, then I brained and pre-stretched it a little and it hung in the shed for months until I finally brained it again yesterday and softened today. I think it looks pretty cool, but I'm not sure what I'm going to do with it yet! I guess I need to do two or so more this way and make a camo jacket. The elk hide is a nice sized, but not super thick, the way I like them. I wish I could say it dried in 1.5 hours, but I finally made a small fire in the stove to get the butt to dry, after a few hours. Of course, I had to pick a not so warm and damp day.
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Post by redthunder on Aug 14, 2008 20:37:41 GMT -5
you really comes up with various style om your hides, this looking very nice, like how the color looks on this one.,
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Post by longtrail on Aug 14, 2008 21:31:27 GMT -5
Wow, thats different alright. I really appreciate all the different types of tanning and coloring you do. Always interesting to see your work. Years ago we got an order for green brain tan for some fellow from back east who was into the Rogers Rangers re-enactments. We ended up just sending him the hides and I guess he dyed them. What do you think would have been used to make the leather green back then?
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Post by Buckskin Billy on Aug 14, 2008 21:38:54 GMT -5
wow i really like that.
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Post by paskinner on Aug 15, 2008 8:06:35 GMT -5
LT, Green Braintann?? I have no idea though my boys have many grass stain knees and bottoms on their braintann pants.
Actually, I was studying about old dyes a couple yrs ago. I came across a very old detailed list of how to get different colors. Urine was used as one of the main ingredients to get every green mentioned. I've never shared this list because I wanted to try some of the things on it for accuracy first. The list came loose in an old book that I bought, It was typed up by a very old typewriter. A couple of friends and I are talking about getting together and trying some of them this Oct. I'll have to let you know how it goes.
paweaver
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Post by paskinner on Aug 18, 2008 8:30:29 GMT -5
One thing I should mention about dying hides with plant materials is that it tends to tighten them up some. So the hide is soft but not quite the same softness as my other hides. I'd like to find a natural material that dyes really dark and doesn't have the tannins that make the hide less stretchy.
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Post by brainsoft on Sept 4, 2008 10:04:43 GMT -5
Beautiful PA! What a great idea. I will get on that one later this fall. Make some nice bags etc with a hide looking like that. Actaully a whole outfit would be hot IMO. Very nice indeed and thanks for sharing.
Did the fibers tighten up a bit due to the bark?
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Post by brainsoft on Sept 6, 2008 11:53:38 GMT -5
PA...How long did you leave the hide in the bark solution.
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Post by paskinner on Sept 6, 2008 22:06:53 GMT -5
PA...How long did you leave the hide in the bark solution. Can't remember exactly, a couple weeks I think. I'm gonna try something different on goat hides. Slip the hair on some with the lime and use just sumac-- but add vinegar to keep the ph down, so they don't rot. I read where another guy said it worked great for him and I have another bucket of sumc berries left after trap dying. If it works I won't have to buy anything in order to barktan.
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Post by brainsoft on Sept 20, 2008 7:45:38 GMT -5
PA, I bark tanned some buffalo once with the hair on. I just threw it in (to see what would happen) a barrel of sumac leaves, green, and filled it up with water. After some time, not sure how much but probably a week or three I threw in a few pieces of buff hide from the legs and another hunk from the flank and left it in there for three months. It was fall when I started and took it out about three months later and it had ice in the top, about two inches. It was some of the nicest dark reddish brown bark tan I have ever seen. I used a bit of water based tanning oil from a taxidermy supply place as I dried it and it was super soft. Too bad I dont have sumac around where I am now or would try it again.
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