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Post by paskinner on Jul 16, 2011 15:37:43 GMT -5
Stirring things up today-I guess ya call this getting into your work. I really can't stir this too well with all the bark in there, but it comes in handy for weighting down the hides and keeping them under the surface.
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Post by Cody ( The Patriot ) on Jul 16, 2011 16:24:17 GMT -5
Yall givin me the bark fever
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Post by beaudro on Jul 16, 2011 23:02:10 GMT -5
You really get right in your work don't you! I bet your going to have some great hides pretty soon. Mine would probably be thrown out of a modern tannery , I'm most likely to have a black streak down the middle of mine, or a spot where the grain is coming off, and probably will have in the future. Holding that grain on might be important too , at least I try to keep that looking ok. I read up on it before my first barktan and found the curriers used a glass tool. I couldn't find anything, but knew I needed something smooth. Wooden tool do not work, i stripped a good piece of grain right off the first time. I found an old glass insulator from an old high line , the top round part worked ok. I found different bottles to work as well. Different tools, and different ways of using them leave the grain looking different. You can get that distressed look even if you don't want it. I suppose the oil is just as important, I've been using neatsfoot oil, it's probably synthetic, but it's working for me.
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Post by ThunderMoon on Jul 17, 2011 1:06:09 GMT -5
Dang,i thought we were gonna have fresh pressed Sumac wine
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Post by paskinner on Jul 20, 2011 9:49:41 GMT -5
Well I messed up royally somewhere. I pulled out hides yesterday to membrane and open them up. (Currying?) Some of them were starting to show rot on the flesh side. I still think the solution should have been strong enough, the ph was around 4.5-but it was in the sun part of the day and it's also been difficult to stir well with all the bark in there. So.....I forked the bark out, dipped out most of the water, moved the tub back into the woods, put the solution back in, and added probably about half a bucket of quebacho to it. Looks like I'll lose a couple hides and have some lost grain, etc on others, but the hides were firmed up nice today and smelling right. I always learn things the hard way, but should know better-I don't even let water soaking hides for braintan get much sunlight at all before I scrape them, especially in this heat.
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Post by Cody ( The Patriot ) on Jul 20, 2011 13:26:16 GMT -5
I dont guess its ever a good idea to let sun shin on them ,hope you dont loose anymore it sure takes a long time to do to find out they didnt make it
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Post by beaudro on Jul 20, 2011 13:47:51 GMT -5
well this sucks PA, I don't know why it didn't work. I've never used sumac and would blame it on that , but only because i've been successful with quebracho each time I've barktanned. Just looking over what I have on barktanning I see two types of tannins, catechols and pyrogallols , each has a different acid. Sumac is a pyrogallol , containing elegiac acid, they are suppose to take much longer to tan with. It's purpose is for tanning leather used for heavy use, such as upholstry. It also makes a light colored tan. Quebracho is a catechol , a fast tannin acid , both types of tannins can be added together for different types of leather. Oak bark contains both types of tannins.
I don't know if there is a clue in there to help you out , and I know it's a little late now. It's real odd that a Ph of 4.5 would allow bacteria to grow, assuming that there was? Currying is the very last part , as I know it , the final step to finishing the grain with oil. I membrane mine before I put them in , i figured removing the crud would allow the tannin into the hide better in the beginning. I can't say mine were ever real clean, i know i left a bunch of gunk and membrane on a few. I'm seeing currying as a seperate art in history, several times I see the words tanner and currier listed seperately. It might be that the currier is getting credit for all the work a tanner did, but the finished grain layer is what attracted buyers to the leather at some point. When a tanner was finished the hide went to the currier shop (probably in the same building), the currier was out front in the buyers eye , shoemakers were interested in a finish that would give a high sheen. I hope it works this time around PA, it was looking real good for awhile there.
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Post by paskinner on Jul 20, 2011 18:51:26 GMT -5
Well, when you start an experiment and tell everyone and their brother about it, Murphy's law says something is bound to go wrong. ;D braintanner.com/blog.html
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