Tanners Craft: Brain Tanning or Buckskin
Hide Tanning and Making Buckskin
April 18, 25th and May 2nd
Basecamp in Winlaw, BC
Hide tanning and making buckskin is a challenging process with a beautiful outcome. Turning your animal skins into a preserved and useable material that is highly durable, breathable and soft and supple is a trophy that few have achieved. Buckskin is often referred to as brain tanning as the brains are traditionally used to make buckskins. We don’t use the brains for a few reasons. However, the process is exactly the same and gives the same results.
Buckskin is a great breathable durable natural material for any item of clothing that you care to make. Moccasins, mukluks and mitts are the probably the most common but there is no reason you can’t make buckskin skirts, pants or tops. Quivers and bags are also a great option that don’t need to be sized to fit a person.
Bring your own hides or we can provide one for you. We will flesh, dehair, tan, soften and smoke them into an amazing material for all your craft projects. Buckskins is a super soft, supple, breathable material that will outlast any clothing you have. That is except if you make moccasins with them. The soles deteriorate quickly walking on concrete! How about a skirt or waistcoat? Pants or jacket?
What you will Learn
- To learn the basic process of brain tanning
- To have hands on experience with each aspect
- Fleshing,
- Dehairing,
- Braining (not using brains)
- Stretching and softening
- Smoking
- Be able to take away some tanned buckskin
The Schedule
The workshop is spread over 3 Saturdays. The first two days will be full days and the last day will be shorter with just the hide smoking taking place. We have split it this way as the soaking, rinsing, drying and smoking required by the process is better if it is spread out a bit. When it comes to softening it could take 2 hours if its warm, dry and windy or it could take 8 hours. On the second day please give yourself space and don’t book anything in later you may just need it. This is because the weather can have a very definite impact on the time needed to soften the hide.
We actually don’t use the brains of the animal. With Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) slowly migrating north and west from Alberta and the USA we prefer not to engage with dealing with the nervous system of animals where the disease is mostly rooted. Although it is interesting to note that the animals brain is exactly the right amount to tan the hide. We will go through how to use the brains for the tanning should you wish to do this for future hides.
What’s Included
- All tools and materials
- Raw skins
- Tea and Coffee
- Bathroom facilities
What you Need
No prior experience needed. This is a hands on and physical workshop
Please bring a set of dirty clothes and shoes, apron, coveralls or waterproofs as it will get a little messy to begin with. We will often be working outside so please bring clothing and layers suitable for outdoor temperatures.
Please contact us if you plan to bring your own hide to let us know and talk about what you might need to do.
Date
April 18, 25th and May 2nd