Brain tanning

[timbo_123]

Hey,
I recently got a white tailed deer hide from a friend who is a hunter and I also got the brain because I want to brain tan it. I am planning to leave the fur on, and I have a question. From reading one of Tom's books, he recommends mixing the brain paste with some tannic acid. I was going to boil down some acorns for the tannic acid, but was wondering what quantity of acorns:water:brain i should use. Any ideas?
Thanks
Tim

[steve]

the acorns aren't necessary,specially for your first hide. the hair is gonna give you problems as it will break off in no time.unless you plan on leaving it flat as a wall hanging or some thing. if you want ,boil up 5 mushed acorns for 10 minutes and add that to your brains. the fun part is the smoking...

[Pamunkey]

There are betting sources of info on braintanning. Matt Richard's "Deerskins into Buckskins" is cheap and the instructions are very detailed and easy to understand. If you're going to be doing a lot of braintanning, you ought to also get Steven Edholm & Tamara Wilder's braintanning book in it's current incarnation http://www.paleotechnics.com/ . Matt Richards' site is a good online resource as well http://www.braintan.com I think you'd be better off with a hair-off hide for your first attempt. Also, the old adage of "each animal has enough brains to tan its own hide" is somewhat misleading. Aboriginal accounts often have the tanner using the brains plus the liver, or other additional fat. You can't have too much brain in your solution, but if you don't have enough, your hide won't turn out as soft as it can be. You can add a half dozen egg yolks or some pork brains to your solution to ensure you've got enough (actually, I've come to prefer using a dozen large egg yolks in lieu of the brains- they're easy to obtain and use, and less messy).

Will

[mike]

i don't know much about tanning, but i do know that if try and leave the hair on and tan it it will just come off- making a huge mess. there are two other methods for making a servicable hide without tanning though:
1. lay the dry stretched hide on the floor. if you want the hair to stay on, put it with the flesh side up. use this as a "rug" for one to three months, depending on how much you walk on it. it will not be as supple as tanned leather unless you have a dirt floor that gives (but it also prevents infestation of the hide's hair), and even then it takes longer- but far less work.
2. stretch you hide. leave it to dry in a reletively dry enviroment for about a week or so. take the hide down and tightly roll it up. unroll it and roll it the opposite way. roll from croner to corner in both corners on on side. repeat this process on the other side. use a fine sanding tool to remove rough parts of the flesh side. placing the hide over a secure wooden bar, graub both sides so it bends in the middle and pull it back and forth. repeat this as you had with the rolling.
- these methods are only to make rawhide a bit more servicable so one can leave the hair on with out worry, though the rug mthod does run the risk of removing a good bit if not all the hair if ignored. neither method makes leather but decent rawhide for very crude clothing in a pinch. the only proble would be water and the thicker the hair, the more water resitent it is.

[paul vallandigham]

I have two good references on Brain tanning hides. The first is a short Pamphlet written by Larry Belitz, titled: Step-by-Step Brain Tanning the Sioux Way, self published, Larry Belitz, Star Route, Box 176, Hot Springs, South Dakota, 57747; and the second is the book now, by John & Geri McPherson, Primitive Wilderness Living & Survival Skills, with the first chapter devoted to Brain tainning. Published by Prairie Wolf, P.O. Box 96, Randolph, KS 66554.

YOu do need to break the cell walls down, whether tanning both sides or just one, by vigorously rubbing the hide on the skin side over a log, or through a loop of rope. The McPherson book contains very good text to explain what and whys of tanning. I know a man who washes his furs in water with some fabric softener, and then tumbles then in a dryer using a couple of cleaned, old gym shoes to help beat the hide. It seems to work. Deer hides can be too big to do this unless you have access to one of those commercial dryers. Brains are brains. You can buy pork brains and even beef brains at your local meat store, if you let the manager know you want them in advance, so he can place an order. Most stores do not carry this item on a regular basis, unless you live in a small town where they do their own butchering. Those days are long gone in the big food store chains. But, talk to the manager of the meat department, and put in an order. You can always throw out anything you don't use. But most people freeze them in a sealed container, and keep them from one season to another, Ordering more when the supply gets low. Do use a blow dryer and a comb to fluff the fur. This will not only make the fur look nice, but give it a nice shine that will make it stand out when it is displayed. Some trappers are doing this to maximize the money they get when they sell the furs. Old time trappers did the same thing, but had to rely on Indian women who knew the tricks and what to use to make the hides soft, and the fur fluff.

Deer hides with the fur left on make nice throws for the backs of chair, and make a nice wrap to put over your shoulders when you are hunkered around an open fire in camp. You can sit on them in your tent, or lodge, to stay off the ground and stay warm. Do spray the ground where you are going to erect a lodge or tent with an insecticide, to kill any bugs that may be there, particularly in the hotter times. Otherwise, you may have to wash your hides again to get rid of the unwanted bugs. I put a tarp down on the ground, and then the hides on top of the tarp. I am not fond of insecticides, but don't like bug bites in the morning, either. There is a limit to what I am willing to sacrifice my body for to live in a primitive style.

[WildWolfe]

Try finding another means of obtaining tannic acid then red oak acorns (better then white). Hint inner bark of trees that create acidic soil. another hint. before you get all half to be primitive find out what subsistence peoples use these days.