Dry hide scraping

[JW_Halverson]

Do you scrape down from the neck to tail. Or up from tail to  neck?

[Outbackbob48]

JW, I am a wet scraper but have done a few dry also. Either way I always go neck to tail or follow the way the hair grows. Maybe Ed and Pappy (dry scrapers ) will chime in , Bob

[JW_Halverson]

It's done.  It wasn't pretty, but it is done now.

I remembered too late what I learned too late on the last hide I scrapped....namely, you cannot put enough lacings on a hide and stretch from too many directions at once. 

A friend wants to learn brain tanning, so I saved this year's doe hide and the head for her. Using the old saying that every animal has enough brains to tan it's own hide.  We will see, I guess.

[Hawkdancer]

Sounds reasonable!  Mostly neck to tail, except when you got to do it different!  In fact, even wet scrape works better that way.  Either way there is a lot of hair to get rid of!  With the hair off, the easy part is done!  Time for a zen brain tanning party!  Every critter does have enough rains to tan his own hide, unless you use another Critters brains!  Btw, where in the Black Hills are you?
Hawkdancer

[BowEd]

JW....The hair removal itself is'nt hard at all,and as a general rule with the grain is best.Main thing too is that your hide is good and dry.Fleshing it first of course.It's the epidermis that the hair roots are in that needs to be removed too for good brain oil penetration to happen and a nice soft product afterward.Like a flannel shirt really.From all the people I've taught brain tanning it's the biggest factor for stiff hides.A very sharp scraper does the job well.Helps very much in the thinner areas too.If too thin in the flanks etc. using 80 grit sand paper will do the job there too.You'll get a feel for the whole process as time goes on.Check this out....
http://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index.php/topic,56929.0.html
There are many new school type ways to get these steps done.This is old school.I guess if you want really older school you can use flint & bone scrapers too but the end result will still be the same.

[JW_Halverson]

Btw, where in the Black Hills are you?
Hawkdancer

I am in Rapid City. Except for the week of May 14-20th, 2018. Then I will be in a tent in the woods west of the Crazy Horse Monument being humiliated by one "stupid" turkey after another. You coming?  I feed folks pretty well and there is always birds to be worked up!

JW....The hair removal itself is'nt hard at all,and as a general rule with the grain is best.Main thing too is that your hide is good and dry.Fleshing it first of course.It's the epidermis that the hair roots are in that needs to be removed too for good brain oil penetration to happen and a nice soft product afterward.Like a flannel shirt really.From all the people I've taught brain tanning it's the biggest factor for stiff hides.A very sharp scraper does the job well.Helps very much in the thinner areas too.If too thin in the flanks etc. using 80 grit sand paper will do the job there too.You'll get a feel for the whole process as time goes on.Check this out....
http://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index.php/topic,56929.0.html
There are many new school type ways to get these steps done.This is old school.I guess if you want really older school you can use flint & bone scrapers too but the end result will still be the same.

We had her good and dry.  I didn't get enough thongs stretching it every which way, so there were a few areas without good tension, but we got it done.  We'll cut it off the frame next and I will use the random orbital sander to lightly go over all of it just to make sure grain on both sides is interrupted where the braintan solution can get in there nice and deep.  I popped on hole/tear in it, but it is very close to the edge and I will just use that tear as the guide for cutting it out.

I am always amazed at how dang fluffy good braintan becomes compared to the rawhide that it comes from.

[BowEd]

I am always amazed at how dang fluffy good braintan becomes compared to the rawhide that it comes from.
Yes I never get tired of it's texture and feel.

[Hawkdancer]

That might be doable!  19&20 May are the snow dates for our Buckhorn Skinners  "Squirrel Shoot" Championships, but usually we get it done in April.  Spring season opens on 14th?  How much are non-resident tags?  We could be on the road a lot next year, I'd like to make it to Marshall, as well, and we are supposed to go to a " Camp Jam" in the Laguna Mtns. Of California in Jne

[JW_Halverson]

Spring turkey season is at least 6 weeks long. I always set the camp dates for the last week of season to take advantage of the best chance for warmer weather and for the hens to be off setting eggs so that the poor gobblers are more likely to be enticed. 

Nonresident tags have been $100 in the past, but I think they may take a small increase this year. I am waiting for the regulations to be released for the coming year.