Author Topic: More hidework (Read 18214 times)

BowEd · « **on:** June 23, 2022, 12:23:00 pm »

.....and so it begins.These are deer shot last fall and winter.3 with a self bow [1 buck and 2 does] and 1 [a doe] later in the winter with a .54 muzzleloader.I need to make room in the freezer for all the vegetables from the garden that'll go in the freezer this fall.The meat of 250+ pounds from these deer helps to relieve the cost of food these days.
I'll start out doing the largest hide first.A buck.Got it fleshed to dry down.There's a good 18 square feet in this one.

Here's where he came from.He was shot in late november last year.Very healthy and still had a fair amount of tallow on him yet.

Buckskinner · « **Reply #1 on:** June 23, 2022, 03:50:26 pm »

A nice quartering shot too! Are you brain tanning?

BowEd · « **Reply #2 on:** June 23, 2022, 04:18:37 pm »

Yep.He took care of himself pretty well.Not too many scars.
Sure like the knock down ability of a 2 blade arrow when placed in the right place compared to any other way of putting a deer down.
I'm sure there will be minor barbed wire scars showing on the hair side later after dehairing,but no major punctures through the groin or punctures from fighting other bucks or misplaced shots from the past taken at him.
I've seen evidence of all of that plenty of times in the past.
Scars are character anyway.

bjrogg · « **Reply #3 on:** June 23, 2022, 08:31:13 pm »

Always enjoy watching you work hides Ed.

You do very nice work and I always pick up some ideas.

Bjrogg

BowEd · « **Reply #4 on:** June 24, 2022, 07:00:23 am »

He's got the potential size for a full length pants pipe.Got a mate to him [same size and age] already done to match him.

Pappy · « **Reply #5 on:** June 24, 2022, 08:13:52 am »

Looking good Ed, way to hot and humid here to think about brain tanning, wished our weather here was better here this time of year but winter and early spring seems to be the best time for us. looking forward to watching you though.

Pappy

BowEd · « **Reply #6 on:** June 24, 2022, 09:16:31 am »

Convenient weather is something I look for too.The brain tanning process of steps to do leaves these variables easy to adjust to.
Gotta pay attention to the weather forecast.It's not crucial but it makes the job done better and easier on a person too.
There is'nt anything I hav'nt learned over the last 40 years to make it easier or better.It's a simple but not easy to some process that puts out a superior product naturally for garments,bags,and accoutraments.
Like to get these hides dried down during a sunny and hot low humidity period for good dry scrape hair removal.
Then a period of 75 to 80 degree weather with a light breeze for roping after braining.Going in and out of the shade during the process.

White Falcon · « **Reply #7 on:** June 24, 2022, 02:18:47 pm »

Lots of work there.

BowEd · « **Reply #8 on:** June 24, 2022, 02:22:32 pm »

Yes but enjoyable work also.

Pappy · « **Reply #9 on:** June 26, 2022, 06:19:04 pm »

For sure the right kind of weather makes it easier, still tough work but very satisfying work, at least is is for me. it's like a lot of things we do, making bow/home made arrows and many other things, some of us love it but it's not for everybody.

Pappy

BowEd · « **Reply #10 on:** June 26, 2022, 08:23:34 pm »

True.You get what you put into something.To do a nice job a person should not get in a hurry.The diligence will reward you.
The reason I mentioned scars is that a person has to look out for them while dry scrape dehairing a hide.Especially in the flanks on a deer.Barbed wire marks down the back side rarely concern me much because they are not that deep.Catching deep ones the wrong way with too much pressure can and will make a large hole especially in the flanks.
I use different width/very sharp mill bastard scrapers in different areas of a hide.
Sometimes in the flanks your almost better off to sand away the epidermis in thinner flank areas on smaller deer.
Larger hides on larger animals will have thicker epidermis also.Requiring more than 1 scrape to remove it all.Usually in the neck,spine and hip areas.
I give my hides an overall sanding of at least 80 grit to be sure all epidermis is removed.I sand the flesh side also to be sure all membrane is removed too.
After this preparing I'm confident then the brain oils will have every opportunity to penetrate the leather.

This hide I'm doing now is a wonderful hide.

BowEd · « **Reply #11 on:** June 27, 2022, 08:43:24 am »

Another point is the weather I'd like to expand about.Like said earlier dehairing during low humidity periods does a cleaner job IMO.
The epidermis like the leather is subject to absorbing humidity.Higher humidity will make the epidermis more rubbery like,which can lead to the scraper chattering somewhat and not do as clean of a job.Assuming that your scraper is sharp also.

BowEd · « **Reply #12 on:** June 30, 2022, 01:30:34 pm »

The second hide is ready for brains.It was a late season muzzle loader deer shot with a johnathon browning .54.

Gun laying on brain tanned elk hide.

The coyotes ate a little into the exit wound of the ball and the hide is around 10 square foot.Plenty enough yet for the front or back of a shirt.
Anytime coyotes get in there they damage a bit of the hide.It was around 5 below 0 F. that morning.

Onto the third hide.This one is about 15 square foot.An old doe.

Here's where she came from last fall.A good quartering away shot.

Will B · « **Reply #13 on:** June 30, 2022, 02:08:34 pm »

Looking good Ed! Can I see a picture of the scraper you use? I made some rawhide out of a buck I shot last fall and I’m looking for better ways to remove the membrane to get it thinner.

BowEd · « **Reply #14 on:** June 30, 2022, 03:39:22 pm »

Main thing on a scraper is the blade mounting it at a 90 degree angle onto a stick or horn.If it's membrane than it's on the flesh side.
Here's a flesher [wider one] that I use mounted onto elk horn.Be sure to round the corners on the blade.
The blade is a piece of a cracked farming disk blade which I cut out from a disk blade with a torch.I did heat it red and dunk into some 10 weight oil to harden it farther after beveling it [about a 30 degree angle].A fleshing blade can be a little wider than a dehairing blade,but still very sharp.I only have one for fleshing.You can put a great amount of pressure on a framed in hide while fleshing to get every bit of membrane off.
The other is mounted onto elk horn too and it's blade is a chunk of mill basterd file.No reheating done on that.It's hard enough the way it is.These will hold an edge completely through doing a normal deer hide.