Deerskin To Buckskin ~ First Time Brain Tanning

[@charlesleblanc6638]

A real good breakdown of how it's done .. Matt's Book saved my Brain Tan Buckskin life !

[@EccentricArtisan]

Thanks man! And it was definitely the right tool to get me started. It helped make things seem less overwhelming and the results more obtainable on my own.

[@jeffluker1895]

I always like to stake mine for as long as possible before moving to the cable. Saves a lot of effort. Also, I try to soften on a warmish, sunny day with low dew point/humidity, as this speeds up the whole process.

[@EccentricArtisan]

I’m definitely going this route next time. I didn’t really consider staking until after the fact, and the timing just wasn’t right to get lower humidity unfortunately. But I’ll try to plan around that in the future. Thanks for the advice!

[@colec253]

@@EccentricArtisan what is staking? Thinking about trying this season and am currently learning all the lingo

[@EccentricArtisan]

@@colec253 the term itself is derived from the act of breaking (softening) the hide by running it over a wooden stake. That stake could be a post in the ground or on a stand or even a small tree cut off at a comfortable working height. The stake would usually have been shaped on one end to have a good point or edge that is defined but dull so as not to damage the hide or you. But staking could also be done in other scenarios, like the hide being stretched on a frame and the stake being worked over the hide while holding the stake in your hand.

[@wadeohms714]

What kind of wood do you use to make it that darker tan color

[@EccentricArtisan]

Everything I ended up using on this hide was maple.

[@turnstyles7485]

good video but the "brain tanning" in your title is misleading, since you egg tanned.

[@EccentricArtisan]

Thanks! And I do understand where you’re coming from, but brain tan is not only the term most commonly used to describe this method (regardless of the oil type used), but it also makes it easier to find in search results. And technically, it is oil tanning, but calling it that would confuse the matter even more for most people.

[@amaralifts]

That was really informative!

[@EccentricArtisan]

Thank you 😊

[@blackknight9156]

I will admit that I prefer tanning furs over making buckskin simply because wetscraping is so absurdly frustrating to me.

[@EccentricArtisan]

I have little experience with any tanning overall, but I definitely want to do some work with furs in the future!

[@blackknight9156]

@@EccentricArtisan Furs are a mixed bag in some ways. Deer, for example, is an easy starting point as the follicles are resilient and don't slip terribly easily like many furbearers. Deer are also not particularly fatty animals, so the degreasing work is minimal. The braining is done pretty much identically to buckskin, however softening can be more difficult due to the fact that you have fur on the adjacent side of the hide. This can limit your options when it comes to grabbing and breaking the hide.

[@EccentricArtisan]

@@blackknight9156 I can definitely see what you mean. Thanks for the info! I’m thinking of trying beaver first potentially.

[@blackknight9156]

@@EccentricArtisan I hear beaver is great. Unfortunately, beaver is one of the first I haven't gotten a hold of yet. I am curious to see how it turns out.

[@EccentricArtisan]

@@blackknight9156 currently helping my sister do her first deerskin and then I may work on fleshing a few beaver.