fixing to start egg tanning

[kybackwoodsman]

would that bypass the smoking stage or does it still need to be smoked.  that was the only lasting concern, is how to smoke these without singeing the fur off.

[Micanopy]

When you smoke brain tan the rule is "small fire, BIG SMOKE"! no heat gets anywhere near the hides, if the get hot you built to big a fire. Good hides should be velvety soft with no hard spots at all before and after they are smoked.  If it is to warm for you to hold your hand above it at the same distance you have the hide it is much to hot. As a general rule never get the heat above 120 degrees to be on the safe side, above 140 it will ruin them.

[kybackwoodsman]

yeah i was toying with the idea of a fire hole and channel the smoke up and through the hides. all my hdes are skined thand fleshed cased as thats how the auction houses want all hides with the exception of beaver and badger.

[Tim Burns]

If only I had all those muskrat hides from my youth - back when trapping and fur was worth something... I might just give this a try myself. I'm finding this thread with all the instructions, Very interesting...

[kybackwoodsman]

i know the old trappers wouldnt have wanted to make much outta thier hides, hides was money, but things like coon coyote and such never brought as much as beaver, and beaver was what they was after in the first place.

[Micanopy]

Harda make felt outa coon or yotes, so those furs were used by people for warmth, banjo heads, all kindsa useful things. Beaver was money in the bank, muskrats as well.

[kybackwoodsman]

yeah groundhog makes some of the best banjo heads you can get.  i know the coonskin cap is a bit overdone, and it was thought to be poparlized by the tv shows of davey crockett and daniel boone years ago, but they were commonly worn, and i like the way they look. so i got two adverage sized coons, would be enough to make a nice hat and maybe some smaller projects. a small pouck or something as well.

[Micanopy]

Lota people back in the day wore them, where doya think the term "Coon Asses" came from?

[kybackwoodsman]

true, i think the natives would have been more inclined to use hides for shooting and possible bags than leather, the leather was more valuable as clothing and loging uses, where as the thinner hides of small game would be more suitable as items with less wear.  of course the fur was also used for warmth and i suspect camoflage as well.

[voyageur1688]

 IF you set up a smoke channel to the hide you can smoke it without fear of singing the hair. Ya can do it over the coals with a small coal bed and moistened punk wood but for someone just starting out I would recommend the smoke channel.  The egg does keep the fibers from binding back together but if it gets wet after being softened they will get stiff unless you have something in the hide to lock the egg into the hide between the fibers. That is what the smoking does or you can use the mink oil. I am just not with it at the moment ----to many other things going on to be able to fully focus on anything for more than just a few minutes.
Voy

[Micanopy]

I hears ya Voy, thanks.

[billh]

Soooooooooo....................
How did the hides turn out?

[DandJofAZ]

Just read this entire string of posts, missed it somehow...what's up  with the furs??  Hope your hat is now on your head..

Doug

[crazell]

how did they turn out? remember to post your pics. 

[ErikPrice1@msn.com]

How did the hides turn out. You know we live through other people doin things.