anyone with brain tanning exp?

[Pekan]

I recently did a one day seminar on brain tanning. Was part of jr forest wardens national camp.
We used domestic rabbit skins.
My skin side feels smooth like suede, the fur looks good, but the whole thing is a little stiff and sounds likewax paper, krinkley.

If there is anyone out there with experience id be interested in your opinion.
Thanks.

[Brian Bildson]

Rub a bit of mink oil on the skin side and soften it up. Sounds like it could have used a bit more breaking down of the fibers while you were tanning it. Did you work it back and forth over a wire to work it after it soaked in your solution?

[Pekan]

We used a piece of wire rope to break down the fibers. Using the cut end to scrape the skin.
The rabbit skin is very thin in someplaces so it makes sense that I didnt work it enough, didnt want to rip it.
Do you think other oil woild work?
Thanks.

[HunterDave]

I'm thinking that the hide on a rabbit is too thin for the brain tanning to really be effective in showing how the end results would be for a thicker skinned animal. If it's not stinking/rotting then it worked. My suggestion to you is to scrounge up a deer hide from someone this Fall and do the same for it as you did for the rabbit. I'm willing to bet that it'd give you a lot better idea of how well that it worked.

That's my theory anyway.

[Pekan]

Yeah I hope to give it another try sometime soon.

[calgarychef]

Ie brain tanned quite a few large hides, deer, elm and moose. I've never done a rabbit but here's what I'd suggest.

The fibers of the hide interlace together and the " hide glue" which is mostly gelatin binds the fibers together when they dry. What the brain tanning does is to lubricate the fibers so that they don't stick together when they dry. Use a damp cloth and get the skin dampened down again but not the fur then let it sit in the refrigerator for a few hours to make sure the hide is nicely wetted. Then use more of your brains or some neats foot oil that's been dissolved in soap and water, or egg yolks and water or plain old mayonnaise- believe it or not.

Just rub the oil product you've chosen onto the hide and be sure not to use too much. Then reverse the hide so its skin to skin and pop it back into the fridge overnight. Take it out the next day and turn it do the skin is outside again and gently work it while it dries. Pull it over your knee and stretch it a bit, rabbit is thin skinned so you won't have to get too rough with it.

The secret is to keep stretching it as it dries and don't stop until it's TOTALLY dry. It will stay nice and soft unless it gets wet again. The purpose of smoking brain tan is to get the resins from the wood smoke to coat the fibers in the leather so that they can't absorb water again.

Good luck

[Pekan]

Thanks Chef.
Im going try what you said.
Ill post a picture when complete.

Cheers

[calgarychef]

Good luck, brain tanning works and once you've got the hang of it it's not that difficult. It's interesting that the glenbow museum has examples of brain tan leather that's over 150 years old the European methods of tanning didn't seem to last that long.