I knew zero about tanning leather 2 years ago. I didn't know where to start, I looked at a ton of videos and then happened across yours. They are the most thorough, well researched explanations I've seen, not to mention the loads of personal experience that you share, which is invaluable. Now I have 4 tanned deer hides and am tanning two more as we speak. Best tanning content on the web in my book.

@SkillCult

3 жыл бұрын

That's really great to hear. I've been trying to promote bark tanning and get people off to a good start. I'm still seeing a lot of problem hides, but most of the people following my stuff and taking the time to absorb it (it's a lot to absorb when starting something new) are turning out some really nice stuff. It's a very satisfying undertaking for sure.

@IronGoober

3 жыл бұрын

@@SkillCult I have a problem hide for you. If you don't mind answering a long comment. Lol. It's been really hot. I've been soaking 2 hides to get out the lime but only scraped them once so far (too busy). One of my hides absorbed a lot of fluid and swelled from the lime. It is still swollen seems fine, smells like usual. The other never really swelled and it seemed about as floppy as it was going to get after deliming. I let it sit in water for the last 2 days anyway so I can scrape it once more. But, now it smells horrible (more of a fermenting + rotting smell) feels a bit spongy, but seems mechanically intact still. Can this be salvaged? I put in a bunch of salt to try and kill off the bacteria, this worked for me once before, but it wasn't as bad with that hide. What do you do with really stinky hides?

@IronGoober

3 жыл бұрын

Just in case anyone read the above comment and was wondering... I was able to salvage the hide. I put in some salt and a 1/2 cup of bleach, let is sit for a day, then dumped out the nasty water, rinsed it about 5 or 6 times trying to squeeze out more of the nasty water, and then put it in a strong brine for a few days. It still stunk, but not as bad. After tanning for a few days, the smell is almost completely gone from the hide.

Ladies and gentlemen I give you Ron Swanson's brother ! Gotta Love his enthusiasm and his vast knowledge of the fleshy arts🙏🏻

@SkillCult

4 жыл бұрын

Sir, you are mistaken, Ron Swanson is my spirit guide. Now pass that bacon. :)

Best youtube ever, 0 dislikes, what a legend

@SkillCult

2 жыл бұрын

Actually, they started hiding dislikes recently lol. Oh well there is always a few no matter how good a video is to everyone else.

its even more fascinating having a chemistry degree and learning the chemistry behind tanning and other natural crafting strategies

"Go have your issues somewhere else!" 🤣

@fortcastlevgn2368

3 жыл бұрын

LOL ya,,, a and B? vegan here,, still gotta learn ugh man it was disgusting,, and not easy to find the real native natural way to tan,, now its always fkin chemical bull shit nothing naturall nemore,, always some crap someone buy somewhere,, or mass scaloe polution bull shit,,, and i thought vegans might have exagerated about the crazy polution leather does,,, cause obviously plastic cant be worse?,, but now im not sure,, always just avoid both i guess,, but i thought since it lasted really long,, it wasnt such a big waste,, i have old leather boots i bought before going vegan,, and except the fkin under shoe that unstick unhook? that i need to,,, maybe i could learn how to cordonier,,, eee hey why not

Lol I love the whole "shut up, listen, learn" attitude

Glad I found this channel.

Great job. Excellent content with you explaining your extensive knowledge gained through tough hands-on experience! You really put your heart and soul into this video. You get right to the point; no fluff, no baloney. A true American homesteading hero. I thank you for the kindness of your presentation. It is folk like you that made this nation great over our first one and a half centuries. But today’s youth waste the Gift of life addicted to cellphone video games. Thank GOD I grew up poor having to heft three newspaper routes; and in the summers between the ages of 11-17 worked a 50 hour week as a farm hand for 25-35 cents an hour after which I loaded tractor trailer trucks at night between the ages of 14-17. That was almost sixty years ago. The end product was that I was able to work as a Christian medical missionary physician for a decade. Now I am almost 75 years old and I’ve still got another 45 years to live and teach. Once again, Thank you, Brother. Keep up the Good Work!

I just want to say thank you...Please keep uploading and grow your channel to make more money and to change more lives...Am from South Sudan

@SkillCult

2 жыл бұрын

It just doesn't really work that well unless you cater to the lower elements of people's character. 7 years later I have less money than I started with and I have to leave my homestead and no money to buy a new one. So, I'm not that enthusiastic anymore.

Great input, fast data, lot to absorb. Thank you

Good to see your videos again, love them. Thanks.

That was a great overture to the rest of your tanning content, thanks as always. On chickens: They are neither disruptive or cute (to me), but anyone that disapproves of them must not appreciate pastured eggs. That would lead me to question one's character. Lol

@SkillCult

5 жыл бұрын

lol.

@Mustafa-wu7zx

4 жыл бұрын

@@SkillCult ¿Crees que la mejor introducción de bronceado al cromo para el sebo de piel de merino español y cuántos ph debería ser y debería usar un bronceador de aluminio?

So good, thank you for sharing your knowledge

Did a workshop on brain training a few years back, and now this video gives me the opportunity to go for it with the next hide I come by. Many thanks for so many outstanding videos over the years...

There aren't a lot of folks out there that practice these skills. Thank you!

This got me thinking, there is quite a bit of skill that goes into making leather and almost every early civilization across the globe had figured out how to do it to some degree. Makes me wonder how each civilization came to acquire such skills. 🤔 Thank you uploader!!

@SkillCult

2 жыл бұрын

for one, skins are commonly used as containers in primitive societies. So, it's easy to accidentally find out the effects of different substances on skin.

Thank you for taking the time to make these this information that needs to be available so we don't lose the art

Wow, this video is amazing! Lots of detail, thanks a lot!!

Outstanding video packed with valuable information. Of course that's par for the channel. Thank you.

Big thank you for making the video, I have gained a lot from it. Please continue to make these videos

Very good video and easy to understand tips and tricks! Thanks

I've watched a few vid's on leather skills. I really enjoy watching yours.

Hey skillcult love your videos always look forward to the new 1

Thank you for your video tutorials. They are thorough interesting, and very helpful.

Excellent ! Power packed info !

perfect starting video for the leather

Excellent vid. Thank you.

Great video, thank you for your work!

The chickens make your videos more authentic to me. They really add a lot.

Another great informative video, links very helpful, thanks.

Awesome video, really a great amount of information, thanks for sharing :)

B. The chickens are amazing. Thank you for the awesome information.

Yep, loving the videos!

Wonderful video and content thanks man

Appreciating this

Awsome video, wish i grew up like this

No nonsense, info packed half hour. Nice!

@SkillCult

5 жыл бұрын

Yeah, it's like 3% fat.

Very informative video. Could I suggest covering the use of commercial powdered tannic acid, which is used by commercial tanneries? For urban folks, it is a much easier and cheaper source of tannins, compared to finding bark and boiling.

Phenomenal video thank you I have been searching forabout three months now for this video. Absolutely amazing thank you so much.

@SkillCult

4 жыл бұрын

So glad I can help.

Congratulations on hitting 30k subscribers!

@SkillCult

5 жыл бұрын

Yay!

my girlfriend just gave me a pair of these elbow gloves. They are simply amazing - what a great upgrade to my tanning setup. Actually one of the best things is they are really easy get off. You always seem to have to fight the normal short gloves to get them off

@SkillCult

Жыл бұрын

They're kind of a game changer :) Wish I'd started using them ages ago. I'm trying a new brand now. I've had two pairs of the yellow atlas eventually start leaking a little.

Yeoman work. Thank you for all your effort.

@SkillCult

5 жыл бұрын

:)

Wow you've been doing this as long as I've been alive. Thank you for sharing your knowledge, sir! I think I'm going to try a buckskin/ brain tan first before attempting the veg-tan process but I'm excited to get started. Your website is awesome!

@SkillCult

2 жыл бұрын

Yeah, I've been around a while I guess lol. I don't spend much time with people my age though. They are usually too settled into who they think they are (identity is dangerous) resigned and boring. I think veg tan is actually probably easier to learn. Unless you have a teacher. A good place to learn tanning is primitive skills gatherings, which are just awesome anyway. Rivercane or falling leaves on the east coast, rabbitstick rendezvous in Idaho, and several on the West coast. I'm sure there are more. Those are the long standing ones. Save your pennies and attend one if you can. It'll open up a lot of possibilities.

Great video! I have a bunch of goat hides from processing and this helps out alot. Right now I've just been nailing to wood and salting. This is great thank you.

@SkillCult

4 жыл бұрын

I have a playlist on making pocket axe strops from scratch that shows the whole process of barktanning deer except for finishing that is the best thing to watch on the internet for bark tanning as far as I know.

Thank you for this channel and information. I'm just getting into trapping/tanning.

@SkillCult

2 жыл бұрын

Coon creek outdoor is a good channel for trapping and fur handling related stuff.

Awesome video! I'm a fan of yours. Eager to start this process on my own

@SkillCult

3 жыл бұрын

cool, do it, it's fun!

Very well done!!!

Yes!! Anything on brain tanning would be greatly appreciated.

GREAT VIDEO LOADS. OF INFO!!!

Dude, your videos have been phenomenal. I've been pit tanning capeskin (hairless sheepskin) for a year now. I use it because it tans in just over 20 days which gives me time to experiment. One thing I'd add about going to the lumber mill is always bring a case of good beer with you. Those guys are always putting good bark through the chipper. I asked them to toss it into the kiln for a few hours to deal with mold and bugs and it gives me tons of tanning material. Ask around, people are quite willing.

@SkillCult

9 ай бұрын

Yeah, good tip lol. Beer diplomacy...

amazing video and great thank you Bro

Great video keep them up !!

great video

Fantastic information, well edited and the host is exceptional. Subscribed only five minutes into watching.

@SkillCult

2 жыл бұрын

:)

muy buena explicacion, saludos desde el sur de argentina.

@SkillCult

4 жыл бұрын

Gracias, glad to help.

Well done. I can imagine what a PITA putting all this footage together must have been.

@SkillCult

5 жыл бұрын

Yep, lots of digging around in the archives.

man thanks alot kindly keep on sharing

So helpfull

Informative ❤

Excellent information for all leatherwork as well as tanners! Good you know where your material cones from

@SkillCult

5 жыл бұрын

Information (from any source), action and observation/contemplation. Those together are the keys to progressive knowledge. Collaboration I would include with information for the most part. Information contemplation are each dangerous enough, but put the two together and you have a fool in the making, or an academic lol.

Just when you think you know a little you come out with another great vid and learn more. I've done 15 hides, thanks to you and this one is great Steven. I would love to see some vids on brain tanning and this process. As before I discovered Skillcult, I watch quite a few brain tanning vids only to be more confused. Not downing anyone's efforts but your instruction is excellent Professor Steve! And a p.s. I recently had copies of my GGGrandfathers ledgers from his shoemaking business from the 1840s50s and 60s. I have 4 ledgers and picked out pages I thought would be of interest to you. Bartering for bushels of oats, firewood and leather. Even a contract drawn up in one ledger to hire a young man for a 3 year period. I believe it was for $25 a year. And I cut his original sole leather for a ladies shoe in half for you, as I said before. It is a fine example of period leather that has been laying around from the 1840-60s and is still supple and tough. It will not crack even if bent sharply. Nothing like good tanned leather. Now that I have the ledger pages copied I will be sending you a package very soon. Thanks So Much as usual Steven. And by the way I used a hollowed out log that fell and smoothed it out and made legs for my beam. It is oak and heavy but good and solid. I filled in any small checks with epoxy wood filler and shellacked it with about 3 or 4 coats and paste waxed it, which I relax from time to time. I've also tried to cover it with a heavy plastic, then a heavy cloth or cavnas and the dry it off. I keep it in my shop and it has stayed very nicely. And here in Pa. It gets damn cold during hide season. So I lay down a plastic sheet and curl the edges so I can work in my wood heated shop. Can't scud when you're freezing your buds! If it gets to the 50s or even mid 40s I've done it but must wear liner gloves, the hide is stiff and it a pain. So expect a package soon, which will include some pieces of air dried hickory. Many Thanks! DaveyJO

@SkillCult

5 жыл бұрын

Cool Davey. Look forward to it. I'll have more out on veg tan soon. We'll see about braintanning. I might just make support videos on particular topics related to it. Or, when the book is republished I might make some vids in support of it. I'm going to send you a copy of the book as I still have a few. My beams end up outside year round and finally get so bad they have to be replaced. Maybe someday I'll have a small covered tannery and I can keep all my stuff in order and make a nice beam.

best post ever, you win the internet

@SkillCult

5 жыл бұрын

woohoo!

For my own reference 3:50 9:16 11:25 16:05 19:22 24:00 26:30

Videos are always great but this one really shines. Sheer amount of knowledge on the topic is obvious and the production value is incredible! Thanks for making these. Definitely would be interested in the brain tanning side of things. I haven’t done it since high school and even then I was patching together what I could from old books. Looking forward to trying some veg tanning this year after deer season.

@SkillCult

5 жыл бұрын

I tried to put int he extra effort on this one. Between this and the long ass blog post there is probably close to four days into this project. You'll like veg tanning. It's really fun and a lot less physical work than braintanning. I haven't done a lot of braintanning since my book was published. I think I was just over it after eating, sleeping and writing about it for a year straight.

you literally answered all of the questins i had in my mind for years and years thank you! to bad the dreads are off but suits ya ether way haha howdy!

@SkillCult

5 жыл бұрын

Hi. I'm glad to hear that. I had been needing to make that vid for a long time.

@LizMcNamara47

4 жыл бұрын

dor ziv glad the dreads are off!

Thanks all of them 👍

@SkillCult

5 жыл бұрын

:)

"You need to shut up" "Go have your issues somewhere else" Jesus with such a matter of fact delivery as well hahah

Thank you for all the effort of making those videos! I am having some problems with bleeding dyed leather( not veg tanned) and odor from leather that have been contacted with body sweat(things like leather watch straps and gloves). So i am looking for your videos on those issues in the future. Good day to you!

@SkillCult

5 жыл бұрын

I don't use dyed leather, but I'm not surprised. I would probably wash them, but they might never be the same again. I haven't gotten into traditional dyes and dyeing yet.

I'd be surprised to find any single video concerning any aspect of bark tanning and anywhere close to as good as this one. Great work, honestly! thanks for it. I tend to lean to the minimalist (aka lazy) side when it comes to gear, but this video is definetly going to make me invest some time in upgrading my equipment. the arm-board, ofcourse, and a steel blade for the stake... and a slicker. which makes me ask: any reason you could think of not to make a ceramic slicker? we've just built a kiln here, and it looks pretty easy to make this shape out of clay. no slate in the vicinity. It's funny that you raised the chicken issue up, because this time I actually paused the video and glanced out to figure what my darn hens are doing this side of the fence, which they were not. other then that I don't mind them. needless to add, any more content of this kind will be highly appreciated nimrod

@SkillCult

5 жыл бұрын

Hi Nimrod. Good tools to have, but you can get away with surprisingly little. Graining board is fun and a labor saver. Ceramic could work, but I'd glaze it well with something very glossy. Could be great then. Also, some of the old glass ones are shaped like a drop in cross section, so the thick end forms the handle. The heavier it's more or less better if heavier too, so that extra thickness would be a bonus. Coming soon, huge list of tanning materials from all over the world!

Very informative, this looks like a good alternative to brain tanning. I will be hunting in a week, maybe I'll have a chance to try my hand at it. I'd love to see a video on sources of tanins. Thanks for sharing!

@SkillCult

5 жыл бұрын

It's a lot easier. More brains involved than braintanning, figratively of course :). and less braun.

I want to say "Thank you!!!" This is the breakdown I was looking for years ago. I mildly understood the process and have done 3 hides; 1 deer, 1 raccoon, 1 cat. You have greatly helped put all the pieces in the right order with more knowledge on each piece. I can't wait to get back into tanning!

Cool

Awesome. Love your content! I have watched almost all of your videos, I like how you have recapped and are now going over the process again nice and organized. I actually have a question about your wood skinning beam... You mentioned that you might need to replace yours soon. Would "stabilizing" the beam with epoxy before smoothing it help with splitting?

@SkillCult

5 жыл бұрын

I imagine it might. That's not really my style though. What I need is a covered area so I can build a really nice beam and keep it under cover then it should last a really long time. Beams that were in traditional tanneries were glued up from sections like a cutting board. I'd like to build one of those someday.

awesome

So glad I stumbled upon your channel!This really makes me appreciate why natural veg tan leather is so pricey also it makes me ponder what our ancient ancestors went through to figure out how to soften and tan leather as they depended on it to stay alive especially during the Ice Age!Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge and experience tanning leather hides!

Hey thoughts on fish skin leather there’s multiple evasive fish species in the United States most notable the grass carp that is in huge numbers and a popular target for bowfishing but is a fish that isn’t good to eat and most chop up for compost or just take a picture and throw the carcass away.

awesomeness

😂😂😂"go have your issues somewhere else"! i want to incorporate this phrase in my rotation.

@SkillCult

3 жыл бұрын

Yeah, that's good huh? lol.

Your the man

I really love your videos, unfortunately I live in the city, but my relatives from the outskirts usually go hunting from time to time and had the concern to tan my own skins, since I do leatherwork, but I would not like to lose the skins :(, I really enjoy watching your videos of skins, axes or various tools, I still do not start with apples, keep it that way :D

@SkillCult

5 жыл бұрын

Thanks. You can experiment small with tanning anywhere with small pieces. What part of the world are you in? I'm working on a new project about tanning materials from around the world. Should be out pretty soon.

Extremely clear and helpful, thank-you. Re the chicken: I vote C: it didn't fuss me but if it did fuss you, exit chicken for a while. Again, thank-you. Ps fleshing knives and draw knives look rather similar. Curved for preference?

Beautiful video. So much usefull information in it! That's what youtube should all be about. Sharing knowledge. I found softening skins by hand very labour intensive and the results not that good. I successfully used sandals (Birkenstock) to get the skin pliable (with the folding method you showed in the video). Other types of shoes might work well due to high friction rubber soles. I find this method preferable to other methods of softening. With a shoe or the tool that you've shown and the folding method, you can really work the edges well, which is much more difficult with other methods in my experience.

@SkillCult

5 жыл бұрын

Very clever. That is pretty much like the old cork faced fleshers. Rolling by hand can be quite a bit more work. In some cases you can roll up all or part of the skin and roll it as a roll, but it doesn't work it as hard when trying to get it really soft.

@stauffap

4 жыл бұрын

@@SkillCult I tried rolling up the skin and then the working it back and forth, but i totally agree with you. It doesn't get the skin as soft as when you work one layer at a time. I guess, the reason is because you can get a much sharper bend in it and apply more much pressure to the skin when you work one layer at a time, instead of working a roll of leather.

@SkillCult

4 жыл бұрын

@@stauffap Yeah, for sure. But keep in mind too that the goal is not always maximum softness. I often only want to break the skin in just a bit so it's a little more flexible. Rolling as a roll, or as a single layer, but with very light pressure can be good for that. Just more tools in the tool box.

@stauffap

4 жыл бұрын

@@SkillCult You're completely right about that. And the roll might be more time efficient as well. But I didn't think of that. I was always striving for maximum softness. Proabably because i was working partly with cattle raw hide from dog bones which i found difficult to soften.

Would love for you to do the video on brain tanning. Really great content in all your videos.

@SkillCult

5 жыл бұрын

noted.

Could you use coffee in place of tree bark to make your tanning solution? I know it is very high in tannic acid

@SkillCult

Жыл бұрын

I wouldn't bother. It is not that high in tannin and some is washed out.

Thank you thank you for this wonderful explanation. Do you have a book?. I want to make DIT bark tanned leathers.

@SkillCult

2 жыл бұрын

Not yet. The best I can point you to is the series I'm just finishing up kzread.info/head/PL60FnyEY-eJBsE5mbHhW2gQMILnndQN9o There is another shorter one too, sear for "strops from scratch" DIT?

Pps I also wonder if there are good disposal uses for the flesh and hair residues.

@SkillCult

Жыл бұрын

fertilizer for sure.

Great video, thanks a lot. You showed a couple of pictures from a book in the video, which book is that?

@SkillCult

5 жыл бұрын

Probably the illustrations I drew for the blog post that accompanies this video. My buckskin tanning book has a lot of illustrations like that, but it's out of print temporarily :/. amzn.to/2tdbkOj

Do you ever sell the leather you tan? I am a beginning leatherworker however I am always looking out for unique and interesting materials to work with.

I used the hunters and trappers tanning formula and it worked great...however when I get my hide wet, it soaks through in 2 seconds, and it ends up looking like it just came off the deer. it dries fine I just have to stretch it again. but i was just wondering what I have to do to make my hide waterproof so I can make some nice leather gloves.

@SkillCult

2 жыл бұрын

Leather really isn't ever waterproof unless you treat the hell out of it. but some will be less sponge like. Good bark tan can be slightly water resistant, and won't hold onto a lot of water when it does get wet.

Love the chicken singing 🤣🤣🤣🤣

Great content. Do you know how to tan cactus!!

What do you do with the fluids after you've finished the process? is it safe to just throw out on the ground/garden/culverts?

@SkillCult

4 жыл бұрын

The tanning water is pretty acidic. It's fine to dilute and dump out, probably anywhere if it's diluted enough. I don't hesitate to dump in in the forest full strength, or on a meadow or anything, like that but probably wouldn't dump it straight in my garden. The lime is very useful in most soils, unless you have a very limey or sweet soil already. Here it's very valuable for fruit trees or the garden or really anywhere.

Sir i am complete my hide but it’s not soft Thank you for give me sifting way,,i will try it 😊💘

@Cold_A_z

3 жыл бұрын

Pls can you tell me how can make hide soft

Hi mate just a thought, could you use a cement mixer to move the hide around in the liquor continuously?

@SkillCult

Жыл бұрын

If it were stainless maybe. Rust and bark tanning, or tanning in general, don't mix. Otherwise, might work, but a washing machine would work too.

@johnfyvie7756

Жыл бұрын

@@SkillCult thank you

Is it posible that final colour of leather after taning be more bright (light) like yelow, oker...

@SkillCult

5 жыл бұрын

It is possible, it depends on the materials used. I think in some cases other treatments of the skin before tanning can also have an affect, like drenching and bating. Also, some materials darken when they are boiled, so when preparing materials, it might be best to cook lightly keeping do 125 degrees F or less. this article has some information on tanning material colors. skillcult.com/blog/tanningmaterials

Have you read any books by John Seymour (author of the Complete Guide to Self-Sufficiency), or RM Williams' "The Bushman's Handcrafts"?

@SkillCult

5 жыл бұрын

I've browsed through a couple of seymour's books. Seemed really cool. Never heard of William's book though.

Great info. What’s the result if you were to to bark tan a reptile?

@SkillCult

4 жыл бұрын

Ive done snake, its pretty cool! planning to do more for sure. instagram.com/p/B0jC1bMBl-M/?

2 seconds in am a subie 🤣🤣😂 my kind of person 😂🇲🇿👌

@SkillCult

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks, welcome. Glad to have you :)

Добрый день. Не подскажете, из какой книги приведены иллюстрации? Кожа у Вас просто супер получается! Это ж сколько работы!!!

Really like the stainless breaking post idea for fur. How thick is the stainless and where do you source it ? We live in a very remote area and have to mail order most things. Very informative video, thank you.

@SkillCult

5 жыл бұрын

You could use one of those dough scrapers or a similar kitchen utensil. Just try to find a thick one. Also, some grades of really cheap stainless are not so stainless. The one I show in that video is already rusting a little. If you don't mind paying a little extra, a name brand, like oxo is probably going to be at least high grade material. the gauge doesn't have to be as thick as the slicking iron. It is never under that much stress. There are also vertical arrangements for working skins, especially furs. I've seed a bench with a long vertical blade so the worker sits and pulls the hide around that. I've also seen scythe blades and other blade type things set up the same way. I might talk to my neighbor about manufacturing stake blades for me so I can just sell them in the webstore. They can be produced pretty cheaply in quantity.

@TheRedhawke

5 жыл бұрын

If you ever make those blades please let me know. I tan a bit of fur each year and breaking it is always a pain, that post with the stainless blade on top looks like a great idea to me.