How to Make Your Own Fish Leather in 2 mins | The Bush Tannery

First video of the '2 Minute Tanning' series. Interested in learning more?
Visit the website: www.thebushtannery.com.au/
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*Recommended book for learning: 'Fish leather tanning and sewing' - Lotta Rahme & Dag Hartman
Order your copy here - www.lottasgarveri.se/en/books (also available in Swedish)
Happy tanning everyone!

Пікірлер: 125

  • @gustavsbutepic4258
    @gustavsbutepic42583 жыл бұрын

    So nice that our biology teacher chose this as a video to learn off of! Going to do this as soon as summer arrives! Respect!

  • @MAZEMIND

    @MAZEMIND

    Жыл бұрын

    Did you do it ??? How did it turn out ???

  • @Xzeebo
    @Xzeebo6 жыл бұрын

    Tanning salmon skins right now thanks to this video :P, making a viking lantern with fish skin as windows.

  • @thebushtannery5357

    @thebushtannery5357

    6 жыл бұрын

    Sounds really awesome. Please send any photos to thebushtannery@gmail.com, love to see the progress you make. All the best on your project!

  • @silvericonics3518
    @silvericonics35184 жыл бұрын

    Thank you so much man!! I've tanned walleye, bass, and some bluegills with this! I've even made a few bracelets and this cool fish thing with some bass leather(it's hard to describe what it is)! Thank you!

  • @GunHar95

    @GunHar95

    Жыл бұрын

    How did you remove smell?

  • @blackknight9156
    @blackknight91565 жыл бұрын

    Just started tanning some hybrid striped bass skin using this technique. Thanks a ton, friend.

  • @thebushtannery5357

    @thebushtannery5357

    5 жыл бұрын

    You're so welcome. Look forward to hearing how it goes. Feel free to comment back or send me pictures of what you get up to at thebushtannery@gmail.com . All the best! Josh

  • @blackknight9156

    @blackknight9156

    5 жыл бұрын

    @@thebushtannery5357 I would have loved to send you some pictures... but my new dog got a hold of them and well... I think you see where I am going with this. xD The skins turned out good nonetheless.

  • @Wickedstickyflowers
    @Wickedstickyflowers3 жыл бұрын

    Love your format

  • @alishalimbrick1790
    @alishalimbrick17906 жыл бұрын

    thanks so much for this video , ive been meaning to try tanning a carp hide , i'll try this method first , thanks mate, bonza!

  • @rabidlittlehipppy6237
    @rabidlittlehipppy62377 жыл бұрын

    Beautifully demonstrated.

  • @thebushtannery5357

    @thebushtannery5357

    7 жыл бұрын

    Rabid Little Hipppy Thankyou. More videos are on the way!

  • @HotHoneyMustardSauce
    @HotHoneyMustardSauce6 ай бұрын

    watched it more than 10 times and still found it useful

  • @katemartin2876
    @katemartin28767 жыл бұрын

    Awesome video Josh!

  • @thebushtannery5357

    @thebushtannery5357

    7 жыл бұрын

    Kate Martin Thanks for your continued support!

  • @littleLifeMoment
    @littleLifeMoment2 ай бұрын

    That's so cool 😎

  • @oddish2253
    @oddish22537 жыл бұрын

    Nice work well done

  • @thebushtannery5357

    @thebushtannery5357

    7 жыл бұрын

    Oddish thanks for support! hope you found the video helpful.

  • @SurvivalKompass
    @SurvivalKompass Жыл бұрын

    Thanks! Short and comprehensive. :-)

  • @120hashim
    @120hashim4 жыл бұрын

    thanks so much for this video

  • @thebushtannery5357

    @thebushtannery5357

    4 жыл бұрын

    You're welcome. I am happy it is helpful. Greetings from Australia. Josh

  • @pinecone3630
    @pinecone36307 жыл бұрын

    Thanks, man it worked!

  • @thebushtannery5357

    @thebushtannery5357

    7 жыл бұрын

    Awesome! Glad to hear. Don't forget to subscribe if you haven't already. Got another great tutorial video on the way!

  • @gonefishing1939
    @gonefishing19394 жыл бұрын

    I thought i seen everything, This is great news and i learned so much from this video. I was wondering how Cat fish would do. their skin is naturally so very tough. thanks for the video.

  • @anasullivan2827
    @anasullivan28277 жыл бұрын

    Thank you so much for this video!!! We went dip netting in Kasilof and I caught some beautiful fish that I would like to make a wallet out of. So glad to find a recipe that doesn't 'tan' and I don't have to use urine :)

  • @thebushtannery5357

    @thebushtannery5357

    7 жыл бұрын

    You're Welcome! It's great to hear how people have been finding this video helpful. FYI I've got the small scrapers from the video now up for sale on the ETSY store: www.etsy.com/au/listing/531144792/single-handed-scraping-tool?ref=shop_home_active_1 **Perfect for doing smaller skins like fish and much easier than using a knife and tearing a hole in your hard earned skins!!

  • @samsadowitz1724

    @samsadowitz1724

    6 жыл бұрын

    The Bush Tannery i know im late to this thread, but i would like to try this on some small saltwayer jacks to make my own sabiki rigs, and i can say that for any fish with large scales, remove them before skinning to make the procesd that much easier. Now question: can this also be done on fish that have no scales to begin with? I.e. catfish, sharks, rays, etc.

  • @joemanthei695

    @joemanthei695

    5 жыл бұрын

    Sam Sadowitz yes. Wolffish is a common skin fish caught in North Atlantic & tanned.

  • @necrolacrimagore
    @necrolacrimagore6 жыл бұрын

    excelente tutorial. ¿Podría usar este mismo proceso para una piel de sapo que ha sido salada anteriormente?

  • @theburningman5047
    @theburningman50479 ай бұрын

    Most fish, I wouldn’t exactly use to make clothing out of, but hey… it looks interesting… (I love the music, lol)

  • @aphidacoco
    @aphidacoco4 жыл бұрын

    What purpose does the egg soap oil mixture serve? can i just marinate in oil?

  • @zacfaucheaux7934
    @zacfaucheaux79344 жыл бұрын

    Can this be used on speckled trout or redfish ( red drum) for boots?

  • @hildedenys4427
    @hildedenys44274 жыл бұрын

    Thank you for the video. I did as you showed but used coconut oil to soften the skin because I didn't have leather balsem but the skin stays hard and rigid. What is in the leather balsem that makes the leather soft?

  • @lazyfishtanner6393

    @lazyfishtanner6393

    4 жыл бұрын

    kzread.info/dash/bejne/o3iHqKyxgrPHpZc.html

  • @karls5474
    @karls54746 жыл бұрын

    Very good vid; short, informative, to the point. What is the egg used for in the tanning process?

  • @thebushtannery5357

    @thebushtannery5357

    6 жыл бұрын

    Karl S Hi there! The egg yolk contains similar properties to that of the brain of an animal. Instead of using brains to tan the fish skin, we are instead replicating the same chemistry using eggs, oil and soap. Much more accessible to the general population. The mixture coats the fibers of the fish skin.

  • @kilokrafts2039
    @kilokrafts20393 жыл бұрын

    do you have to remove scales?

  • @hradcanska
    @hradcanska4 жыл бұрын

    Thanks for the how-to! Just found this, so hope you're still answering questions. But why the dish soap in with the egg and oil? That's the one thing I haven't seen anywhere else, and I'm curious what that's doing, and whether using it makes a big difference or not in the final product.

  • @lazyfishtanner6393

    @lazyfishtanner6393

    4 жыл бұрын

    I do this process and that is an essential component.

  • @lazyfishtanner6393

    @lazyfishtanner6393

    4 жыл бұрын

    www.amazon.com/Fish-Leather-tanning-traditional-methods/dp/9163716615

  • @brucesexsmith3222

    @brucesexsmith3222

    4 жыл бұрын

    Hi. The egg and soap are to carry the oil into the fish flesh.

  • @hradcanska

    @hradcanska

    4 жыл бұрын

    Thanks, both of you! (Sorry I didn't see yours sooner, Lazy Fish Tanner!)

  • @principedinero5152
    @principedinero51523 ай бұрын

    So do I wash it again after it’s in the solution or leave it

  • @sauravshete6088
    @sauravshete60885 жыл бұрын

    Can we dye the leather at home? Give it interesting colours?

  • @thebushtannery5357

    @thebushtannery5357

    5 жыл бұрын

    Yes you certainly can. You can use natural dyes that would normally be used for dyeing wool and silk (a.k.a. Eco dyes). Just be sure not to put your fish skins in a dye bath that is hotter than 25 C Celsius. Make sure it is cool to touch is a good rule. Then you will not cook your precious skins. Good luck!

  • @birdingandbushcraft2406
    @birdingandbushcraft24063 жыл бұрын

    Great video! I’m totally going to try it. One question no one has asked is about the sandpaper. Are we talking super coarse, super fine, somewhere in the middle? What is the reason for this step or will it be clear when I get to that stage? Thanks for sharing.

  • @alchemykitchen777

    @alchemykitchen777

    2 жыл бұрын

    I would try something between 120 to 180 grit, trying it myself now and havent gotten to that step, but just a guess, as it's to break off the fibers, higher grit is just going to clog up.

  • @WildAnaCrow
    @WildAnaCrow5 жыл бұрын

    Hey, thank you so much for this tutorial! I was wondering, why didn't you smoke the skin in the end?

  • @thebushtannery5357

    @thebushtannery5357

    5 жыл бұрын

    You're welcome Ana. According to Lotta Rahme (a real expert on Fish tanning and leather making in Sweden) you don't need to smoke the skins. I haven't asked her why as one doesn't question such a master, although perhaps I need to as I'm still curious myself. My theory is that the smoking contains highly acidic properties such as 'tannic acid', and on such a thin and vulnerable skin such as a fish it can compromise the fibre network making it more brittle and prone to disintegrating over time. That's why my favourite fish and marine creature tanning method is bark tanning. Much stronger and longer lasting. Hope that helps. Why not experiment and see for yourself? Cheers. Josh

  • @WildAnaCrow

    @WildAnaCrow

    5 жыл бұрын

    @@thebushtannery5357 hey! thank you so much for your answer :) that's so interesting, I've bark tanned fish skins before, and am now experimenting with this method. Let's see how they turn out eheh thank you so much for taking some time to answer my question! :)

  • @tylersmith1531
    @tylersmith15313 жыл бұрын

    Would this work for shark skin as well?

  • @angliabol
    @angliabol4 жыл бұрын

    Thanks for your video, it is very educating! I'm planning to do it with dogfish skins. What do you think, is it possible to keep the dotted texture and the hard scales that makes this fish nearly unbiteable from the outside?

  • @lazyfishtanner6393

    @lazyfishtanner6393

    4 жыл бұрын

    a great reference book that has that fish skin in it is : www.amazon.com/Fish-Leather-tanning-traditional-methods/dp/9163716615

  • @pinecone3630
    @pinecone36307 жыл бұрын

    If you leave it in the marinade for a couple hours, can you rinse it off immediately after? If so, what kind of water would you use? Cold, soapy, ect I read you reply about the matter to another person, but I wanted to know if it was okay to rinse the skin after it had been marinating for a longer time.

  • @thebushtannery5357

    @thebushtannery5357

    7 жыл бұрын

    TheOneThatGotAwayAngling Yes you can do it later than 10-15 mins. It all depends on the temperature. Ideally you don't want it in the mixture for too long on a warm day as it will spoil and affect your skin. Because fish skin are usually much thinner than other animals it doesn't need as long to absorb solutions. Good luck with your tanning projects.

  • @user-lc5on8zq2x
    @user-lc5on8zq2x3 ай бұрын

    Does it smell?

  • @silverseen8300
    @silverseen83005 жыл бұрын

    Sweet! Am I able to hang dry the skin outside in cold, 20 degree weather? Or should I hang the skins in my home?

  • @thebushtannery5357

    @thebushtannery5357

    5 жыл бұрын

    Yes you can. The process is slower in the cold. Inside is also fine if you find that more suitable with your climate.

  • @silverseen8300

    @silverseen8300

    5 жыл бұрын

    Okay! Thank you! And if I'm able to catch any fish this year, I'll be sure to send a photo over of the finished results! Thanks again!

  • @silverseen8300

    @silverseen8300

    Жыл бұрын

    @@thebushtannery5357 3 years later still using this method on some walleye and stuff, thank you

  • @surrayahsjewels
    @surrayahsjewels5 жыл бұрын

    I purchased some dyed salmon skins online and they are beautiful colors but the pieces are quite stiff. If I use a leather balm on them, will it help to soften them, do you think?

  • @thebushtannery5357

    @thebushtannery5357

    4 жыл бұрын

    Hi there. If they are chemically tanned/ dyed I would say maybe. I would need to personally see the skins. Hopefully you found a solution to your stiff skins. It's worth a try. Naturally tanned skins react better to leather balm as they are 'alive'.

  • @crgaillee
    @crgaillee4 жыл бұрын

    WE...., I can see using it to make a small thing or two. But egg yolk? Well..., you proved it could be done. although i doubt it would work with beaver or fox. Well done.

  • @emeraldtabbycat148
    @emeraldtabbycat1486 жыл бұрын

    Can this process be applied to other animal skins as well? Please explain.

  • @thebushtannery5357

    @thebushtannery5357

    6 жыл бұрын

    toxic tabby it certainly can!! Please check out my other video on Furskin tanning. A lot more details than what I can explain in writing. Happy tanning!

  • @thebushtannery5357

    @thebushtannery5357

    6 жыл бұрын

    toxic tabby it certainly can!! Please check out my other video on Furskin tanning. A lot more details than what I can explain in writing. Happy tanning!

  • @emeraldtabbycat148

    @emeraldtabbycat148

    6 жыл бұрын

    Thanks a bunch. I'll get right on it.

  • @lioncantpullout.3939

    @lioncantpullout.3939

    6 жыл бұрын

    The Bush Tannery would this work on shark hide?

  • @mashrauger

    @mashrauger

    5 жыл бұрын

    Hello! Did you happen to try tanning the shark?

  • @austinmcwn
    @austinmcwn7 жыл бұрын

    Do you have to remove the scales? I plan on trying this with Walleye and Pike here in Canada!

  • @thebushtannery5357

    @thebushtannery5357

    7 жыл бұрын

    The scales are harder to remove on those fish just by scraping. You can leave them on, however it may affect the absorption of the egg/ oil solution. They will most likely fall out anyway with time and usage depending on what you intend with the skins. Good luck and thanks for watching!

  • @austinmcwn

    @austinmcwn

    7 жыл бұрын

    Thanks for the advice! I plan on sewing the skins into wallets!

  • @thebushtannery5357

    @thebushtannery5357

    7 жыл бұрын

    Great idea. depending on the thickness of the skin, usually determines what I'll end up using the leather for. Thinner skins are great for non structural leather craft and your more thicker skin can be used for wallets, bags etc. good luck with your project and send us a pic when you do it!

  • @joemanthei695

    @joemanthei695

    5 жыл бұрын

    Austin McEwan scales left in will produce a "rougher" finish to the leather. I have sample of cod leather with small scales and the texture is rough.

  • @justsomeguywithaboomerang1891
    @justsomeguywithaboomerang189110 ай бұрын

    Does anybody know if this would work on shark

  • @joke3979
    @joke39795 жыл бұрын

    Can this be used on string ray and shark? I always catch one or the other when I go fishing. It seems a shame to just throw the skin away.

  • @fahoodie1852

    @fahoodie1852

    5 жыл бұрын

    Jo Ke it works on any skin

  • @olivergolding8927

    @olivergolding8927

    4 жыл бұрын

    yes! google shagreen

  • @lazyfishtanner6393

    @lazyfishtanner6393

    4 жыл бұрын

    I have done shark skin. Its like sandpaper and very tough. It was the original sand paper. www.amazon.com/Fish-Leather-tanning-traditional-methods/dp/9163716615

  • @theLadyofSpoons
    @theLadyofSpoons Жыл бұрын

    what happens if you don’t remove the scales?

  • @jensbjorkqvist6634
    @jensbjorkqvist66347 жыл бұрын

    After the marinade for 15 min do you rinse the skin? Yes/no? If yes, cold water or soap water? Also what kind of fish are you using? Thx for an good tut 👍

  • @thebushtannery5357

    @thebushtannery5357

    7 жыл бұрын

    No rinsing after the marinade/ tanning solution. Otherwise this would strip the oils away before they have time to enter the skin. If the skin is too oily on the 3rd day after some softening, you can rinse in cold soapy water for 5 minutes and soften again. If too dry you need to RE-apply mixture again. It's a bit of experimenting and personal experience. So don't give up if it doesn't work. Hope this helps and thankyou for watching.

  • @jensbjorkqvist6634

    @jensbjorkqvist6634

    7 жыл бұрын

    The Bush Tannery ah ok, thanks for the info will do that 👍 also are you using cold or warm water fish? 🌸

  • @thebushtannery5357

    @thebushtannery5357

    7 жыл бұрын

    Jens Björkqvist I'm using cold salt water fish in the video (Salmon, and also Duck Fish native to our coastlines). However, you can use this recipe with all aquatic creatures and even land animals as well. If it has skin, it can be tanned! Obviously no two animals or fish are the same and their skins may react differently. So this is where practice helps. You're welcome.

  • @jensbjorkqvist6634

    @jensbjorkqvist6634

    7 жыл бұрын

    The Bush Tannery thanks 🙏

  • @Dundien-ix4kd
    @Dundien-ix4kd9 ай бұрын

    does it stink out the house

  • @yousifa4002
    @yousifa40024 жыл бұрын

    Does it work on gar?

  • @thebushtannery5357

    @thebushtannery5357

    4 жыл бұрын

    It sure does. Of course different species and different age, health, etc. will effect the overall quality of the fish leather (or any leather for that manner).

  • @Wickedstickyflowers
    @Wickedstickyflowers3 жыл бұрын

    Why egg yolks

  • @sephreyes1625
    @sephreyes16255 жыл бұрын

    Is it possible to leatherize tuna?

  • @thebushtannery5357

    @thebushtannery5357

    4 жыл бұрын

    Hi there. Yes it does. It works on any fish skin (or animal). Of course it depends on the size, age, health etc. Every skin is different. Even for the same species of fish you can have very different experiences. Good luck if you end up trying on the tuna. Josh

  • @lazyfishtanner6393

    @lazyfishtanner6393

    4 жыл бұрын

    yes

  • @sephreyes1625

    @sephreyes1625

    4 жыл бұрын

    @@lazyfishtanner6393 hi, thanks for replying. It was my thesis and now I have a tuna leather bag hahaha!

  • @lazyfishtanner6393

    @lazyfishtanner6393

    4 жыл бұрын

    @@sephreyes1625 very cool

  • @pinecone3630
    @pinecone36307 жыл бұрын

    Does it have to be vegetable oil?

  • @thebushtannery5357

    @thebushtannery5357

    7 жыл бұрын

    TheOneThatGotAwayAngling no it doesn't just have to be vegetable oil.

  • @branni6538

    @branni6538

    5 жыл бұрын

    just pure egg yokes will do fine. No need for the soap either. You can tan and smoke all hides/skins by just using egg yokes or other natural oils.

  • @noahpharayra7144
    @noahpharayra71444 жыл бұрын

    What happens if the skin gets rained on when hanging for the 3 days

  • @silverseen8300

    @silverseen8300

    4 жыл бұрын

    It may possibly go bad, but you could try try putting it in the solution again. You can always hang it under a sheltered place, hell I've dried some leather in my closed garage!

  • @pneumonical
    @pneumonical8 ай бұрын

    what is the soap for? could you substitute it with anything

  • @88Q1an

    @88Q1an

    2 күн бұрын

    去除油脂

  • @trendolon
    @trendolon6 ай бұрын

    why u add egg?

  • @alexandraandersson1665
    @alexandraandersson16655 жыл бұрын

    If i have a smoked fish, can i still tan that skin?

  • @thebushtannery5357

    @thebushtannery5357

    5 жыл бұрын

    Theoretically you can. Whether or not the skin ends up brittle and breaking is another story. I personally haven't tried this method of making fish leather. Please comment back if you try this and let us know if it worked. Thank you, Josh

  • @alexandraandersson1665

    @alexandraandersson1665

    5 жыл бұрын

    @@thebushtannery5357 we tried and failed

  • @thebushtannery5357

    @thebushtannery5357

    5 жыл бұрын

    @@alexandraandersson1665 Thanks for the update.

  • @murraybrink3473
    @murraybrink34736 жыл бұрын

    sweet. can't see why this wouldn't work on eel skin.

  • @thebushtannery5357

    @thebushtannery5357

    5 жыл бұрын

    Yes it works on Eel skin really well! Hope you had a chance to try it.

  • @lazyfishtanner6393
    @lazyfishtanner63934 жыл бұрын

    This is a great reference book for all you fish skin tanners out there : www.amazon.com/Fish-Leather-tanning-traditional-methods/dp/9163716615

  • @tango-bravo
    @tango-bravo3 жыл бұрын

    Tanning fish skin seems to be all the rage these days. Who knew?!

  • @ivan55599
    @ivan555993 жыл бұрын

    That's a strange way to tan fish skin. Every other video l've seen have started softening skin immediately after taken out from egg-oil/tallow-solution. Doesn't fibres get harder when you just lay them for a half day?

  • @ZafarKhan-qs5ry
    @ZafarKhan-qs5ry5 жыл бұрын

    Hahahaha, in 2 minutes !!!?. It took 5 dyas.

  • @mattt6568

    @mattt6568

    4 жыл бұрын

    the video length is about 2 minutes

  • @mackhardy9083
    @mackhardy90833 жыл бұрын

    When I hear ukeleles and a childrens play piano making a tune for the background music, I cannot take the video seriously. I award you no points, and may god have mercy on your soul

  • @mammi7699
    @mammi76992 жыл бұрын

    Y'all gonna call me crazy but I just woke up and in my dream me and my buddy were stranded on a tropical island and we were hunting sharks and making clothes out of their skin...

  • @bashkillszombies
    @bashkillszombies4 жыл бұрын

    Composting meat isn't very effective, and super stinky, not to mention encourages pests. Feed it to your pets instead. Or leave it outdoors, something will eat it. :P

  • @thebushtannery5357

    @thebushtannery5357

    4 жыл бұрын

    I disagree. It actually accelerates the composting process and if handled correctly doesn't smell. Of course if you just dump the meat and scraps on an open pile and leave it then you'll have an ineffective mess. So in that respect you're right ;) Of course if you have pets that will eat it, great. But I will never leave meat scraps out for wildlife as it further interferes with the natural ecology.

  • @Machster10
    @Machster103 жыл бұрын

    Unwatchable due to little kid music

  • @selinkiris1380
    @selinkiris13804 жыл бұрын

    Thank you for the video. I did as you showed but used coconut oil to soften the skin because I didn't have leather balsem but the skin stays hard and rigid. What is in the leather balsem that makes the leather soft?

  • @thebushtannery5357

    @thebushtannery5357

    4 жыл бұрын

    You're welcome. The key to making soft fish leather (and any leathers) is the softening process combined with the use of natural oils such as coconut oil. The timing of this is also important. The 'magic window' as I call it when I am teaching people is when the skin is not dry and not wet. So when the skin is drying you want to soften it with your hands before it turns hard and rigid as you described. I hope that explanation helps you and anyone else reading this and wondering why their skins turn out hard. You can follow me on Instagram. I often post helpful hints on there as well as Facebook. Greetings from Australia, Josh