Been working on a few things before I leave for San Diego on Sunday. I’ve mostly been working on this Moose hide. Several things have to happen for an animal skin to turn into soft leather but when it’s done right, buckskin is softer than any leather you can by in a store. First everything has to be scraped clean, the hair, flesh and a layer under the hair called the “grain”. The grain is the shiny part that you see on commercial leather. Next the hide has to be soaked in lye to remove the glues inside the skin, then it is soaked in an emulsified oil solution and then as it dries out the fibers have to be stretched. Finally if you get some smoke into it it will turn brown and stay soft even if it gets wet again.
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Been working on a few things before I leave for San Diego on Sunday. I’ve mostly been working on this Moose hide. Several things have to happen for an animal skin to turn into soft leather but when it’s done right, buckskin is softer than any leather you can by in a store. First everything has to be scraped clean, the hair, flesh and a layer under the hair called the “grain”. The grain is the shiny part that you see on commercial leather. Next the hide has to be soaked in lye to remove the glues inside the skin, then it is soaked in an emulsified oil solution and then as it dries out the fibers have to be stretched. Finally if you get some smoke into it it will turn brown and stay soft even if it gets wet again.
Natural Skills 