1a mostly failed attempt at brain tanning. wool instantly slipped after "salt pickling" Hide. after fleshing, brain tan was applied. it was gross and ineffective. I will come back to brain technique after I establish some basic concept of process and skills. low grade sheepskin leather for cordage perhaps.2chemical tan agent, orange bottle. dry salt, folded, stored in fridge. 3 day process, scraped 2x. it went infinitely better, but the Hide was damaged by fleshing and my 4-legged supervisor attempted a durability inspection. my fault. I had been feeding him meat from the same animal that same day. decent result, but has a hole. there is about a 24" # 30" section that is totally fine. I did not stretch it enough during dry. it is flexible, but rigid. I think I can improve by "post stretching".3 & 4same Hide. this one is looking MUCH more promising. 2 days of dry salting, fleshing in-between. Used orange bottle of tanning chemical & hung to dry last night. final dry and stretching now. this evening, I plan to nail it out to a 4x8 plywood. this will help stretch and make a flat flesh side so I can sand it with 120 grit after fully cured. finally, I will "post stretch" it to achieve this magical, theoretical "supple hide" I keep reading aboot.I brought #3 to work with me today, so I can stretch throughout the day as itfinishes drying. unsure what the ultimate use will be. wife wants some leg and arm warmers for this winter. she works our farm full time, so that is a great use of our animal. the undamaged skin may end up as a rug.
>>2811803What do you do with all the nasty chemicals after tanning?
>>2811817they're in the hide. they are absorbed by the leather.regardless, I don't live in fear of "chemicals". I don't drink glyphosate, but I don't recoil from it like a vampire in sunlight either.
>>2811819Oh, I figured you would have to dunk them in vats of the stuff to get a good soak.
>>2811821it is "painted on"I just used nitrile gloves and rubbed/worked it in with my hands. every single drop used is absorbed. in fact, after drying today, I will reapply tan agent, to stiff spots, then further stretch and work the hide. I had 8oz when I started. I probably still have 2 or 3.
>>2811803How do you clean the fur-side properly without damaging skin side?
>>2812411the hide gets washed at least twice during the process. I wash it in warm water on butcher day, after removal. then it got washed again on day 3 after final salt scrape. now it's currently drying and stretching. I do not know how/if I will wash it again. I would assume I am not supposed to wash or rinse it after it dries. that said, I don't actually know what care and maintenance is on a cased, tanned hide. this is officially the farthest I have ever made it.
here it is. final product. finished drying and stretching yesterday.it's just a rug, currently. it looks nice laying in front of our morsø wood stove in our bedroom.I am pleased with the result. there is much room for improvement, but I have mastered the basic technique and now understand the goal of each step along the way.this was the last sheep pelt we will have for probably 18 months. we won't butcher sheep again until fall 2025.we will have dozens of rabbit pelts to practice on, and work with during that time. when we do our next sheep, or if I can get a deer pelt, I think I will do it justice.
>>2811819Youre a bitchIt was a reasonable question
>>2813862Looks good OP
>>2811803Ancillary, but might interest you- there are several fish species you can make leather out of. The chemical structure of their skin makes it stronger pound for pound vs most mammal leather, although you’re obviously working with less material most of the time. Might be fun for you to try out while you’re waiting for sheep.
>>2813862Why would anyone want that nasty looking corpse in their home. I am no peta and I am all for killing and eating animals but that is just nasty
>>2816041 #To complement the Morsø™ stove duh XP
