Pack-In Report

This is going out to a good many of my friends, as an example of what I have been up to lately. It's long (they don't call me "Magpie" for nothin'! LOL) so get some coffee and kick back for a bit while you read it. And you've always got a delete button if you aren't interested. :-) if nothing else, reading it will make you appreciate a real bed, central heat and air, and hot and cold running water. :-)

I started going to Rendezvous in 2003, renactments of mountain man/buckskinner/trapper Fur Trade Era life, 1795 or so up to 1840 time period in the northern Rockies. Everything in camp has to look like it was made on or before 1840, clothing, camp gear, dress, weapons, etc. Way fun to participate in. Then about 2-1/2 years ago, I got into the Women of the Fur Trade (WFT) group, and about the same time my boyfriend Cuz (Phil Trumble) and I got together. Phil is a member of AMM (American Mountain Men), and the AMM/WFT gatherings are a little more strict and strenuous that a regular Rendezvous, as to accuracy and documentation of gear and such. All of it is great fun to me.

Here's a website on the AMM: http://www.xmission.com/~drudy/amm.html

And WFT: http://www.womenofthefurtrade.com/default.php

The following is an example of what goes on at an AMM weekend camp.

Cuz and I got back yesterday from a weekend with the Red River Brigade of the AMM up in northeast Texas near Linden. Had a great time of course. Cuz made us a travois to drag our stuff in on, just a prototype, to see if it would work - with a few minor refinements, I think it will work out great for us. He laced the platform up with string instead of rawhide to save trouble if it needed to be modified. He made it with the longer side poles nearly parallel, with a square platform of sticks toward the back of it. It had a crossbar in the front to keep it stable. That way one person could step inbetween the poles, like where the horse or dog would go, and pull it along by holding onto the crossbar and pushing that. Or two people could do it by grabbing the long pole or the crossbar, one on either side of it, and pull it along that way. We had all our gear on it, water canteens, bedrolls, dried food, etc., wrapped up in the larger 9x9 diamond fly. My bedroll was in a 7x7 oilcloth tarp, his was in an 8x8 oilcloth tarp, so that gave us enough canvas to construct a Taj Mahal of tents if we had wanted to.

We cut cedar branches and laid them out with the brushy end pointing toward the foot of the bed area, stick end toward the top, then overlapped the next batch of branches over that so that the sticks are covered. Then we gathered a tarp full of dead leaves to put over that, as insulation from the ground cold. My 7x7 tarp went down as the bottom layer of the bed, to keep out the ground damp, then Cuz's two blankets under us and my two on top, plus his 8x8 over that to keep out the wind and make that air space under it still and easier to keep warm. We used the white 9x9 canvas as a diamond fly. Slight overkill, but last year in the same spot for a week in January, it rained, sleeted, snowed, and was 19 degrees with a stiff wind blowing all night long. You never know with Texas... This year there was frost on the ground Friday morning, 32 degrees Saturday morning, but it warmed up to the 60's in the daytime. We had some pine trees for a slight windbreak, that helped cut the chill some. Clear skies sure made that abundance of stars a great sight at night. Starlight, with or without only a thumbnail moon, was bright enough to get around camp without a light.

Cuz and I camped with Yip and Blackpowder Jim and shared a cooking fire with them. Jim brought his 18-week old speckled Catahoula/Blue Heeler pup named Dawg (who got the camp nickname of "Camp Dawg" - synonymous with "mooch" - at the last Rendezvous) and Dawg was in charge of dishwashing and the head of the entertainment committee. Dawg was also in charge of early wake-up calls with a cold nose and wet kiss. :-) He's the only one I'd let get away with that...besides Cuz. :-)

I fixed venison posole (venison jerky and hominy and dried onions and peppers and other stuff) at our camp Thursday night, Saturday night we had black-eyed peas and sausage, both supplemented with a mess of small wild onions gathered on site. SMELL them ALL as you gather and clean them, and make sure they are all onions and not crow-poison or death camas or some other bulb, could be fatal if you don't. I fixed hoecakes (hot-water cornbread) in the grease left over from breakfast to go with Friday night's supper. Breakfast was fried salt jowl with grits and brown sugar, Mexican chocolate in the coffee, all made on the fire of course with pre-1840 gear (copper tin-lined 1-quart pots, one 3-quart copper kettle, small folding-handle hand-forged skillets, tin cups and gourd cups and canteens) and dried food except for the pork. Everybody contributed to the fixin's, and as usual, we had way more than enough. Lunch was either supper/breakfast leftovers or dried fruit and pecans.

Saturday night Bill "Catahoula" Vannoy, the booshway, cooked up a fine supper for the whole camp (20+ men, plus me and the landowner's wife Patty) of posole made with the traditional pork and hominy and peppers, a huge iron kettle of black beans and another of pinto beans, and tortillas, with coffee from the two-gallon "bottomless coffeepot" named "Josefina". Josefina kept the coffee coming night and day for us, all weekend.

Friday Cuz and I went walking around with Ed Cotton, a REAL knowledgeable gentleman regarding native plants of the area. I had asked him to show me some green things to eat at that time of year in that piney woods region since I'm not real familiar with what grows in that area. There was not much green stuff available yet, but Ed did dig up some sassafras root for tea and it was GREAT fresh, much better than the dried stuff that they sell in health food stores. Made two quarts (two boilings) of tea with just a handful of small roots and bark. Smells wonderful and tastes better! Found some paper birch bark for tinder, gathered some blackhaw fruit for the seeds to plant (kinda too dried to be worth eating but might do in a pinch if you were hungry, they were sweet still). Gathered some sumac berries for seed for my new place, I figure the edge of the woods along the power line clearing will be a good place for both. Sumac berries make a good tea, but these had been rained on all winter and most of the flavor would be washed out of them by now.

September/October is the best time to gather them here. Found some wax myrtle seeds too, Ed says they make a good gun lube, leaves on these make a good tea too. Learned that tea from dewberry or blackberry root is good for stopping you up if you have the...um...runs. Learned to identify dogwood in the winter by the little round seed cases left on the ends of the twigs, and to know eastern persimmon by the bark texture. Learned that a dried grapevine stem is an easy way to carry a coal from one campsite to another during the day's travel, it smolders all day, once you light one end. I used to "smoke" grapevines as a kid, never thought of carrying fire that way though. :-) Ed is the nicest fellow, always a pleasure to learn stuff from him.

Saturday afternoon one of the AMM folks who had brought out his horse and mule, taught us how to pack a mule for travel with a packsaddle, panniers, breechings, and breast collar/martingale. Bill Vannoy & others assisted in the class. They also showed us how to tie a single diamond hitch and double diamond hitch.

Basic saddle and panniers looks pretty much like this pic, only this is on a miniature donkey, not a full-sized mule:

http://www.iberianconnection.com/images/pic28.jpg

Pack saddle itself (sawbuck) looks like this:

http://www.mulemanharsha.com/images/sawbuck_pack_saddle.jpg

Here's a good page on packing a horse or mule:

http://www.geocities.com/soho/studios/2905/packing.html

Single diamond hitch to tie down the gear:

http://www.geocities.com/soho/studios/2905/packing.html

And double diamond hitch (takes two people, much faster with two folks tying a single diamond too, less walking back and forth around the mule):

http://www.geocities.com/soho/studios/2905/doubldimn.gif

You lay your folded diamond fly canvas on top of the folded bedrolls, which are on top of the panniers/pack bags, then tie the diamond hitch to secure all that and keep it together and balanced on the critter, and hopefully not scraped off by branches on the trail.

It is VERY important to keep the panniers of exactly equal weight and keep them centered kinda low on the mule. Hard to carry an unbalanced or top-heavy load and strains the mule. REAL hard to carry that load up a mountain on your OWN back if you sore up the mule! The critter can carry about 20-25% of its own weight in packs. About 125 lb. for the small sorrel mule that this gentleman had, but he said the army said they loaded up to 200 lbs or more on a mule. Musta had big mules. Depends on how far you want that mule to carry that load too, what kind of country (flat plains or steep mountain trails) and on what athletic condition the mule is in. Can't get up off the couch and set down your beer and run a marathon, mule can't either. :-)

Here's a couple of websites on what the US army expected of its mules in the late 1800's:

http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?_r=1&res=9E05E4DD1530E132A25751C2A9669D94689ED7CF&oref=slogin

"On our western plains a pack mule can carry 350 pounds without too great fatigue, but in tropical countries [Puerto Rico, Phillippines] it has been found that 200 pounds is load enough"

And in 1937 the recommended weight for pack mules and ponies was down to a 160-lb load.:

http://www.newrider.com/Library/How_it_Was/mules.html

I also got to pratice writing with a quill pen, learned how to harden the quill by putting it down in hot sand and letting it cool off, and how to make black ink from oak galls. Boil the galls to make a brown ink, add rusty stuff to make the ink turn black, and add bran to the mix to thicken it.

Sunday after breakfast, we packed up our gear and carried it out and came home, sad to leave such good company, and looking forward to the next "shinin' time".

Contributed by Patsy "Magpie" Harper

When to not be period correct

One of the great things about the buckskinning hobby (lifestyle?) is everyone can take it as far as they want. There are some folks who love the idea of taking one blanket out into the woods or to an event and just throwing down on the ground. Others really like to bring out their "canvas castles" and set-up a fancy camp that would rival even Captain William Drummond Stewart.

Most events will set the ground rules for what is and isn't ok beforehand - from primitive pack-ins where one's accouterments and gear is scrutinized for accuracy to larger public events where pilgrims can walk among veterans in all states of dress.

I try my best to be as historically accurate when attending events, but there are some modern items I alway make sure are on hand - regardless of the time period of the event.

Being a volunteer medic, I always like to make sure I have a few essential items on hand, and I am also very serious about making sure I always have fresh, clean water to drink.

First Aid

No one likes getting hurt and this is my ultra-small list of essentials I make sure are always in my haversack. Feel free to be offended that I bring these out, but please have no shame in asking me if you find yourself needing anything while out on the trail.

Pain meds: Pain meds are good fever reducers as well as their obvious benefits in helping alleviate pain. However there are usually other liquid pain relievers at most events that are probably just as effective. Remember that ibuprofen primarily helps muscle-related pain and acetaminophen not only reduces pain, but also helps with severe itching due to insect bites and poisonous plants (pain receptors are riding on the same nerves that tell us to feel itchy, so it really works), so choose accordingly. I always bring out at least 2 doses of ibuprofen - usually 4 pills.

Allergy meds: I love the spring when everything is blooming and the fall when the weather changes again. Unfortunately these are also my prime allergy times and since I have a habit of throwing my bedroll down on this viney, leafy plant that seems to make my brain try to swell out of my head, I always make sure to pack along at least one Claritin-D.

Anti-diarrheal meds: One of the leading causes of death in the 1800s was diarrhea. Seriously. If you are planning on trying to forage on mystery plants and small, rodent-like animals, make sure that you have some of our modern "miracle" medicine to make sure that you don't loose a dangerous amount of fluids while out trekking. Pack at least 2 doses of immodium or its generic counterpart.

Roll of medical tape: My theory is that I don't need to pack along a lot of bandages if I have all of the makings of bandages right there with me. In truth, any clean cloth will do, but I like to have the added protection of completely covering a wound to keep out contaminants and then dealing with it when I get back to civilization. I always bring along a small roll of the waterproof kind.

This isn't intended to be a primer on wilderness medicine, but the basic rule of thumb is that if you can pack out of the woods in 48 hours that is less time than in takes most infections to set-in from cuts or lacerations - but make sure to wash all out wounds (except serious burns) with clean, fresh water and let dry prior to applying a dressing. Any wound that is serious - that is bleeding that can't be stopped, loss of consciousness due to trauma, falling from any distance over 6 feet, etc. - should be packed out immediately.

Anyone with known allergies should always bring along their epi pen or inhaler. If you are on regular meds, make sure you bring out those as well. Ten miles away from your car and your cell phone is no place to find out if you really do need those blood pressure meds.

I also really recommend taking a class in wilderness medicine if you are planning on spending any appreciable amount of time in the backcountry. Not only is it good for your own safety and the safety of your crew, but it's great peace of mind for the family members who worry about you when you are in the woods.

Water purification

While many of us love the romantic ideal of wandering through the woods and drinking from crystal clear streams and springs, the reality is that its just not a good idea.

I have heard two schools of thought on this. One is that the 20th century has gotten us so used to ultra-purified foods and water that we are unable to deal with bacteria and viruses that has really been around for as long as we have - probably longer. The basic idea is that since we are more or less out of the habit of consuming these little nasties, we are basically getting sick with something that we would have already had to deal with earlier in life, in a more primitive time.

The second school of thought is that we are polluting our environment so much more - toxins, heavy metals, cow feces - that there simply isn't many spots on earth that aren't contaminated.

To be honest, I think it's probably a little of both, which is why we have to make sure we can decontaminate all water we use in a wilderness setting.

Filtering water takes the nasties out of the water, while purification kills organisms that are in the water. The important thing to remember is that while purification will work against living nasties - bacteria, viruses, and other baddies - anything that is not alive to begin with - heavy metals, fertilizers, etc. - can't be rendered inert by the purification process. These elements must be filtered out.

It's for this reason that I recommend two steps to make water safe in the outdoors - filtering and purification - whether chemical (with iodine tablets or chlorine-based chemicals) or by boiling - which is much easier on the authenticity of an event.

Some contaminants - like giardia for instance - are even somewhat resistant to water purification chemicals and must really be boiled to ensure they are rendered inert.

There are all sorts of smaller water filters at places like REI and in about a million locations on the web. I recommend going into a backpacking store and talking to someone there to get an idea about what to buy. You'll also want to have someone who can demonstrate how to use the filter as they can be a little tricky when you first start playing with one. Make them do this before you even buy the filter. You certainly don't want to learn how to use it when your canteen is empty and you are two days walk from the last water source.

The good news is that many backpacking filters are small enough to fit into a small leather or canvas pouch and throw into your haversack. If you are worried about ruining the ambiance of an event, just grab the crew bucket or a tin pot, shamefully walk over to your water source, and then do the filtering away from the rest of the group.

Your crew may not like seeing the plastic device, but you only need to get sick one time to appreciate how great they are. Just remember that filtering is the first step and make sure to boil the water back at camp. Once boiled, you can let the water cool and then add it to your canteen or water container. Some vigorous shaking of the container (make sure the lid is on) helps get rid of the flat taste of boiled water. I think the end result tastes better than using tablets and it's also much more safer.

Be careful! :)

- Many Rifles

To Tan A Hide: An approach to tanning an animal pelt in a Pre. 1900 fashion.

To Tan A Hide:
An approach to tanning an animal pelt in a Pre. 1900 fashion.
By: Taylor Tomlin

Acknowledgements:

I have been tanning hides for about ten years now, using all the various methods available both modern and pre modern, and have gained a volume of knowledge in the skill through my own experiences and research. However, I owe great thanks to a number of people in the trade for there expertise and contributions to my working knowledge of the profession. I would like to thank the following people: Wes “Wild Bill” Housler Sr., Wes has been a long time friend and teacher and has taught me a great deal about the brain tanning trade. Ken Wilson , long time friend and I owe him a great thanks for making me brain tan my first hide, correctly, and coaching me through the process. Tom “Varmit” Arnold, Tom is a long time friend and never hesitates to point out my mistakes and provide advice on how to improve. Glenn “Timberline” Quick, long time friend and a great tanning critic. Rodney Nance, long time friend and Rodney via numerous conversations on the topic has helped to build my tanning knowledge. Mark Secord, Mark is a long time friend and former employee in the taxidermy field, I obtained a great deal of skill and training from him in the modern tanning methods and in hide preparation. And last my parents for continually supporting me during my early tanning years no matter how much, hair, salt, and remains I left in the yard.

Foreword:


There are many different ways to tan a hide today, whether using an old world or modern method. Animal hide tanning has been a human skill from the time we learned to walk upright and there are a variety of methods to do so. Although, as I’m sure many have discovered on their own, tanning a hide is about the most complex and difficult task to undertake. Hide tanning can be a long, drawn out process whether it is done right or wrong . Thus, after acquiring a capable amount of knowledge and the regular requests for advice on the subject, I thought that I would sit down and record the methods I know for those that know me to have a hard copy of and for those that have not had the honor of meeting me ;) something to look to for advice. Now I am not claiming to know it all, but I feel that I have a fair amount of knowledge and opinion on the subject to provide those interested with some help. Enjoy and Good Luck!

Acquiring Your Hides:

There are numerous ways of obtaining skins for the tanning process. Many of the tanners I know save the skins of the animals that they take in the hunt each year to be later processed into leather. Friends and other persons that you know of that hunt and do not plan on tanning the hide themselves can be a good source for hides. Meat processing plants and local butcher and game processors are a great source for hides, since there is virtually no longer a market they are usually more than willing to give them to you so that they do not have to dispose of them. There are a number of tanneries that deal in green hides, and sometimes this is a good source for those that cannot partake in the hide preparation process, because usually these hides are fleshed and have been cured and are ready to tan. Taxidermists can be a good source of hides, they usually have either whole or parts of hides that they have to dispose of, and some can or will provide a pre pared hide but usually at a price. Some states have public roadside disposal sites for hunters to off load their hides and if you are in one of these states and are in range of a disposal site I would suggest raiding them for the better non butchered or already decomposing hides.




The Pre Tanning Process:

Once you have received some hides you must them begin the pre tan process or your hide will inevitably rot. If you do not plan on tanning your hide right away then store it in the freezer in a fairly air tight bag or container to prevent damage. A hide will stay good for less than one day if left out, and for roughly three days if kept in an ice chest with ice, but after that harmful bacteria will begin to set in an break the hide down. If you plan on tanning your hide without the hair on then you do not need to worry if the hair begins to slip early or is damaged while in the ice chest or freezer, as it takes much less time for the hair follicles to break down than the skin itself.

Fleshing:

Fleshing is the first step in the pre tan process. There are a variety of ways to “buck” a hide but they all take about the same amount of effort and time and all end with the same effect. Fleshing is the removal of the fat and meat that is still on the hide after it has been taken of the animal. There are ways to cut down on the amount of remnant left on the hide in the skinning process. Either cut off as much of the remnant while skinning, or let the skinner know that you plan on tanning the hide. The latter is even more important because it will determine the amount of holes that will be in your hide, as skinning an animal with the intent to tan its hide takes a little more time and effort to prevent cutting excessive holes.

Next you will need to determine the method of fleshing based on the materials available. Beams have been an effective fleshing device for myself and others. A beam can be created in a variety of ways, a round log set above the ground at a 45 degree angle is very effective. If you decide to use a log try to use one with a small diameter so that you can place a piece of PVC pipe over the end, the log can be used without the PVC but I have found it far more effective to place about piece of PVC roughly three feet in length over the end of the log as it will allow you a harder working surface and prevent tearing holes in your hide due to the wood becoming soft while using it and pitting out. Beams can also be a 2x4 up to a 2x12 piece of lumber, if you choose to use cut lumber for your beam cut the end of the beam (the end that you will be working on) to a point, round the edges and sand it thoroughly so that your hide doesn’t get caught on splinters or your hands either. Another effective structure is a frame, frames can be built as large or small as needed and out of any sturdy material. A frame is a square or rectangular structure composed of four pieces of material so that the hide can be stretched out to flesh. Once you have built your frame you will either need to string your hide up by using rope or cord, the medium sizes of nylon cord have worked the best for myself. Lacing the hide will require you to cut holes roughly six inches apart all the way around the hide and then lacing the rope or cord threw the hide and around the frame until the hide is stretched taut, I would suggest screwing eye bolts into the inside of the frame to make the lacing process easier, or you can screw in eye bolts and instead of rope or cord use s-hooks to stretch the hide around the frame. Lastly, the hide can be stretched and staked out on the ground.

Now that you have your fleshing structure in place you will need to select a tool for removing the remaining flesh. Scraping on a beam will require a blade of some type, a butcher knife with a dull edge, an old draw knife with a dulled edge, or a fleshing knife/tool (which is a specially designed knife just for fleshing and can be easily purchased) can be used for pushing he flesh off of the hide in a forward motion from your body. A caping or paring knife or any knife with a short clip point or rounded point can be used for removing the flesh in a downward, almost shaving, motion going from the hide at the top or end of the beam down towards your person. If you are using a frame will need to use the Sioux style of scraper that can be purchased or made at home. A Sioux style scraper is piece of wood, antler, or metal that is roughly arm length and has a sharp usually square cutting point laced, pegged, nailed, or screwed into the handle at a 45 degree angle. The cutting point can be a piece of sharpened file steel or other high carbon steel, flint, or piece of knife blade. I suggest using a piece of a file because, files are readily available and easy to sharpen. Once you have chosen your cutting point for the Sioux style scraper, grind or work the point from the top down until you have a 45 degree cutting edge and only sharpen the point form the top and never from the bottom. Scrape the flesh side of the hide until all the remaining meat and fat is removed. Some areas of the hide such as the neck and rump may need to be thinned down if they are too thick, with heavier hides such as elk, mule deer, ect… this may need to be done to ensure that the tan set thoroughly in those areas.





De-Hairing:

Once you have removed all of the flesh from the hide you can begin the hair removal process. However, you must flesh the hide before dehairing because damaging bacteria will set in to the meat and fat and spoil the hide. The hair removal process also has a variety of methods, it can be scraped off in the same manner as the flesh or removed by other chemical or natural means. A common method of hair removal is using garden variety lime or potash ( ash from any fire ) in a mixture of ¼ ash or lime to ¾ water in a sealable container, this method can take some time 1-10 days for the hair to begin to slip properly and you must check the hide and solution daily to make sure that it is working correctly and the solution and hide should also be stirred daily. After the hide is removed from the solution it will need to be neutralized in water by letting it soak in a container with clean water and rinsing and repeating this several times, baking soda or borax can be added to the neutralizing solution, to give a greater effect but the hide will still need to be soaked and rinsed in clean water only afterwards. A method sometimes used by the Native Americans was to either stake or place a heavy rock on a hide in a flowing creek or stream and let the running water remove the hair. Another method is to take rope, usually cecil, hemp, or nylon and tie it taut between to trees or posts and work the hair side of the hide over the rope and a fairly quick pace to create friction. Metal cable can also be used in this manner. Other hair removal substances can be purchased via several companies and all require different methods of solution and neutralizing. When or after you have dehaired the hide make sure that you get all of the epidermis off of the hair side of the hide (shiny side) or it will not have the right texture or tan as well. If you are tanning hair on then you don’t need to worry about this.

Curing:

Curing a hide will depend on the tan you intend to use. The hide will need to be reamed out and allowed to drip dry for some time, usually 2-8 hours depending on the size and thickness of the hide being prepared. Once the hide has reached about 30% moisture content you can begin the curing process. There are different ways of determining the moisture content of a hide, there are numerous electronic tools available to measure the content, or it can be done by sight and touch. When the hide is no longer dripping and feels only damp to the touch then it is ready to be cured. If you plan on using a “brain” type tan smoke the hide some over a fire for about thirty minutes, this is not necessary but it can help with the curing and tanning process later on. If you plan on using any other method, or just want to opt out of the smoking, lay the hide out on a plastic surface, tarps work great for this, or the hide can be pinned to a board or places on a commercial or home made hide stretcher. Hide stretchers can be purchased from most major trapping, tanning, and taxidermy suppliers, or they can be made by taking two boards of equal length and width and fixing a hinge of either leather, rope or metal on the top and then pining the hide to the boards and widening them until the hide is properly stretched. Then you should place anther piece of material over the widest area of the two board and fastening it to them so that the stretcher will stay in place. (Using the former mentioned stretcher is only practical when tanning a cased hide, or a hide that has not been split.) Once the hide is in position place non iodized or food grade salt over the hide until it is completely covered. Borax can be added in with the salt to help prevent bacteria and it give a great distaste to any critters that might attempt to indulge itself in your hard work. Non iodized salt can be purchased at most grocery stores in one pound containers, or if more salt is needed you can purchase 20-50 pound sacks of non iodized food grade salt from most agricultural feed stores or food industry providers. The hide will need to sit in a cool dark place to cure, and you will need to check on the hide daily to measure the saturation of the salt, when the salt looks mostly saturated with the water and oils from the skin and if the skin is not yet dried out, remove and dispose of the saturated salt and place a new coating of fresh salt over the hide. This may have to be done in two or more instances. Do not reuse saturated salt as it will not absorb any more water or oils out of the hide and will only cause the unsaturated salt to absorb less from the hide. The hide should be turned over and salted on both sides to insure that the hide will cure thoroughly. Once the hide is completely dried out, nearly rock hard, it is cured. The remaining salt should be removed and disposed of and then the hide can be stored in any dry place until you are ready to tan. The hide can also be re frozen at any point during the process, but you should not do so more than three times as some damage can occur from refreezing. The environment that you live in will determine the amount of time the hide will take to cure. In dry climates it may take as little as one day with very little salt applied, but in humid climates it can take several days and several re salting to completely cure the hide.

Tanning:

There are numerous methods and formulas for tanning hides, you must decide if you want to tan your hide naturally or chemically, and then between using past or modern formulas. The time it takes to tan and the quality and texture of the tan vary with the formulas used. All of the formulas follow the same procedure in application.

Brain Tan:

Brain tanning is becoming a more popular tan among persons that truly want a historically correct tan. And the methods and materials implied are far more available today then they have been for some time. A brain tan is just what the title suggests, using the brains of the animal or the brains of an animal to tan the hide. Every animal has enough brain to tan it’s own hide with the exception of some humans.

The tanning process commonly called “braining” has a few forms of practice. If you used a frame to flesh your hide you can re lace your hide to the frame unless you did not remove it for the curing process. You will need to wash all of the salt ( and borax if used ) out of the hide before tanning and allow the hide to dry back to its former rock hard condition.
Concocting your brain tan formula can be done several ways: the brain can be cooked in a pot of clean water, never allow the water to get so hot that it is unbearable to touch, use your hand or fingers to measure the intensity of the heat by frequently dipping into the pot to check the water temperature, if you cannot comfortably place your hand in the water it is too hot. If the brain is cooked whole, let it cook until it turns a light brown in color and then taken out and smeared into the hide, try to place an equal amount of brains all over the hide (both sides, unless you are tanning hair on and then it you would apply it to just the flesh side) and let it sit for a few minutes, then take the water that you cooked the brain in and begin to paint it onto the hide. With your free hand rub the brains in or you can use the back side of your Sioux scraper or the blunt side of your fleshing tool to work the tan into the hide. Another brain formula is to mash the brains into a pulp and cook into a paste, again not letting the water to become too hot, and the paste and either be painted on or if your cooking container is large enough, you can ball up the hide and place it entirely into the paste. Let the hide sit in the paste for a few minutes and check it often, after 15-30 minutes you will notice that the hide has absorbed a great amount of the solution, the hide should then be removed and reamed out into the cooking container. You should try to save as much of the solution in the hide as possible. The hide should then be taken to your beam or stretched back out on the frame and the solution should be worked into the hide using the methods mentioned previously. You may have to repeat this process several time as it usually take at a minimum of three brainings to completely tan the hide. After each braining and each time you work the solution back out of the hide you should smoke the hide over a fire for a several minutes and allow the hide to dry back out to roughly the 30% moisture stage to insure that the tanned areas of the hide are set. One way of checking the hide to see if it is thoroughly tanned is to hold it up to a light, any areas of the hide that you can see thru are not tanned and should be re brained and worked until you can no longer see thru the hide. Once the hide is thoroughly tanned you can then smoke it to you desired color, all hides should be smoked some because the smoke sets the tan and any un smoked areas will revert back to rawhide when wet. Different woods will provide varying colors, pines and aspen will usually give a yellow or what is commonly thought of as “buckskin” color, hard woods, such as oak, walnut, hickory, pecan, ect… will provide a more brown or beige color, and mesquite will give your hide a clay red color. The longer you smoke your hide the darker it will become. Brains can either be taken from the animal or purchased at your local meat market.

There are some other natural tans that are similar to brain tans as all the brain is doing is setting proteins and glutens into the hide and all of the other tans will need to be smoke also. One is an egg tan using raw eggs without the yolk, although I would suggest putting one yolk into the solution. It takes roughly a dozen eggs to tan a medium size deer hide and the solution is made in the same manner that the brain paste is made. The egg tan will give your hide a different texture instead of a soft cotton like texture you will get a more rubbery texture. Some egg whites can be added to the brains to give you more solution to work with. Another is a soap tan, using a non detergent or natural soap, Ivory soap is an easily found non detergent soap for this type of tan. The soap tan uses the same process as the brain paste, it takes roughly a quarter to half a bar of soap to tan a medium size deer hide the soap should be shaven off the bar into the water to solute better, and you can add soap shavings to any of your natural tans to give you more solution to work with. You can also use a bar of non detergent soap to work out hard spots or wash your leather. You can oil the hide afterwards with neat’s-foot oil, mink oil, or vegetable oil to help set the tan and soften the hide but use the oil moderately because to much oil can cause the hide to rot or it will always be slick and oily. If you decide that brain tanning is just not for you but still want leather with that brain tan look you can take any commercially tanned leather, remove the dye with a dye remover, scrape the epidermis off (the shiny side) and smoke the dog out of it, and it will produce a quasi brain tan look and feel. Or you can purchase the German fish oil tanned hides via the appropriate suppliers (Crazy Crow Trading Co. or Wooden Hawk Trading Co.) and get a naturally tanned hide that resembles brain tan ( if you can stand the smell, which does eventually go away).

Vegetable Tan:

There are some varieties to vegetable tanning but they use substances with high amounts of tannic acid. Some good sources of tannic acid are oak and elm trees as well as any other plant containing high amounts of tannic acid, you can find out about plants in your area by searching the internet or visiting your local plant nursery. Vegetable tan, if done correctly can be a very good tan and is often used for saddle leather and for gun holsters and knife sheaths because of the absence of salt in the tan. To create a vegetable tan solution you will need to acquire the leaves and/or bark of a plant with high amounts of tannic acid, the bark or leaves should then be grinded up into a grain or powder and boiled in water. (You have to wash all the salt from the hide before tanning.) You should boil the substance until the water turns to a dark tea or coffee color, and I would suggest boiling it for a while after it turns color to ensure that you get the most acid out of the substance. You will then need a sealable container to mix you solution in. The formula is about one gallon of boiled substance to four gallons of clean water, so a five gallon bucket with lid will suffice for tanning. The tan will take some time to set usually 5-15 days depending on the thickness of the hide being tanned. You can use the same method as the brain tan to check the hide to make sure that it is tanned, by holding it up to a light and inspecting of areas that the light penetrates. And you can pull the hide out of solution every day or so and work it over a beam or lace it in a frame and work the tan in further, soap can be added to the vegetable tan but not brains or eggs as the acid will kill the proteins. Once the hide is tanned you will need to neutralize the acid or it will eventually cause the hide to deteriorate. You can neutralize the acid with baking soda, by mixing a box of baking soda with about five gallons of water and soaking the hide in the neutralizing solution for thirty minutes to an hour, but not beyond that as you do not want to pull all of the acid out of the hide just the majority of it. The hide should then be soaked and rinsed a few times with clean water. Then let the hide dry to about 30% moisture content and either smoke or oil the hide with the oils mentioned above. I suggest a little of both and again use the oil in moderation.

Alum Tan:

For those of you considering alum tan I greatly advise against it. Alum tan is an effective but unpractical tan that will eventually dry rot you hide. And it is harmful to the skin. So I will skip the alum tan and those of you interested can find information on the internet or in various books.

Modern and Chemical Tans:

There are many modern tans that are actually older tans disguised as a modern chemical tans. Many taxidermy suppliers provide a variety of chemical tans and there are a good number that are enhanced versions of vegetable tans, in fact many of them will have vegetable tan somewhere in the description. These tans come with their own tailored instructions and are usually easy to follow and inexpensive. For those of you considering this I would suggest any of the EZ Tan brands from the Van Dyke’s company which is a branch of Cabela’s. Chrome tans are the most common commercial hide tan but they can only be done practically in a professional tannery and can have some health effects over a long period of time. Many of the modern tans are salt water tans, which means that salt water is part of the solution formula and leather tanned with these solutions are not practical for use in making knife sheaths or gun cases/holsters, because they can eventually damage the metal. Always use a vegetable or natural tan for your weaponry if you can.





Conclusion:

Well that about sums up the hide tanning process. I hope that I have provided and adequate description of the processes and what is required for each. Tanning is hard work and should you should never expect to get quick results so don’t try it unless you are willing to put forth the time and effort necessary. Most of the methods mentioned above can be found in numerous publications in hard copy or on the internet so if you are curious to other methods or just want to do some more research it is there for the taking. These are just my experiences with tanning and how I tan hides with the above formulas, tools, and materials.

Good Luck and Happy Tanning!

Taylor Tomlin

Report from TAB Deep Winter

Things went well, despite the fairly wet and cold beginning. Cuz, Robert, Yip, Bobby, Blackpowder Jim, and Og were out there Thursday night. I had just gotten my Mother out of the hospital that day after 48 hours with her in there and was pooped so I stayed home and rested after work, went out on Friday. Mom is doing ok, just had a touch of flu or something and they wanted to make sure it didn't turn into pneumonia at her age (93).

So I made sure she was all right Friday and came on out Friday night. Had a small turnout, maybe 20 folks, but it was kinda neat as they all used Companeros dining fly as party central. :-) We cooked over one fire mostly, had shooting events and such on Saturday with 9 men & one woman (new to 'voos) competing, plus one kid - Abby (age 4). So we did a pie plate toss for Abby and gave her a nice prize too. :-) It faired off Saturday afternoon and was warm Sunday. Blue Cheek, Debbie Fowlkes, and the blond gal (dang I forgot her name!) were mostly the only women who camped. Whorehouse Ken Krueger and his wife came in for the day Saturday, so did Kristin the new gal from Pennsylvania. Yip and Bobby had happy hour at tea time, and even that small number emptied Cuz's water barrel filled with margaritas! of course Og was there and Rick Quinn, camp dogs deluxe, so the rest of us didn't have to drink much to accomplish floating the keg! LOL

Jack Booth came out for the day Saturday and brought his daughter and her baby. Little girl is 8 months old now, cute as a button, half as big as her mama already! Of course her mama is a little bitty thing like Kildee Jack. Big John came in the same time I did and gave me and my gear a ride from the parking lot into camp Friday night in his 4-wheel drive truck, roads in were muddy after the parking lot. Big John held that baby girl for I bet two hours and they both had a ball. He is a sweetheart.

Blackpowder Jim has a new Blue Heeler puppy named Dawg. 8 weeks old and cute as a button too. Sweet little pup, got spoiled rotten with all the camp leftovers he was getting from every hand in camp! So he gor an addition to his name - his last name is Dawg, but his first name is "Camp"! LOL. Told Jim he was gonna shit like a pet coon on the way home with all that rich human food !

Re: spring TAB 'voo - John Billington is talking about booshwaying it with Cuz's help, and having it up in Lampasas at a site they had it at before, quite a few years ago, down on Sulphur Creek just east of town (Update - The spring TAB will be April 11-13 in Centerville at MickeyDave's and Judy's place).

But wherever it is, we are looking forward to meeting young Miss Genevieve and passing her around like a football and spoiling her too.

I didn't take any pics, but Debbie did and I will see if I can get some posted to the TAB site.

I made some commercial braintan leggings with horsehair drops, and a black flannel breechcloth with red trim for Gene Nagelmueller lately, as a trade for him doing the formica in my new house. Was gonna give them to him there, but he got sick as a dog and he and his wife couldn't come to the 'voo. Bummer.

By Patsy "Magpie" Harper

Blushing Turtle Presents . . .

Just got this great announcement from Andrea "Blushing Ankle" Raum, that I had to pass along:

GRAND OPENING SOUTHWESTERN REGIONAL RENDEZVOUS 2008 IN OKLAHOMA!

Andrea “Blushing Ankle” Raum and Rusty “Turtle Woman” Morris are proud to present the new party place. Bring a drink and a seat and have fun with our wenches. We do not sell anything but soft drinks and beer will be offered. House Tips accepted!

Facilities: 20’ x 30’ Marquis with gaming tables, chandeliers, and serving bar.

Activities: Men’s Social, Specialty Nights (Come as you were when the Indians raided!; SWRR Crew Appreciation night, and more)

The rumor mill says that there will be a "trial run" at the Greywood Colonials event - February 15-17. Here's Andrea's notice about that:

After hearing many laments about the Palace not coming to Voos, Andrea "Blushing Ankle" Raum and Rusty "Turtle Woman" Morris are proud to present The Blushing Turtle, the new party place!

It will operate in the same basic manner as the Palace - we don't sell anything, but will offer beer and soft-drink mixers served by our wenches. House tips accepted. Facilities are a 20' x 30' marquis with tables for game play. Our ladies are WENCHES and will be happy to serve you.

Our trial premier will be February 15-17 at the Greywood Colonial February Frolic in Palestine. If we miss you there, the grand opening will be in Oklahoma at the Southwestern Regional Rendezvous. Come see us there!

Everyone who' s ever met Blushing Ankle knows that she puts together a great camp, so if you are on the fence about attending the Greywood Colonial event, it would be well worth the drive to check it out.

And ladies remember - they host the Greywood Colonials event at Andrea's place and it is know for its first-class hooters!

There is info on the Greywood Colonials rendezvous on the events page. Here's more on the Greywood Colonials group.


- Many Rifles

The White Smoke Brigade's Match 44

The White Smoke Brigade's Match 44 - February 9th at 10:00 am

Minimum of 3 rifle matches and 1 single shot pistol match

Let’s try again for a revolver match

At our range site on the west side of FM 306 just south of Purgatory Rd

Let me know if you would like to join us for a camp-out at the site on Friday night Look for the WSB sign by the gate

Bring your single shot pistols & revolvers

For more details contact Grey Wolf at wolfbear@gvtc.com