Hide Helpers
Joe MacDonald
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In
this continuing section on my hide tanning experiences, I'll relate my mistakes
and discoveries which may save you from similar blunders and help you turn out a
higher quality tanning job. I'm still learning with each new hide. If you have
any insights from your own tanning experiences, please share them with me and
other readers so we can all learn.
One thing we usually stress in the standard
class, and which is becoming more apparent to me as each hide progresses, is
that every hide is different. Two does, though similar in size, will differ in
the thickness, texture, wrinkle and scar locations of their skin. So, it's a
good idea to take a good, close look at every hide in all stages of the process.
Note t he problem areas such as thin spots, knife scores and other scars. Extra
care is needed in these regions.
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A recurring problem of mine is overscraping
during the dry scrape process. I'm an over-zealous scraper. I tend to
over-muscle the tool which can cause a pop-through; more commonly, the result is
washboarding (parallel ridges). You've got to give each step the proper amount
of time - this includes the time that you need to learn. Be patient. Speed is
slowly attained through. experience. I move a little quicker now because I have
a better idea of what I'm looking for, and my muscles don't tire like they used
to.
On one hide, it seemed like I couldn't get the
desired buff around the neck area, so I kept scraping. During the staking
process that area pulled apart. The fibers separated as I pushed in on the hide.
Since then I've found it sometimes helps to use your hands instead of just your
eyes to determine if the epidermis layer has been removed. Maybe a good rule of
thumb would be: Don't scrape if in doubt.
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