aurora

Thanks for the welcome and the tips on conservation. Drying sounds good. Maybe best in a box that is fly-proof - where can I search for information on the other topic I am looking for - the finishing of the backside of the fur for the vest? A friend told me to just use sandpaper to get to that "suede" surface, she did some leatherwork but not this kind of work yet, so it is also only a guess....

Hi, I just joined this forum, so I wanted to say some words. I am from Germany and mostly interested in medieval leaterworking for reenactment and medieval-fairs but also intersted in using these techniques on other occasions as well. I am interested in learning how to make leather from skin as well. What I did up to now is participate in a natural tanning workshop where a small group tanned a piece of leather with eggs and a lot of manual labour pulling and squeezing it. It was fun and I need to think of what special item I want to make with my share of the skin. I also made a quiver for archery from scrap leather that I bought, a long bow tube to store a longbow protected from rain. I also made a pair of medieval shoes from soft and harder leather (for the soles) and a couple of pouches to dangle from a belt. Oh and I make a small bag of fur of muskrat that needs to be finished. What I am working on currently is to get skins to try tanning when I have time for it and to make a vest from sheep-fur. My related questions on that (and the reasons I am joining here at this time) are * how to store skins that I may get from a hunter or butcher until I have the time to tan them? May take several months until I get to it. * Are there any good instructions on how to make a sheep-fur vest, like how to cut the pieces with measurements. I think I want the furry side inside because it is soft and comfy. * how to make the surface of leather soft and clean. The sheepskin I have for the vest has a nice fur that is cut to a smooth length, but the other side (which should be outside with the vest) is only roughly prepared. I think the best option would be to make what I believe is called suede (which is kind of a soft and smooth surface). So I would need to find out how to make this. I thought of using sandpaper or something like that, but dont want to ruin the skins. So if anyone can comment on these projects and maybe point me to where I most likely can find some answers, I would be delighted. Many thanks Aurora Attachments: Self-made quiver & image of a (commercial) example of the type of vest I want to make.