Hello! I'm an amateur tanner and leather-worker

[KTWolf]

Hello, Folks. Glad to join the forum, I'm looking forward to seeing the techniques, projects, and equipment of leather crafters more experienced than me.

I've been teaching myself to tan leather and furs for several years now, and I seem to be getting the chemistry and processes dialed in at last. I've made decent, wearable furs from raccoon, muskrat, chipmunk, and deer. I've made leather from the hides of squirrel, carp*, and opposum, and the more typical deer hide into buckskin. Each of these animals' hides have such unique, fascinating properties.

When it comes to using the leather, my main focus is on making tool sheaths, blade-guards, and belt holsters. Recently made blade-guards for my axe and scythe. Currently I repair my own shoes, but at some point I want to learn how to make them from the ground up--or rather, from the upper down.

*This photo is of a quiver I made for my bowfishing friend, from the skin of a carp she shot for me.

[PastorBob]

Welcome to the forum.  Definitely a lot you can find here as well as share.  Wonderful work on that quiver.  

[tsunkasapa]

Greetings from the PNW. Welcome to the forum. Nice fish you have there. 

[chuck123wapati]

40 minutes ago, KTWolf said:

Hello, Folks. Glad to join the forum, I'm looking forward to seeing the techniques, projects, and equipment of leather crafters more experienced than me.

I've been teaching myself to tan leather and furs for several years now, and I seem to be getting the chemistry and processes dialed in at last. I've made decent, wearable furs from raccoon, muskrat, chipmunk, and deer. I've made leather from the hides of squirrel, carp*, and opposum, and the more typical deer hide into buckskin. Each of these animals' hides have such unique, fascinating properties.

When it comes to using the leather, my main focus is on making tool sheaths, blade-guards, and belt holsters. Recently made blade-guards for my axe and scythe. Currently I repair my own shoes, but at some point I want to learn how to make them from the ground up--or rather, from the upper down.

*This photo is of a quiver I made for my bowfishing friend, from the skin of a carp she shot for me.

welcome and very cool quiver how hard is it to tan a carp hide never tried that? My son and i tan also.

[KTWolf]

23 hours ago, chuck123wapati said:

welcome and very cool quiver how hard is it to tan a carp hide never tried that? My son and i tan also.

Thanks for the welcome, gents!

Chuck, tanning a carp or a salmon is a different beast, to be sure. The nicest thing is how easy they are to skin. Since the meat isn't as important as the hide, I skin them as soon as they're dead, before gutting. Just cut along the edge of the skull, peel up a bit, and start pushing my fingers along underneath the skin. Almost no defleshing needed. 

I've only gone two rounds with tanning fish hides at this point, so I'm still working out the ideal chemistry. The key difference from a mammal hide is in the degreasing. I used standard degreasers, and it never quite got the fish smell out. After degreasing, last year I started with an alum tan, washed thoroughly, then finished it using my own odd formulation of Murphy's Oil Soap and WD-40. It made a pretty good result, flexible to a greater degree than my first attempt, and workable for making the quiver.

The First Nations people of the Pacific Northwest supposedly used lart to degrease salmon hides, so this year I'm going to try out an ammonia soak; however, that can also disintegrate the hides if done incorrectly. I also have a new additive I'll be trying out, lecithin, the chemical in brains that makes brain-tanning so great. I'll be using sunflower-lecithin soaked in ethanol, then combined with vegetable oil, to finish and soften the skins. I'm still working out the kinks in chemistry, so here's hoping the third round of trial and error hits the mark. Wish me luck--my friend and I will start hunting carp this weekend, her with her bow and me with a net. If I get 10 carp I'll have plenty of skins to play with, and I can make some spiffy fishing hats.

[chuck123wapati]

5 hours ago, KTWolf said:

Thanks for the welcome, gents!

Chuck, tanning a carp or a salmon is a different beast, to be sure. The nicest thing is how easy they are to skin. Since the meat isn't as important as the hide, I skin them as soon as they're dead, before gutting. Just cut along the edge of the skull, peel up a bit, and start pushing my fingers along underneath the skin. Almost no defleshing needed. 

I've only gone two rounds with tanning fish hides at this point, so I'm still working out the ideal chemistry. The key difference from a mammal hide is in the degreasing. I used standard degreasers, and it never quite got the fish smell out. After degreasing, last year I started with an alum tan, washed thoroughly, then finished it using my own odd formulation of Murphy's Oil Soap and WD-40. It made a pretty good result, flexible to a greater degree than my first attempt, and workable for making the quiver.

The First Nations people of the Pacific Northwest supposedly used lart to degrease salmon hides, so this year I'm going to try out an ammonia soak; however, that can also disintegrate the hides if done incorrectly. I also have a new additive I'll be trying out, lecithin, the chemical in brains that makes brain-tanning so great. I'll be using sunflower-lecithin soaked in ethanol, then combined with vegetable oil, to finish and soften the skins. I'm still working out the kinks in chemistry, so here's hoping the third round of trial and error hits the mark. Wish me luck--my friend and I will start hunting carp this weekend, her with her bow and me with a net. If I get 10 carp I'll have plenty of skins to play with, and I can make some spiffy fishing hats.

sounds like a thing to try keep us informed. first critter i ever took with a bow was a carp about 1978. Bought a used browning Wasp 50# and a couple fishing arrows, a friend talked me into it. I was hooked and have been hunting with a bow ever since until just a few years ago. been through a dozen bows but still have my wasp and the fishing setup.

[crazytailorlady]

From another new person here, welcome!

The tanning thing is very impressive. Such a great skill.

[Samalan]

Welcome from Boston Mass.   Great looking work.

[battlemunky]

Uhm, that quiver is ridiculously cool. Welcome from Al-uhhhh-bama!

[KTWolf]

Thanks, @crazytailorlady, @Samalan, and @battlemunky.

@chuck123wapati, Yesterday we went out bowfishing, and my archer friend shot four great big carp in just over an hour. One of them was 38" long and close to 40 pounds! Two more were about 35 pounds each, the fourth was just under 30#. After trading with a Hmong family for their fish's hide, I have 5 fish-hides cleaned and soaking in degreaser. Let the fish-hide tanning begin. Also, how am I going to eat 2 gallons of white fish meat?

What great days these are!

Edited May 16, 2022 by KTWolf
Forgot to add person's name

[chuck123wapati]

15 hours ago, KTWolf said:

Thanks, @crazytailorlady, @Samalan, and @battlemunky.

@chuck123wapati, Yesterday we went out bowfishing, and my archer friend shot four great big carp in just over an hour. One of them was 38" long and close to 40 pounds! Two more were about 35 pounds each, the fourth was just under 30#. After trading with a Hmong family for their fish's hide, I have 5 fish-hides cleaned and soaking in degreaser. Let the fish-hide tanning begin. Also, how am I going to eat 2 gallons of white fish meat?

What great days these are!

beer battered and deep fried! lol nice indeed!!!