Bush Craft Field Craft Survivalist thread

[Expedition Scout]

It's time to dry and soften the hide.

If you left the hide to dry right now, it would dry hard like a drum. The brains will preserve the hide, however we want to make it soft. At this point, you need to continue to work until the hide is dry or freeze it until later. If you stop short of a dry hide, any moisture will cause it to stiffen up. 

I like to do this step in the summer time so it doesn't take forever... or you can use a wood stove in a garage to keep it warm. You need to break the hide as it drys.

Think of leather as a million Olympic rings connected that need to be separated. Breaking the rings apart is what makes it soft and it needs to be dry to stay that way... (If you make it soft and then let it dry it will be stiff. Water helps the rings reconnect). A lot of work for nothing! 

So -- you can work the hide around a cable, or here is where i like to tie it tight on a rack and work it with a axe handle and canoe paddle. You simple can't mess with the hide enough. When working an elk or moose, I used to invite all the neighborhood kids over and they would use the hide as a trampoline. You need to stretch the hide as much as possible by pushing the axe handle or canoe paddle into the leather as much as possible. Tearing the hide shouldn't happen at this point unless it's a thin hide (Rabbit is very hard to soften without ripping). Keep working the hide, pushing, twisting, running over a cable, or stretching it until you thinks its dry... then do it some more!

You don't want any moisture to ruin this process. Once soft, move on to the last step or make sure it keeps dry. Don't leave around your dog, I know a guy who lost a nice hide because he left it over a chair and the dog found it tasty.

[Expedition Scout]

OK -- now its time to smoke the hide.

Smoking the hide puts "RESIN" from the wood into the hide and prevents the "Olympic rings" from connecting again if it gets wet. (hopefully that makes sense to everyone. It also can give it a nice color, lighter or darker depending on time and wood used. The resin fills the space inside the leather that you created by breaking it.

You need to use a dry smoke! I worked with a guy that smoked a hide just like you smoke meat using wet wood chips and it came out hard as a rock! What a waste and back to the softening step you go.

I use bone dry and rotten cottonwood. I look for punky wood and bring it home and keep it in my wood shed just for this reason. Punky wood so it doesn't start on fire, just smolders.

Take the hide and sew it together to form a sock, I have a pant leg from a pair of jeans that I sew on the bottom to keep it further away from the heat... we don't want to cook the hide, only apply smoke throughout the skin. I have a round charcoal grill with a smoke stack attached to it that I use. Sitting on the ground the stack sticks up about 4 feet. I hang the hide in a tree and lower the tube until the jean is over the stack. I use charcoal to start the fire inside and apply the rotten cotton wood over the top to keep it smoking good. About 30 mins then flip inside out for consistent color. If color isn't a big deal, then one side is enough. Once you are finished, with the smoke, you should be good to go!

I will leave the hides hang in the garage and let them off gas for a few days or a week to get rid of the heavy smoke smell prior to working further with them. Now if you get them wet or wash them, you might need to soften a little bit to get back to your original condition.

Now you can turn your hard work into something!

[JJB11B]

I know this guy will have 3 deer hides next week I foresee some new early fall hunting togs out of them next season. gonna have to make a traditional bow too.

[JJB11B]

OK -- now its time to smoke the hide.

Smoking the hide puts "RESIN" from the wood into the hide and prevents the "Olympic rings" from connecting again if it gets wet. (hopefully that makes sense to everyone. It also can give it a nice color, lighter or darker depending on time and wood used. The resin fills the space inside the leather that you created by breaking it.

You need to use a dry smoke! I worked with a guy that smoked a hide just like you smoke meat using wet wood chips and it came out hard as a rock! What a waste and back to the softening step you go.

I use bone dry and rotten cottonwood. I look for punky wood and bring it home and keep it in my wood shed just for this reason. Punky wood so it doesn't start on fire, just smolders.

Take the hide and sew it together to form a sock, I have a pant leg from a pair of jeans that I sew on the bottom to keep it further away from the heat... we don't want to cook the hide, only apply smoke throughout the skin. I have a round charcoal grill with a smoke stack attached to it that I use. Sitting on the ground the stack sticks up about 4 feet. I hang the hide in a tree and lower the tube until the jean is over the stack. I use charcoal to start the fire inside and apply the rotten cotton wood over the top to keep it smoking good. About 30 mins then flip inside out for consistent color. If color isn't a big deal, then one side is enough. Once you are finished, with the smoke, you should be good to go!

I will leave the hides hang in the garage and let them off gas for a few days or a week to get rid of the heavy smoke smell prior to working further with them. Now if you get them wet or wash them, you might need to soften a little bit to get back to your original condition.

Now you can turn your hard work into something!

Thank you for breaking it down the way you did, Tons of videos of this on youtube but most do a poor job of explaining the process, Great posts Thanks for sharing!

[JJB11B]

I registered on bushcraftusa forum today. Spent some time poking around, Its giving me lots of Ideas for this category already. I may have to link some of the things there if that's ok with the Mods.

[jasnt]

I registered on bushcraftusa forum today. Spent some time poking around, Its giving me lots of Ideas for this category already. I may have to link some of the things there if that's ok with the Mods.

great forum over there. Nothing like hw 

[pianoman9701]

This might be a great idea for a new category and fits right in with hunting. Mods? Dale?

[Wanttohuntmore]

Another useful sub-category, local edible plants/foods in the NW.

[runamuk]

Another useful sub-category, local edible plants/foods in the NW.

This is a category that I am always shocked at how many people have no idea whats edible out there.  We were taught from a very young age which plants we could eat and not eat, which berries and mushrooms were safe, and how to forage. We weren't a hunting family. 

[pianoman9701]

Another useful sub-category, local edible plants/foods in the NW.

I would think that would be part of Bush Craft and Survival

[WoodlandShooter]

taging for later

[KFhunter]

What's the best local materials for a hand drill to make an ember?

[Wazukie]

Cotton wood or cedar is suppose to be two of the better in the NW 

[jdb]

What's everyone's bush crafting knife?

[Wazukie]

What's everyone's bush crafting knife?

Slef-made "scandi"