"Stuffed Animals & Pickled Heads." Oxford University Press. Many tanning purists, however, maintain that brain tanning leads the herd for superior leather production. Generally, it cures the hide faster than other methods and creates warmer, softer leather. Chrome tanning employs chromium sulfate, a kind of salt, as the tanning agent. Instead, more than 90 percent of the tanning performed in the United States is called chrome tanning. īrain tanning and vegetable tanning comprise a sliver of the leather tanning that happens today. In fact, colonists brought bark tanning practices with them to the United States. Like brain tanning, this process of bark or vegetable tanning has an extensive history. There are natural oils in the plant that moisturize collagen proteins to give the skin softness and flexibility. Once the hide has absorbed the liquid, the skin is smoked in order to seal it.įor those who aren't interested in getting inside an animal's head, you can also obtain tannin from plant sources, such as sumac leaves or bark. The same goes for other animals including cows, raccoons and beavers. Ironically, deer have just enough oil, or lecithin, in their brains to adequately tan their own hides. Native Americans first practiced this method of brain tanning and continue to tan hides with it today. The brain contains oil called lecithin that serves as a natural tanning agent to lubricate the skin. Rub the brain solution on the hide as if you're applying aloe on a sunburn victim. Put it in a bucket with some water and heat the mixture. Go back to the carcass and grab the deer's brain. How do you grease up the skin's collagen proteins in order to make it usable? You need a tanning agent, also called tannin. You've done your initial cleaning and it's stretched and dried. Now, let's say you're tanning a deer hide. Most tanning procedures include soaking the skin in a water-based solution for a few hours up to a few weeks in order to loosen the hair. Slightly duller blades, like those of bone or rock, work best because they don't snag or tear the hide. When removing the excess flesh and fat, no need for the samurai sword. In primitive times, this involved blades derived from bones or chipped from rocks. Before you get down to the actual tanning process, you must first clean the skin.
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