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Tanning at the park!
A blustery 35mph wind all day and temps barely out of the 50s made for quite an exciting day. I had to adapt my normal routine to the weather. No big deal. Everyone got to come do a little scraping and softening, getting a hands on feel for each step. I feel like anyone that attended todays class left with confidence that they could go home and tan hides. One lady said she had a freezer full of them, but never knew where to start. The kids from last weekend came back and we all agreed that the hide everyone softened last weekend would get donated to the parks Interpretive Center, so the public could come see, and touch and feel. I told them I didn't feel right about keeping it, since the group did all the work.
We smoked it first thing and let the kids open it. We all had a lot of fun, and I think everybody learned something. Most folks said they were going home to try it and whether they made a "good hide" or not, they would keep trying. I think it was the "magic hour" when the hide changed from sloppy-wet to supple soft and light as a cloud, that really got them hooked.
I think I'll make a tanner out of this fella, who was definately the most entheusiastic and participated the most. He had lots of questions and remembered a lot of stuff from last weekend. He and his sis had a tug of war, hehe.
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The best part was knowing I touched a lot of folks with some knowledge, and an experience of what it was like in a time when people used to do things for themselves. I don't know whether they enjoyed it as much as I did, but I thought it was great to have a chance to share this with them.
This definately goes on my list of best days ever!
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That's fantastic....nothing lights up your life like watching the light go on in a kids eyes.....congrats, man.
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It's Great to Beable to Teach someone your Craft and Learn from it . And Then Passs It On to other they Know and Will Meet In the Future. Good Job and Congrats for Making a Change and Informing Others On It's Not Just the Meat you Get from A Critter.
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Great job!! Looks like everyone had fun!
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Ycc, Well done... the hide looks real good. You are a good teacher.
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You really seem to have found your calling. It looks like everyone had a great day.
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Kids are special, and those that invest in them are as well. Nice.
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Thanks guys. I wished it were a little less windy, but everyone still left smiling. What a great day!
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On those days that are less the ideal for doing that kind of work just remind folks that weather was just one more item indigenous folks had to contend with. They still had to live their life and that meant tanning in colder and windy weather.
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One of the main things I stressed to everyone was flexibility (adaptability). With the wind blowing so hard, we set up a tent of sorts with a tarp, to block the wind so we could smoke the hides. We located ourselves on the downwind side of the building to block as much as we could. The wind was really a blessing in disguise, because it ripped the water out of the hides we were working like a racecar. It only took about an hour and a half to work a hide from sloppy wet to dry, where normally it might take me a couple hours in more humid conditions. It really helped a lot with the furs we were softening too, as it dried the hair side much more quickly, making softening the skins more feasible. By the time we got (almost) done with the buckskins, and started on the furs it was lunchtime, so a few folks got "homework" out of the deal hehe. I was glad I made extra brain-juice to take with us as one fellow brought some beaver, another brought a coon, and I took the bobcat. Got the cat almost dry last night, and will finish it this morning, so be looking for pics of that one in the "furs" thread. I'm hoping the others will post photos of their finished furs so I can see how well they did.
You know, a lot of folks showed up wanting tips on "technique" and I must have told everyone 10 times that "it is much less about technique, and more about timing. Do the steps in the right order, and at the right time, and you can't go wrong!" Heck, KIDS were doing this stuff with zero experience! What better example could I have asked for?!
We touched briefly on bark tanning for a few folks (there's not a whole lot to it..), and I let folks know that this was an option for furs, that it would make tight leathers, and using RWC's example that it doesn't stain the fur. I have about a week left on a deer hide I'm bark-tanning (fur off) and then I'm going to try it on maybe a squirrel hide or something that won't matter if it gets messed up. This deerhide is such a deep red from the live oak, that it is almost black. Maybe snap a pic of it today and talk about strengthening liquors in the utility leather thread.
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A couple folks at the class have been at it. I've been getting calls, asking for tips. One fella went home and started on a beaver hide, thought it was too tough, which I agreed, and he came over and picked up a really kniFed-up deer hide. Called this evening he had already smoked it! Another lady wants me to come help her set up her stations and check out my frames and stuff. I'm really blown away by how much interest was actually out there, but just like me, they had no idea where to start.
It's a great feeling to share knowledge among other like-minded folks. If we don't share what we know, it eventually becomes a legend. Teaching is it's own reward!
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"It's a great feeling to share knowledge among other like-minded folks. If we don't share what we know, it eventually becomes a legend. Teaching is it's own reward! "
Truer words were never spoken. Great job
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Great job YCC. It's great when others show an interest in your work. Work that you are passionate about is fun to share.
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I'm sure glad this new "job" is working out so well for you. You have the knowledge and personality to do well and you can tell just how much you enjoy it.
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nice work YCC I'm so glad that this is woeking out for you
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Great stuff, handing those skills to another generation.
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Thanks for the kind words and encouragement guys. Were it not for that initial push, I might still be just tanning for the fun of it, but now I'm sharing the fun with others and I LOVE it. I always wanted to be a teacher, but never figured I'd have the patience or linear-enough train of thought to do it. What a great thing! I get to teach something that is both fun and interesting, and culturally important in history.
My brain just keeps saying "Wow".
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