STROPS FROM SCRATCH #6: Tanning the Deer Skin in Oak Bark, Solution, Layering, Leather

Tanning the deer skin into leather in oak bark. The skin is soaked in a solution of bark and then laid away in layers of chopped oak bark for 6 to 8 weeks or more.

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Vegetable tanning uses tannic acid from roots barks leaves and other plant materials to preserve skins and make them into leather. The tannic acid tans the hide by cross linking the collagen fibers permanently changing the way the behave when exposed to water. Tanned hides are rot resistant and retain most of their softness after wetting and drying. In this video we use oak bark in a solution to start the skin, and then lay the skin away in layers of chipped bark to finish tanning. Once the skin is penetrated all the way through, it is tanned, but leaving it for a longer period allows it to soak up more tannin and become more thoroughly tanned. This is a deer skin, but other skins can be tanned at home by roughly the same process. Learning home tanning is a process, but it is not that hard and it's very rewarding. This series shows how to tan a deer skin with oak bark and lime.