HWMBLT has just given me a tutorial (and a neatly printed out crib sheet ) of how to post photos from my picassa thingie.
So, I'm going to try it out.
The deer skin came from the one that my friend, a butcher to trade, showed me how to take apart in joints I recognise, not just as amorphous bits of venison
It was left in a black bag in my freezing cold shed for a week until I got time to finally open it out and think about dealing with it.
The original intention had been to make rawhide from it, and smoke tan it at the Scottish New Year meet at Wiston Lodge.
However, having opened it out, and the pelt is lovely and it feels sound, no holes since it was a high neck shot that felled the animal, that seemed a bit of a waste.
I'll see how it goes, and will post my progress, but for the present I'll give the washing machine method a try.
Firstly, remove all the visceral tissues from the inside of the skin.
Easier said than done. They don't want to come off
I could scrape them off, but that can damage the skin with little nicks and scars. I could cover the entire insides in salt and stretch the skin out and leave it to dry. This makes a very fine salty crumbly surface which just rubs off, but it doesn't always lend itself to keeping the pelt.
I'm hand working the skin clean.
Here's as far as I'd gotten by 9 am this morning. Bitter cold and numb I gave up and made like a taxi for my Uncle for the rest of the day No daylight to do anymore today and it's not a job you want to do in the warm
Sika deerskin, about three quarters peeled.
Sika deerskin, with most of the visceral tissues peeled from the hide.
Easing the fine layer off the hide.
The aim is to remove the thin tissues while leaving the hide intact without damaging the underside of the hair follicles.
It's hard work because it doesn't want to peel, and if it's scraped it can damage the hide
Often there's a very thin (this one's about 1mm thick) meaty layer lying directly under the skin. Butchering doesn't remove this, so it has to come off with the rest of the cawl.
Easing back cleanly, and at this point I decided to see if I could manage to keep the pelt sound too.
So, I'm going to try it out.
The deer skin came from the one that my friend, a butcher to trade, showed me how to take apart in joints I recognise, not just as amorphous bits of venison
It was left in a black bag in my freezing cold shed for a week until I got time to finally open it out and think about dealing with it.
The original intention had been to make rawhide from it, and smoke tan it at the Scottish New Year meet at Wiston Lodge.
However, having opened it out, and the pelt is lovely and it feels sound, no holes since it was a high neck shot that felled the animal, that seemed a bit of a waste.
I'll see how it goes, and will post my progress, but for the present I'll give the washing machine method a try.
Firstly, remove all the visceral tissues from the inside of the skin.
Easier said than done. They don't want to come off
I could scrape them off, but that can damage the skin with little nicks and scars. I could cover the entire insides in salt and stretch the skin out and leave it to dry. This makes a very fine salty crumbly surface which just rubs off, but it doesn't always lend itself to keeping the pelt.
I'm hand working the skin clean.
Here's as far as I'd gotten by 9 am this morning. Bitter cold and numb I gave up and made like a taxi for my Uncle for the rest of the day No daylight to do anymore today and it's not a job you want to do in the warm
Sika deerskin, about three quarters peeled.
Sika deerskin, with most of the visceral tissues peeled from the hide.
Easing the fine layer off the hide.
The aim is to remove the thin tissues while leaving the hide intact without damaging the underside of the hair follicles.
It's hard work because it doesn't want to peel, and if it's scraped it can damage the hide
Often there's a very thin (this one's about 1mm thick) meaty layer lying directly under the skin. Butchering doesn't remove this, so it has to come off with the rest of the cawl.
Easing back cleanly, and at this point I decided to see if I could manage to keep the pelt sound too.
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