Research topic - can you help

[Braidwoman]

Hello all,
I'm writing a report on the slit-braided leather armband from the Iron Age. It's one of those things that is best investigated by doing it, and so far I have made several versions in veg-tan leather, which has been really interesting; I now know how long the original piece was, for a start, and also the width of the two components, the length of the slits and how far apart they are.

The problem I have is with the leather I'm using. The original has been identified as bovine, and the thickness of the strips used is around 3mm, which makes it full-thickness, from an adult cow; in veg-tanned cow leather, that is pretty stiff, although I braid it wet, and it turns out looking, in shape at least, pretty much like the original. I've pulled it through a hole in some wood a few times, like wire, and made it a bit more flexible, but it's still a tough item. I have no experience of brain-tanned, fat-tanned or smoked (or a combination) cowhide, which is most probably what it would have been in the Iron Age, and I'd like to know if the same braid in that sort of leather would feel and act differently (might it be stretchier, for example? The finished armband seems a bit too tight a fit) so I thought of this forum and the wide and varied experience of it's members!

Has anyone come across cow skin done this way? Even better, does anyone know where I could get some? I have seen various websites from America selling hides of deer and buffalo and such, but not cow, and anyway, I couldn't really afford a whole hide (what would I do with it all? and it probably wouldn't be the right thickness ); I also only need a little bit, a strip about 20 cm long and 4 or 5 cm would do it, do you know anyone who sells offcuts? I did wonder about having a go with some rawhide, (I've been doing the same experiments with rawhide, commonly used for braiding in America), and I thought about tanning that, both before and after braiding. But then obviously screech to a halt with the brains side of things....

I have got together a lot of literature about prehistoric leather processing, and leather generally, but none of it includes practical experience of handling the real thing, which is where (hopefully) you lovely people come in.

Can you help?

 

[Ogri the trog]

I know of someone locally,
who faught to get permission to keep the hide of her house cow when it died. She's painstakingly preparing it in as natural way as possible - however, I doubt that she would part with any of it considering the hoops she's had to jump through to get to where she is now.
So I recon it is possible to tan any hide by any means, its just the lengths you are perpared to go to.
Is the research for a museum/society/paper etc?

ATB

Ogri the trog

 

[Toddy]

Many years ago I met someone who was a member of the leather research group......kind of an experimental archaeology like minded association.
I believe the man I met is now dead, but I wonder if the group is still in existance ?

I'll see what I can find.

In the meantime, why not contact Peter at LePrevo and ask if he has a few minutes to talk ? If anyone knows if this stuff is commercially available, he will

cheers,
Toddy

 

[Toddy]

Found it

http://www.archleathgrp.org.uk/

cheers,
Toddy

 

[xylaria]

If the finished braid is too stiff try chewing it. I find it a very effective method of softening small amounts, it is still used by first nation people in canada.

Try using it. It often presumed by acheologists that if something is decrotive that is all that it is. But when you have clothes without pockets, but have something firm around your arm you can tie small bundles to, or take off and tie nettles or such up with, or even collect flower heads with and poke them in is really useful.

 

[Braidwoman]

Thanks for that link, Toddy, I wasn't aware of the group - some great references in the bibliography! I'll try Peter at Le Prevo too, I've bought leather from them, so I know who they are.
I'm doing it for the publication of the find.

I thought about chewing it, but I've looked at this thing under high magnification, and I think I'd probably have seen the teethmarks! I've been reading a lot about rawhide braiding in the US, and they make plied ropes and braided lariats out of rawhide, which came as a surprise, particuarly the ropes - I'd never considered rawhide for something flexible, like a rope (wouldn't do for our damp climate, though!).. There's an excellent video of rawhide ropemaking at
http://www.westernfolklife.org/site1/batr/tools_gearmaking.php
(it's the first one) and the last bit shows them working the rope through holes in a wooden post, using a horse for the muscle to drag it through and soften it up.
That site was where I learnt to let the soaked rawhide dry to just the right consistency to braid with but not shrink when it dries - I produced some terrible dodgy stuff before that!.
The skill of the fancy leather braiders in America is amazing, I'd love to see them at work.

 

[Eric_Methven]

One of the problems when wet forming leather is that it seems a lot more stiff when it dries. I find that with belts as well as shoes that I make. The solution is to oil it to soften it. Neats foot oil is natural and works well. Give the arm band a good soaking in it, then wipe of the excess. You will notice it soften up nicely. Then it should remain soft with continual wearing as your body oils will do the same job. Exposure to the sun will also darken it down to a lovely tan patina.

Would it be possible to put up a photo of the original and a photo of the one you have done. I can easily send you some decent veg tan of the size you need once I've seen a photo of the original. I have veg tan in many thicknesses and in varying degrees of softness.

Eric

 

[Braidwoman]

That's really kind of you, Eric.
Theres a picture of the braid online here
http://news.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/06/sci_nat_enl_1137772056/img/1.jpg (although that's mostly the join!)
It's the same braid as the one used to strangle Tollund Man
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2007/09/bog-bodies/bog-bodies-text/1

That's a very good point about it drying stiffer, and I've noticed it before, both with chrome-tan and veg-tan. Putting some lubrication back into is a good plan. I'm probably being too fussy, but I just wanted to come up with a replica that was as close as possible, to see if the properties varied much with the leather and to answer a few questions I had about it..

The thing I can't change is 3mm cowhide, which according to the literature is the right thickness for an adult cow. But it was almost certainly either brain/oil/smoke tanned or rawhide, or rawhide, subsequently tanned by the bog.
The other variable I wondered about was whether the leather varied in flexibility according to where it came from on the animal? These sort of questions are why I came to this forum - full of people with practical experience, but who also think about the whys and wherefors!

 

[Toddy]

I haveto admit that after reading Tim Severin's book, "The Brendan Voyage", the leather boat he and friends built to sail the Atlantic, I was intrigued by the use of lanolin on the leather rather than on the wool.
The boat was covered in bullock skins, so cowhide as the armband.

Anyway, I had a shot on rawhide with warm lanolin and it works really, really well

Just an idea.

cheers,
Toddy

 

[Eric_Methven]

Rawhide would have been more likely in this case, and sticking it in a tannin rich bog for a long time would certainly make it into leather, as it did Tollund man's skin.

To answer your question about the amount of flexibility from different parts of the hide, the answer is yes, there is a big difference depending on where you cut the leather from. Around the neck area, the skin is thickest and toughest. The back is the best for tooling and is usually the nicest (and most expensive). Sides are good for tooling too, but has more flex which is why I use sides for Mary Rose drinking flasks. Bellies are softest and stretch more. Good for pouches and bags where specific sizes are not critical during the making process.

To give an example, I was making a flask in a hurry once (back in the early days of my craft). I had just enough side for one side of the flask so I used a bit of belly for the other. They both felt and looked the same so I thought it'd be fine. However when I wetted them after stitching together, and stuffed it full of grain to swell it out, I found that the belly side of the flask swelled out twice as much as the other becuase of the amount of 'give' in that particular piece of leather. I had to sell that flask as having 'character'.

Now I make sure front and back sections of flasks are cut from the same area of leather right next to each other. I still use both sides and bellies, but I don't mix them on the same item.

Eric

 

[Tengu]

Ive read the Brendan Voyage too.

One of the interesting results of the research is the different properties of differently tanning methods

 

[Braidwoman]

Oooh.
I haven't read that, and it looks like I should!
Thanks again.
This excellent forum - I've just also discovered that Toddy is someone I've been trying to get in touch with for months, so a good couple of days for me all round!

 

[Tengu]

Its a fantastic book.

The ships in a museum somewhere in W Ireland (Im sure someone can tell us exactly where.)

When I get to Ireland the first thing Im going to do is find a curragh!

 

[Braidwoman]

Britannia (http://www.durolitum.co.uk/onthewater.html) have a couple of those, go and make friends with them!

 

[Tengu]

So much more fun than a coracle...or even a kayak.