Tanning Question

[Tricia]

On browsing the back pages of the DIY forum, I saw a thread where someone had bought some rhubarb tanned leather and wondered if anyone here knows the technique for doing this please?
I have the sheepskins (or one red deerhide in the freezer) and lots of rhubarb!
Would love to give it a go.

 

[SouthernCross]

G'day Tricia

On browsing the back pages of the DIY forum, I saw a thread where someone had bought some rhubarb tanned leather and wondered if anyone here knows the technique for doing this please?
I have the sheepskins (or one red deerhide in the freezer) and lots of rhubarb!
Would love to give it a go.

I wouldn't be at all suprised that Rhubarb (including the roots) has tannins that can be used to tan a hide



Kind regards
Mick

 

[Eric_Methven]

The tannins in the rhubarb help break up the mucoid bonds, which allows the tanning mixture to penetrate deeply and evenly. It just helps speed the process up a bit. You still need a tanning mixture though. For sheepskin or deerskin, the ideal is the animal's brains (google "braintanning") or eggs and pure soap as a less reflux gagging alternative.

Eric

 

[Tricia]

Thanks Eric and Mick, did a bit of googling and apparently it`s the rhubarb root that does the trick, so might give it a go. Not too worried over using brains but they are so hard to get here...I have to purchase my hides from a slaughterhouse and need a license to do so, they don`t trade in the brains though, so will have to stick to eggs
Was bad enough just de-wooling the two sheepskins I intend to buckskin, the skink was awful and even after washing still permeated the skins, so have them now sitting in a de odourising solution combined with a pickle and hope that does the trick.

 

[SouthernCross]

G'day Eric

The tannins in the rhubarb help break up the mucoid bonds, which allows the tanning mixture to penetrate deeply and evenly. It just helps speed the process up a bit. You still need a tanning mixture though. For sheepskin or deerskin, the ideal is the animal's brains (google "braintanning") or eggs and pure soap as a less reflux gagging alternative.

Eric

You can tan a hide using tannins alone.



Kind regards
Mick