Wanted: Boarskins

[Lou]

Hi guys, I am not sure if this is the right place to post this request, but here goes. I am looking for a couple of boar skins for a wee project I am doing at the moment. I was wondering if anyone has anything they would like to trade or know of any suppliers or friends who can get hold of a couple for me.

Ideally, I need the skins and not necessarily the heads, I am not going to use them for rugs but intend to cut them up, however, if they come with heads, then that is no problem. I would love to use the hooves (claws?) too, but if there are none attached then again, no probs.

I really am not looking for skins that have been on a dusty floor for years and are full of mites, only freshly tanned ones will do, I am afraid.

I have seen a couple of hides on fleabay, I think they are from Eastern Europe, but I thought I would put the word out here first, just in case anyone has anything they can part with.

thanks!

 

[Bartooon]

You could try contacting one of the suppliers listed on the website below - they may be able to help.

http://www.britishwildboar.org.uk/index.htm?Suppliers.htm

 

[Toddy]

If you have never worked with one before, I tell you now, they smell. They smell of stale sweaty musk.
New ones smell like that, old ones smell like that, ones from Germany smell like that ones from E. Europe smell like that; it's just the boar.

Tough stuff, and it doesn't shed the way reindeer does, but that smell is why it's not more used.

I have worked for weeks on end travelling with a huge load of animal skins as part of the kit, everything from black bear, seal, wolf, deer, fox, etc., in among them. I can tell just opening the door of the van if the boar skins are in or not. Same inside the buildings we set up in, even over the smell of bread proving, fire by friction smokiness, we can smell the boarskins.

cheers,
Toddy

 

[Wayland]

Yep, Wot Mary said...

 

[santaman2000]

Interesting. I've never smelled anything weird in/on a football. Or a pigskin jacket.

 

[Toddy]

That's because the epidermal layer that carries the hair folicles and the oil/sweat glands, has been removed to make the leather.

M

 

[santaman2000]

Ahhh. Now that makes sense.

 

[walkswithnomoccasins]

not only do they reek to the high heaven but are also one of the greasiest hides i have ever tanned. had 1 failed attempt now the next hide i will be washing with petrol on the flesh side otherwise it will block the brains from being absorbed

 

[walkswithnomoccasins]

another major problem is pigs have skin rather than hide so all hair folicals are between the base of the fibre matrix and the membrane of the hide. When you flesh the hide you have to be very very gentle so as not to pull all the hair through the hide

 

[Toddy]

I've never tried to tan pigskin, hair on or off, thank you for the information walkswithnomoccasins

I'm trying to think of what use a boarskin could be ? It's bristly, not comfortable to handle, it smells awful, it's too stiff to shape easily, I don't think it'd stretch while it's complete with the epidermal layer either.

Curious now. Tawnyhare ? what were you intending to do with it ?

cheers,
Toddy

 

[Lou]

aha, well that is all very interesting thanks guys. of course, I have had absolutely no experience with boar skin before. Toddy, I intend to cover a handle for a drum that I have made, and a few other bits and pieces. I wonder if I were to use boar *leather* would that be more suitable and more supple and less smelly? I have used deer hide for the drum, but the handle at the back is too hard to hold, so I need to cover it in something softer. I saw these hides on this website, maybe I will contact them and ask them if they are smelly or not (and how supple). http://www.wildlife-products.co.uk/page2.htm I have no problem with a little bit of whiff, I guess it will be important not to get it wet, so perhaps the sweat from my hand holding it would bring out the smell from it?

I like the look of the fallow deer hide on that page, but would not want to cut it up, it is so pretty as it is. I friend of mine has a couple of reindeer hides that I am going to buy from her so maybe I will use that instead.

 

[Toddy]

Pigskin is widely used for bags, gloves, some clothing. You might manage to source some leather that way. It is very supple, but then it is dressed out and the hair removed.
Hair on, it's smells. It just, no, not something I'd want to be handling much if I could avoid it. The smell clings, it really does. Walkswithnomoccasins experience of tanning it is probably why.


atb,
M

 

[Lou]

thanks for the info everyone. I asked the eBay seller from Poland who is selling whole hog hides about the smell and he said it disappears eventually, but I think I am going to go with deer hide now, the fallow deer patterning is just beautiful, I may get one of each, fallow and red, and then cut them up as needed.

 

[Toddy]

I think you're being wise

Eventually.....one boarskin that was part of a kit we used 10 years ago still smells. Not as badly as it did, but it's still got that miasma about it. Tough stuff though.

cheers,
Toddy