Working the raw material

PatrickM

Nomad
Sep 7, 2005
270
16
Glasgow
www.backwoodsurvival.co.uk
Another busy day scraping down hides for winter projects, great weather, no flies and quite cool - ideal conditions:)

hide-wet-scrape.jpg
 

PatrickM

Nomad
Sep 7, 2005
270
16
Glasgow
www.backwoodsurvival.co.uk
Hi Eric, all these hides will be transformed into buckskin, I have a freezer full of heads :yikes:
Two of the larger fallow hides which are in the cool house will be brained with the hair on for a cape.
A full outfit of mocs, mitts, hat, breeks and shirt or jacket will be made up in early spring when I have the time. :)
 

joe o

Member
Feb 14, 2011
29
0
Wiltshire
Hi Patrick,

I'll look forward to seeing that lot. In fact I might race yer to a fully finished buckskin and fur outfit (feeling confident as I've got a head start and also knowing that you'll probably have several hundred metres of nettle cordage to twiddle on the side ;) )! I'm getting there with a red deer hide hooded parka, dry scraped, brained and softened then smoked to within an inch of it's life up in the smoke hole of the main camp shelter throughout the whole year. The buckskin trousers and hunting shirt I'm aiming to make up from buckskin pieces, some smoked more heavily than others to give a sort of 'two tone' camouflage and the pucker toe woodland moccs are done, just waiting to be worn in and moulded then re-smoked.
I've roughly calculated for 9 fallow sized buckskins for moccasins, mittens, troos, shirt and sewing thonging plus three red hair on hides for the parka.
Keep posting the pics, it'll give me the kick up the rear I need to get everything finished over the winter.

Cheers

Joe
www.wilderness-survival.co.uk
 

PatrickM

Nomad
Sep 7, 2005
270
16
Glasgow
www.backwoodsurvival.co.uk
fallow-hides.jpg


Almost finished, this lot are soft and fluffy with one partially smoked. Only another 6 to soften then I will smoke them and begin the cutting and sewing.


PS Joe - that sounds good I hope to see the results when I see you next, I'll leave the race for the time being as I gave up running marathons a few years ago. :)
 

Toddy

Mod
Mod
Jan 21, 2005
39,133
4,810
S. Lanarkshire
I've seen those buckskins that Patrick made, and they are just superb :notworthy: what an amount of work to achieve something like this though.
They really are white too, I know why they're to be smoked, but it somehow seems a shame. On the other hand if they turn out a good rich colour, they'll just be all the more wearable :)


How are you getting on with yours, Joe ?

cheers,
Toddy
 

leaf man

Nomad
Feb 2, 2010
338
0
Blacker Hill
on here, i think alot of us are on a constant hunt for new skills and trying to become enlightened with the ancient skills. looking at what you have already achieved with those buckskins, patrick and joe are obviously already there. cant wait to see the finished clothing! well done
 

PatrickM

Nomad
Sep 7, 2005
270
16
Glasgow
www.backwoodsurvival.co.uk

Hand sewn buckskin outers, fur inners - super warm and cosy. Almost finished another pair with a more simplified pattern
- looks as if I will be sewing for a wee while yet.
:sigh:


buckskin-mittens.jpg


Mary I agree with you, buckskin always looks nice when it is white but alas not very practical to wear in the outdoors.

Smoking is essential and its nice to play with the different colours the smoke produces and the various materials to burn - grass, bark, punk, fungi etc
 

grey-array

Full Member
Feb 14, 2012
1,067
4
The Netherlands
Really cool, I read allot of things about mukluks and would really love to make a pair sometime, would be a lovely change from the extremely rugged mountain boots I have, but what kind of pattern did you use as I can'[ t seem to find any useful pattern, would you like to enlighten me where you got it or even perhaps share it with me.

A humble student of the traditional ways
 
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British Red

M.A.B (Mad About Bushcraft)
Dec 30, 2005
26,887
2,140
Mercia
Amazing stuff - I get a lot of enuui when the same old stuff comes up - but your stuff is amazing Patrick - and this is the best yet!
 

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