| Fleshing: remove any meat and fat from the underside of the hide |
0.5 |
0 |
| Washing: remove any dirt, debris or blood from the hide |
0.5 |
0 |
| Bucking: soak in an alkaline solution to make the hair slip |
0.5 |
0 |
| Stirring, checking: stir for even penetration, check for hair to start slipping |
0.5 |
168 |
| Dehairing, rinsing, scudding: remove hair, rinse out alkalinity, and squeeze proteins out of hide |
1 |
24 |
| Drenching: ferment bran in water and soak hide to bring pH closer to neutral |
0.5 |
96 |
| Rinsing, scudding: rinse and squeeze proteins out of hide again |
0.5 |
0 |
| Making tannin tea: soak 12 lbs of oak bark in 10 gallons water, simmer, strain |
3 |
24 |
| Initial stirring: put hide in tannin tea and stir constantly for even color and penetration |
6 |
18 |
| Ongoing stirring, checking: stir hide 3x daily until tanned through |
2 |
335 |
| Resetting the pH: remove from tannin and soak in vinegar water |
0.5 |
1 |
| Rinsing: rinse loose tannins out (til water runs clear) for soft leather |
0.5 |
24 |
| Scudding: squeeze liquid out to prep hide for dressing |
0.5 |
0 |
| Dressing: soak hide in emulsified fats (egg yolks and olive oil) for softness |
0.5 |
12 |
| Tacking out: spread hide out flat, smooth with a slicker, tack out to dry |
0.5 |
48 |
| Oiling: once almost dry, apply neetsfoot oil |
0.5 |
0 |
| Staking: once oiled, work over a staking post for softness |
0.5 |
0 |
| Buffing: pumice the underside until smooth |
0.5 |
0 |
| Trimming: trim off the outer edges |
0.5 |
0 |
| Condition: apply dubbin (tallow/beeswax/lanolin) for waterproof and shine |
0.5 |
0 |
| TOTAL HOURS |
20 |
750 |
