The Day of Reckoning

Well well well.  The time for stretching arrived.  While the hide was waiting in the Ziploc bag, I ate a sandwich, did some stretches, turned on the heater in the garage, checked blog stats, milled around for a bit... you know, anything I could do to delay the final step in case it didn't turn to leather.  I finally sucked it up and began pulling/stretching/manipulating the hide in my hands, on my knees, on a sawhorse, anything. 

With all the unnecessary parts removed (grain, hair, membrane), and the brain/oil having penetrated the remaining collagen to help it open up, I needed to stretch the hide while it turned from damp to dry.


Turned the heat up in the garage and used a space heater so it wouldn't take even longer for the hide to dry. (It would be exhausting to keep stretching in cold weather.)



 Sorry again for the sideways video, but here's me, getting up close and personal with the hide (um, yet again).  It was important to work every inch of the hide. I tried to stretch the thinner edge areas first (belly), then focused on the thicker parts (neck, back).

If you just watched the video, please picture me doing that for four straight hours, stopping only to turn the camera on and off, and to grab some water and apple slices (pre-cut during my "avoid the stretching" milling about).  Here's another video, in case you couldn't get enough out of the first one.

The break time apple slices were only possible after my Mom came home early from work when I begged, I mean, asked her for help.  Mom-the Mercenary of Leather Stretching!  (More like "Redeemer of Leather Stretching," since I only paid her with a pat on the back.)  Of the four hours, she helped with the final hour and a half as we watched the brownish raw hide dry to white.


The upper portion of the hide is drying to white.



Thanks Mom!  (Dad was out of town that evening and had to miss the fun.)



This is my favorite picture of the whole experience.

Out of all the help I received during tanning, I needed the most during this step.  The new maxim should read: Many hands make soft leather

Stretched my fingertips raw.  (Yeah, you can't really see it in this photo, but they were red!)



Battered knees from working on the concrete garage floor.

 As the hide was drying, some of the edges were turning super super soft and supple, luxurious even!  That part was exciting.  The part that was not exciting, however, was the middle and main part of the hide.  In the final hours it became clear that no matter how much my Mom and I pulled, it was not drying softly.

After all the preparation, all the hard work, all the smelling of brains, the hide only turned into about 10% leather.  Such. A. Disappointment.  I had to call the game/throw in the towel/bring in the troops when I realized that the middle would forever be a piece of soft on the outside, stiff on the inside, half parchment/half leather.  The outer fiber layers were soft like leather, but the inner layers had not been penetrated by the brains enough to help them stretch open... or maybe I needed more help stretching (maybe using a frame and stick to work the hide, like the picture on the front of the book)... or maybe I hadn't rinsed enough after the bucking... or who knows. 



I'm tugging on the leather, while the stiff parchment-like areas on the left remain crunchy and tug-proof.

 I sat on the couch sore and defeated.  I looked like my puppy dog had just run away.  My Mom tried to cheer me up by suggesting a hot shower and some Chic-fil-A, which did help a little, but it took a few hours before I could play the "Upside Game." 

The hide didn't turn to a beautiful large piece of brain tanned leather, but...
Upside: Some of it did turn to leather, which I can use for science experiments at school.
Upside: Several men told me about their failures in tanning through various methods, so I didn't feel like I was the only person who didn't get it right on my first try.
Upside:  I learned all about the process and will be able to talk to other brain tanners out there to learn even more.
Upside: The project was the talk of the town and I got to work with community, school, and family members.

I was also embarrassed.  I had started this blog and been talking about tanning for quite some time, and I was worried about what people would think after they found out that I hadn't become a master tanner.  But, as usual, friends are supportive and kind...and made me feel much better.  I debated not smoking the hide, but decided to finish so at least the percentage that was leather would go through the whole process.