A watched bucking solution never swells...

I recovered from the bear skinning and got back to the bucking waiting game.  The hide was fine sitting in the solution for up to 10 days, but after that could start to swell too much, turning into mush/glue.  I checked the hide after 2, 3, and 4 days, but then left it alone until the maximum 10 because I thought that it'd be best to give it as much time as possible.  The grain layer (the layer of skin that holds the hair follicles) is very difficult to remove, and even see, if it's not fully swollen.

I find that I'm always a little nervous when opening the bucket because I'm never sure how the hide will smell.  While in the bucking solution, it only smelled vaguely of glue...hard to explain, but a swollen smell that wasn't really offensive. Didn't even have the gamey/wild animal smell that it had while de-fleshing.

To check the hide, I cut a bit off the neck (because the neck is much thicker than the belly or legs and therefore takes the longest to swell).  I looked for a brownish or "tawny" color indicating that it was swollen.  I'm not 100% sure what "tawny" is, but I was picturing the yellow-brown color that I associate with cartoon drawings of deer.  However, every time I checked, the hide was still a white-bluish color, meaning it wasn't swollen yet.  It was very blue the first time I checked (after only 2 days), and then got warmer in color as the days passed.

Digging in, trying to find a thick area.



Hard to tell, but this is actually too bluish-white.



A few days later...still difficult to see in this photo, but it seemed a little too white, although no longer bluish.  The problem with doing something yourself that you've never seen demonstrated is that you have no idea what you're looking for in each step. It's a little frustrating. (A lot frustrating.)

While waiting I also prepared for the next step by making a better fleshing beam (it'll technically be a "graining beam").  I wanted a beam that was about 3-6" in diameter so that there would be appropriate contact between the beam and the drawknife.  It had to be round because the knife just doesn't work well on a flat surface. It might seem counter intuitive if you're picturing it in your head, but trust me...or if you're a woman (um, or a man who has shaved his legs), think about how dangerous it is to shave on your ankles compared to the back of your calf muscle.  You're more likely to cut yourself around your ankle because the razor blade is wider than the skin it contacts and can dig into it.  But on the back of your calf, the skin is flatter with more even contact with the razor, making it less likely to nick.  Does this make sense?

I went to Lowes and bought some thick gloves coated in PVC (key to brain tanning, I'd say), as well as a corner fence post.  I told the man who was helping me that I  needed a fence post for brain tanning! He couldn't care less.  Maybe he gets that all the time.  I sawed a piece out of the fence post so it would fit onto a step ladder (see below).  It's been years since I worked in my Dad's workshop, and boy did it feel great to be using a handsaw again.

Look at me! I'm sawing!

The notch I cut out to rest the beam onto the step ladder for stability.

Demonstrating how I'll use the graining beam.  The edge of the hide will be pressed between my stomach and the end of the beam while the rest of the hide rests on the beam.  This allows me to work with it by pushing the drawknife down and can be rotated easily.

My Mom also helped me line an area of floor and wall of the garage with plastic to catch all the splatters/flying hair/etc.  We're quite fond of picnics and celebrations in my family, so we fancy 'em up with plastic table cloths.  With plenty on hand we used those, but any type of plastic sheeting would have sufficed. Also laid out old newspapers to help soak up the water. 

All set! Just needed that dang bucking solution to finish up...