moleskin tanning preserving

[Vrouwe]

I'm from The Netherlands and just started to learn about tanning moleskins.
I'm looking fot ways of home tanning and found a video about an old tannery. They tell about a dying (?) bath in which the hides go. Because i'm not a native speaker i don't understand what kind of bath that is.

My questions?

1. Does anyone know if there still are oldfashioned tanneries in GReat Brittain
2. What bath do they mean in the video http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=37650
3. Can I use preserverd (not tanned) fur for clothes etc?

I hope there's some one who can help me?

 

[freemotion]

What an interesting idea! I think Beekissed has done some tanning....hopefully she'll chime in. Maybe others have looked into it, too....

 

[Gomanson]

I don't know what kind of bath it is. They didn't give any detail. I am trying to tan (actually, preserve, as you say) squirrel skins and rabbit skins. I am using this method: http://www.motherearthnews.com/Modern-Homesteading/1983-01-01/How-To-Tan-Rabbit-Hides.aspx?page=8

I would also like to know about using "tawed" skins for clothes. Apparently this type of skin isn't able to get wet without rotting, so it would seem a poor choice for boot linings, capes, mittens, etc. But it seems like most fur on hood linings, gloves, etc IS made this way. Maybe it's meant to be fashion clothes only, and not to be worn while doing work, camping, or anything else when it might get wet or damp.

Does anyone know?

 

[miss_thenorth]

Welcome both of you!! Vrouwe, what dilect do you speak? My folks are from Friesland, although I think my dad can speak regular dutch too. If there are things you have trouble with, maybe I can get them to help with the translation.

I haven't tanned anything yet. I have a rabbit pelt and a lambskin in my freezer, hoping I will find time to try it this winter.

 

[~gd]

I'm from The Netherlands and just started to learn about tanning moleskins.
I'm looking fot ways of home tanning and found a video about an old tannery. They tell about a dying (?) bath in which the hides go. Because i'm not a native speaker i don't understand what kind of bath that is.Pardon me if I am 'Talking Down' to you but 'dying' is a process to change color of the skins or hides. They all go through the same bath so hopefully they will all come out the same color. As to what the bath contained I can only guess, that film was old enough that it may have been a simple natural die such as would be made from tree nut hulls. Walnuts will give a darK shade of Brown, Butternuts usually give a brown with a yellow hue, Hickory and Pecans have slightly different hues in the brown to tan range. Now I have used none of these on an animal skin(other than my own hands LOL) but they work well as wood stains and stand up to sun and weather well. I think the term of" tanning" skins originally came from their treatment with materials from Oak trees which are high in tannic acid. Also Tanning places were well Known for their smell due to using Human Urine it their processes. Modern tanning methods use less natural products and the colors probably come from manufactured die stuffs. Search for Tanning supplies to find where they can be purchased

My questions?

1. Does anyone know if there still are oldfashioned tanneries in GReat BrittainDon't know but doubt it
2. What bath do they mean in the video http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=37650
3. Can I use preserverd (not tanned) fur for clothes etc?since I don't know what a "preserved fur is, I couldn't answer ~gd

I hope there's some one who can help me?

I hope this was some help.

 

[Farmfresh]

Give this link a try. Fenland Sheepskin This is a traditional tannery located in Bridgwater, Somerset.

I heard about them from the series River Cottage.

I have done a bit of tanning myself. I bought my supplies from a US company called Van Dykes

Hope this helps!

 

[~gd]

Give this link a try. Fenland Sheepskin This is a traditional tannery located in Bridgwater, Somerset.

I heard about them from the series River Cottage.

I have done a bit of tanning myself. I bought my supplies from a US company called Van Dykes

Hope this helps!

Yes I have made Rawhide with products from Van Dykes, I didn't think of it as tanning but of course it was.

 

[Vrouwe]

Txs you all for your reactions so far.
@ miss_thenorth. I live in Friesland, but i'm regular Dutch.

Of what i see in that old movie is that it's a very soft en supple moleskin they get. If i tan with alum it's hard, and if i preserve with spriti it's soft.

But as far as i now know. Alum changes something in de skin to keep it from rotting it. Spirit just draws out the blood, but doesn't change the proteins.

Modern technics with chrome result in a soft fur, but chrome being a heavy metal, i prefer not to use that.

I'm going to check out the links you gave me. And offcourse hope for even more reply's to my topic.

 

[Hattie the Hen]

I'm from The Netherlands and just started to learn about tanning moleskins.
I'm looking fot ways of home tanning and found a video about an old tannery. They tell about a dying (?) bath in which the hides go. Because i'm not a native speaker i don't understand what kind of bath that is.

My questions?

1. Does anyone know if there still are oldfashioned tanneries in GReat Brittain
2. What bath do they mean in the video http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=37650
3. Can I use preserverd (not tanned) fur for clothes etc?

I hope there's some one who can help me?

Hi there! I live in the UK so I did a bit of research here on traditional tanneries & found these links.......>>>

http://www.ponyandcarriage.co.uk/horse_carriage_and_harness_restoration_repair.htm

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attrac...rnish_Isle_of_Skye_The_Hebrides_Scotland.html

http://www.bradleysthetannery.co.uk/contactus.asp

http://www.derelictplaces.co.uk/main/showthread.php?t=10419

http://www.jfjbaker.co.uk/process_a.php

http://www.barrheadleather.co.uk/category.do?category=18

These are a wide selection of what I found & they vary a lot in the information given. I suspect you will have to do a lot of writing to get any useful information out of them.

You might have more luck in actually seeing the process in places in North Africa , like Morocco where you can go & visit primative working tanneries as part of a tourist visit.

Good luck with your search.

Hattie