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| Fleshing Beam
Removing the meat and scraping the flesh down to the membrane which protects the 'hide' or actual deer skin. |
The Tool at Work
A 'dulled' draw knife and occasionally a small hand knife are used to separate the flesh from the membrane. The temperature was just above freezing and the hides just came from the freezer an hour or so before this activity. This seemed to aid in the removal of the flesh. |
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Check back for more . . . spring is coming and I have a lot of hides ready for the next step: Bucking - processing the hide in an alkaline solution prior to removing the hair and the membrane! | |
| Flesh Separating
Notice how the flesh 'rolls' away from the membrane. |
For more information on this type of tanning, check out this web site . . . |
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| Egg Tanned Porcupine Belly Hide
Here I tried a mixture of chicken egg and olive oil to 'tan' the hide. It worked okay leaving the hide soft and supple. |
The Finished Product
Buckskin - brained, softened, smoked. |