Brain tanning
The tanning of animal skins with the animal brain mass is an almost forgotten method of tanning, which in practice is hardly applicable today. Historically, it was mainly used by North American Indians and associated with a smoke conservation. This leather was also called "Indian leather".
Also the Zulu in Africa, the Sami in Scandinavia and the different peoples of Asia knew this tanning process. The hides of all mammals can be used for brain tanning. The larger the skin, the harder the work.
Advantages of brain tanning: The brain is always present by killing the animals and the tanning with brain is fast. Brain tanning takes only a few days. Also, the technical effort is low, and the leathers are easy to make soft. The production takes place 100% from natural products and you do not need any further "chemistry".
Disadvantage is the high workload, and the successful tanning is not as easy as with the alternative tanning methods. The skin layer of the hair side as well as the fat and flesh remnants of the back must be carefully and thoroughly removed so that the brain can penetrate the fibers good enough. Only this way the leather gets beautifully soft. The brain mass must be pressed into the fiber with considerable effort.
To ensure a long-lasting softness of the leather, it was traditionally stored in a special tent over wood smoke, which gave the skin a dark brown tone and waterproofed it and thus protected it better. Without this process, the leather is whitish and water-sensitive.
Video about brain tanning
Visiting a tanning course with brain tanning.
The fat and meat remnants must be removed. There is a clear separation between fat and meat remnants and the future leather.
When the hair is scraped off, a tick sometimes appears.
Stretching the skin in the Stretcher and drying frame.
Dry-scraping must be done carefully from left to right and from top to bottom. Quickly the skin is damaged if not carefully done.
Holes are sewn. Sometimes, many holes are in the leather.
Brain tanning: Basically, the brain can be used by all animals. Usually the brain mass of an animal is enough for its leather. It is available at the slaughterhouse or butcher, if one does not have the head of the animal. Brain is quickly perishable. Therefore, immediately process or freeze. Better prepare too much than too little brain. For a deer skin, approximately 300 grams of brain are sufficient.
Variations of these methods are still used by do-it-yourself outdoorsmen to tan hides. The use of brains and the idea that each animal (except buffalo) has just enough brains for the tanning process have led to the saying "Every animal has just enough brain to preserve its own hide, dead or alive." Another saying: "Every animal has enough brain to preserve its own hide, except giraffe and teenager....".
Fresh brain when rubbing into a skin or in the Stretcher and drying frame.
Push in and squeeze it out again and repeat it all the time.
Softening:The leather has to be slightly moist for softening. Otherwise moisten the leather slightly with water. Thinner areas dry faster, so be careful not to dry out. To loosen the fiber, hold the leather with both hands and pull over a rounded, non-sharp edge. Alternatively, the leather can only be kneaded and stretched with the hands. It is easier if several people help themselves and pull the leather together to stretch it. You can pull the leather by rope loops or over lines and pull in opposite directions at both ends. This is hard work and needs experience.
In the beginning still funny, but to the end hard work. The skin is scraped with a wood, pulled by a rope or a sharp wooden edge.
Smoking: By smoking, the Indians of North America prevented the leather from becoming hard by wetness. Smoking waterproofes the surface. Due to the darker color of the smoke, the leather does not look so dirty. It is even washable by this treatment.
Much smoke helps a lot.
Additional information
- Tanning leather
- Tannins
- Chrome tanning
- Vegetable tanning
- Synthetic tanning
- Tanning with fats and oils
- Chamois leather
- Tawing with alum
- How to tan leather yourself?
Videos about the leather production
The leather production in a modern tannery.
The brain tanning process.
The leather production with tannins of the oak.
Chamois leather production in Germany.
The production of beaver skins.
| Process steps in the leather production |
|---|
| storage - soaking - liming - fleshing - splitting - pickling - tanning - neutralising - withering - sorting - shaving - yeing (through colouring) and fatliquoring - drying - finish - softening - final check |
| Tanning methods |
|---|
| Chrome tanning - Vegetable-tanned leather - Synthetic tanning - Tanning with fats and oils |
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