process of tanning leather Although the word tanning is frequently used to refer to leather treatment in general, it refers more specifically to the single step in the process that distinguishes leather from rawhide. This treatment permanently alters the structure of the hide so that it remains in a supple, useful state throughout its life. The Native American tanning process itself had two parts. The tanner soaked the hide in a tanning solution overnight. When the tanner removed the hide from the solution, he stretched the hide across a wooden frame. He then worked the hide with a blunt tool, such as a wooden paddle, until the hide dried. Some tanners reapplied the solution to ensure penetration of the tanning agent. Native Americans in coastal regions sometimes replaced this process with an oil tanning method. They soaked the hide in oil from marine animals repeatedly and used urine to remove the grease. This method is very similar to many modern leather treatments. Some tanners smoked the hide as a final step in the tanning process. Although this was a common practice, it was not universal. Smoking methods included hanging the hides in the rafters of a home, hanging the hide from a frame or tree above a fire, or erecting a smokehouse for the purpose. Hides that were smoked were more durable than those that were not. Tools In order to work the hide when tanning it, Native American tanners used a range of tools for stretching and abrasion. Pumice stones, mussel shells, flint flakes, and slate shards were all in wide use where they were available. The buffalo hunting tribes used stone or wooden adzes and buffalo humeri. In California, elk antler and cannon bone were both common softening tools. Turtle shells, deer antlers, knapped stones, buffalo tongues, and river stone were also included in some tanners arsenals. Save the ta-tasnning Agents Tanning agents combined with water created a bath in which the hide could soak. Brains were a common tanning agent among the Native Americans. The brain has the necessary emulsifying compounds to this purpose and was usually readily available from the same animal that provided the hide. Most animals, with the notable exception of the buffalo, had sufficient gray matter to tan their own hides. Bone marrow was often added to the brain solution when a tanner treated a buffalo hide. Other tanning agents were less common. Southern Colorado River tribes used the seeds of the saguaro cactus. The Apache used jajoboa berries. Cornmeal solutions were used by tribes in the American southeast. Tanning Solution Additives Other substances had properties that were helpful to the tanning process. These were most commonly used as additives to a brain solution, but sometimes appeared as tanning agents in their own right. Both animal and vegetable oils acted as additives or as oil tanning agents. Tannins were frequently added to the mix as well. These included fir, rhubarb, ashes, and cornmeal. All of these helped in the protein transformation required for the creation of leather. waya dodalv Read more: ehow/info_8444206_native-american-hide-tanning-techniques.html#ixzz2smXgwVYG
Posted on: Sun, 09 Feb 2014 00:59:39 +0000
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