Here it is winter and those January vous are just SOOOOO cold, so here are some things I do/have to keep me nice and toasty.
For my head I wear a voyageurs cap. It is hand knit of 100% wool so it both warm and authentic. A red wool flannel shirt keeps me fairly warm but a nice wool vest is a nice thing to have also. I wear a capote (Native American blanket coat) and I made a pair of mitts from the scraps. They saved my fingers at the last winter rondy I was at wear it was -16!!! You can wear wool leggings under your buckskin which helps a ton but the thing that ALWAYS seems to get cold is your feet... In a pinch you can put a piece of cardboard in the bottom of your mocs and that will insulate your feet surprisingly well. If you want to be authentic though, you can sew a pair of "wool moccasins." They just go on like socks and will add at least another ten degrees of warmth to those poor little toes! I lust recently tanned a HUGE buffalo hide which is going to make a splendid blanket this winter. So I guess the simplest thing you can do is look at what keeps you warm everyday and figure out what alternative they had back in the day.
One last thought... If you get some chamomile and mint wrap it in cheesecloth and throw it in some hot water before you go to bed. It makes a tasty HOT tea that all of your buddies will absolutely love you for!
I am hoping to post patterns for a lot of clothing like these here soon.
leave a comment and let me know if you have any questions...
Monday, December 21, 2009
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Buffalo Tanning
I had this absolutely gorgeous buffalo hide that I wanted to tan for a blanket. On those cold rendezvous nights a buffalo robe was just the thing to have! I made one and you can too! Here is a summary of how I did it. I used traditional ideas with new twists.
Fleshing: Removing the meat and flesh is the first priority. Because a buffalo hide is so thick and can take a beating, we used a pressure washer to literally "blast" the flesh right off. This was very effective but be warned it gets messy with meat and fat flying everywhere!
Thinning: A buffalo hide is so thick that it has to be thinned down. Normally this would be done with a scraper once the hide was dry. The way we did it to save time was use an angle grinder with a heavy duty sanding wheel on it. Once the hide was dry and stretched we ground it down. This removed the membrane and thinned it all at once.
"Braining": Traditionally Native Americans would have used the brains of the animal to tan the hide. Brains have become very hard to find in recent years so many have turned to alternate methods of tanning. Some use Soy Lecithin or eggs, however the way we chose to tan was soap. Ivory soap can be grated and added to water to create a great tanning liquor. Apply it in the same manner you would brains. (warm it, massage into flesh side, etc)
Finishing: Once the tanning solution is soaked in for a long time, go ahead and have the hide propped up to where you can walk on it and walk around on the hide till its dry. This will stretch it and make it softer. You can finally stop this whenever it is COMPLETELY dry and warm to the touch. DO NOT STOP BEFORE YOU ARE TOTALLY SURE ITS DRY!!!!!
Smoking: The last step before you can enjoy your beautiful new blanket in the field is smoking it. This process coats the fibers of the skin with creosote. If you skipped this step your hide would not have the golden brown color of traditional tanned hides and it would become stiff if it ever got wet. By coating the fibers with smoke it lubricates them enough to keep them pliable even if they get wet. So smoke it and enjoy!!
Hope you learned something! =) It is so gratifying when you get to use something you made yourself! Go and try it!
Tyler
"Scratch"
Fleshing: Removing the meat and flesh is the first priority. Because a buffalo hide is so thick and can take a beating, we used a pressure washer to literally "blast" the flesh right off. This was very effective but be warned it gets messy with meat and fat flying everywhere!
Thinning: A buffalo hide is so thick that it has to be thinned down. Normally this would be done with a scraper once the hide was dry. The way we did it to save time was use an angle grinder with a heavy duty sanding wheel on it. Once the hide was dry and stretched we ground it down. This removed the membrane and thinned it all at once.
"Braining": Traditionally Native Americans would have used the brains of the animal to tan the hide. Brains have become very hard to find in recent years so many have turned to alternate methods of tanning. Some use Soy Lecithin or eggs, however the way we chose to tan was soap. Ivory soap can be grated and added to water to create a great tanning liquor. Apply it in the same manner you would brains. (warm it, massage into flesh side, etc)Finishing: Once the tanning solution is soaked in for a long time, go ahead and have the hide propped up to where you can walk on it and walk around on the hide till its dry. This will stretch it and make it softer. You can finally stop this whenever it is COMPLETELY dry and warm to the touch. DO NOT STOP BEFORE YOU ARE TOTALLY SURE ITS DRY!!!!!
Smoking: The last step before you can enjoy your beautiful new blanket in the field is smoking it. This process coats the fibers of the skin with creosote. If you skipped this step your hide would not have the golden brown color of traditional tanned hides and it would become stiff if it ever got wet. By coating the fibers with smoke it lubricates them enough to keep them pliable even if they get wet. So smoke it and enjoy!!Hope you learned something! =) It is so gratifying when you get to use something you made yourself! Go and try it!
Tyler
"Scratch"
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