Leather for quiver
Leather for quiver
While at my in-laws for Christmas my cousin who took down an Elk this year offered me some of the hide for my new quiver. Any suggestions about how to prepare the hide to use it and would it be best if I removed the hair or left it on?
Re: Leather for quiver
Lucky you! I've heard good things about elk leather but have never had access to any to try out. Bear this in mind for the following.
I don't know how elk hair behaves, but I suspect it is brittle like deer hair and so will go everywhere if you leave it on the hide.
Depending on where you're located and how cold it is, you probably want to salt the hide until you decide how you're going to tan it.
Your 'period' options are really 1) bark-tan, 2) brain/egg-tan (buckskin), or 3) rawhide. (There is always modern salt/alum or alcohol/turpentine tanning).
All options would require you to first scrape (remove meat and fat, and then membranes, from the flesh side) and de-hair the hide.
I haven't got around to bark tanning yet but basically you make a concentrate from tannin-rich tree bark (red oak &c., chopped mulch I hear is a good source) and let your hide soak in that until it's permeated.
For buckskin you would prepare the hide and then the further laborious step is to de-grain the hide (removing the dermis layer of skin). Wring it out, then soak in brain or eggyolk mixture. Wring out, re-brain it, then work it over a beam to stretch it out until it is dry, and finally smoke it. Results in warm, fluffy, chamois-like leather. Probably not the best for a quiver.
Rawhide is the simplest. Once you've fleshed and de-haired the hide, lace it into a frame and let it dry. If elk is anything like cattle rawhide, it will be very solid.
Let us know what you plan on doing!
I don't know how elk hair behaves, but I suspect it is brittle like deer hair and so will go everywhere if you leave it on the hide.
Depending on where you're located and how cold it is, you probably want to salt the hide until you decide how you're going to tan it.
Your 'period' options are really 1) bark-tan, 2) brain/egg-tan (buckskin), or 3) rawhide. (There is always modern salt/alum or alcohol/turpentine tanning).
All options would require you to first scrape (remove meat and fat, and then membranes, from the flesh side) and de-hair the hide.
I haven't got around to bark tanning yet but basically you make a concentrate from tannin-rich tree bark (red oak &c., chopped mulch I hear is a good source) and let your hide soak in that until it's permeated.
For buckskin you would prepare the hide and then the further laborious step is to de-grain the hide (removing the dermis layer of skin). Wring it out, then soak in brain or eggyolk mixture. Wring out, re-brain it, then work it over a beam to stretch it out until it is dry, and finally smoke it. Results in warm, fluffy, chamois-like leather. Probably not the best for a quiver.
Rawhide is the simplest. Once you've fleshed and de-haired the hide, lace it into a frame and let it dry. If elk is anything like cattle rawhide, it will be very solid.
Let us know what you plan on doing!
Personae: Aistan son of Ansteig, common Beorning of Wilderland; Tungo Brandybuck, Eastfarthing Bounder, 3018 TA; a native Man of the Greyflood, c.850 SA
Re: Leather for quiver
Udwin thanks for the help! I think though with this being my first leather working project I'm going to stick with store bought this time around and maybe start small and work my way up for my following leather projects.