Hide tanning was a skill that was used in every culture across the globe.  Each culture had different animal skins and different techniques, but the goal was always the same: preserve the skin to use as a highly durable, warm, soft and gorgeous material to make into clothing, bags, and much more.  In this 2 day workshop, we will cover all the steps to make Brain-tanned Buckskin. 

Day 1: Fleshing, cleaning, scraping and soaking the hide

Day 2: Stretching, drying, softening and smoking the hide. 

*Any class of ours that involves animal processing is done in a way that is mindful and respectful to the animal.  All hides are from carefully selected roadkill or from the local deer-processor where hides would normally be thrown in the trash.  It is also worth noting that animal processing can be a visceral and emotional experience and we take careful consideration to make sure all students feel comfortable and supported through the entire experience.

Disclaimer: Students may not be going home with full-sized finished hide. Students will split the hides that are finished. This class is designed to introduce all of the steps of hide tanning so that each student has the knowledge to process a hide into buckskin.  The entire process from deerskin to buckskin takes one person about 4-5 days.

All tools and materials provided