Leather

Making leather on a small farm or homestead using natural methods is a traditional craft that requires some time and effort but can be a rewarding and sustainable process. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you understand how to make leather naturally:

Step 1: Choose the Animal Hide Start by obtaining the raw material, which is the animal hide. You can use hides from animals raised on your farm or homestead, like cows, goats, sheep, or game. Make sure the hide is fresh, clean, and free from any significant damages.

Step 2: Fleshing and Cleaning Remove any remaining flesh, fat, and hair from the hide. This process is called fleshing. You can use a blunt knife or a specialized fleshing tool for this purpose. Afterward, wash the hide thoroughly with clean water to get rid of dirt and other impurities.

Step 3: Soaking To make the hide more pliable and ready for tanning, soak it in water for several hours or even a few days. The time required for soaking depends on the size and thickness of the hide. Check the hide regularly and change the water when it becomes dirty. See the video below which shows using salt and urine to speed up the process.

Step 4: Natural Tanning There are several natural tanning methods you can use, but we’ll focus on the traditional vegetable tanning process using tannins from plants. One common method is the “bark tanning” process.

• Prepare the tanning solution: Boil water and add tannin-rich plant materials like oak bark, hemlock bark, or mimosa bark to the water. Let it simmer for a few hours to extract the tannins.
• Cool down the solution: Once the tannins have been extracted, let the solution cool to room temperature.

Step 5: Tanning the Hide Place the soaked hide into the cooled tanning solution, making sure it’s entirely submerged. Stir the solution occasionally to ensure even tanning. The tanning process can take several weeks, during which the tannins will bind with the proteins in the hide, making it stable and resistant to decay.

Step 6: Removing Excess Tannins After the tanning process is complete, take the hide out of the solution and rinse it with clean water to remove any excess tannins.

Step 7: Drying and Stretching Gently wring out the excess water from the hide and then stretch it to its original shape and size. Secure the hide in this stretched position using nails or clips, and then allow it to air dry in a shady and well-ventilated area. Avoid direct sunlight, as it can damage the leather.

Step 8: Softening and Conditioning Once the leather is dry, it might be stiff and rough. To make it soft and supple, knead and flex the leather repeatedly. You can also apply natural leather conditioning agents like neatsfoot oil or beeswax to further improve its texture and appearance.

That’s it! You have successfully made leather using natural methods. This handmade leather can be used for various crafts, such as making belts, pouches, wallets, and other durable and beautiful products. Remember that traditional leather-making is a skill that improves with practice, so don’t be discouraged if your first attempts are not perfect. Enjoy the process and the satisfaction of creating something useful and sustainable from your farm or village.

Tanning with Urine

Historically, various cultures, including the Aztecs, have used urine as a tanning agent. Urine contains ammonia, which helps break down proteins in the hides and aids in the tanning process. If you don’t have suitable bark or tea and you may wish to use urine as a tanning agent, here’s how you can incorporate it into the process:

1. Collect Urine: You will need a significant amount of urine for the tanning process, so start collecting it from animals or humans. It’s essential to collect it in a clean container and avoid mixing it with other substances.
2. Soak the Hides: Just like in the previous process, soak the animal hides in water to rehydrate them before tanning.
3. Prepare the Urine Solution: Mix the collected urine with water to dilute it. The exact ratio of urine to water may vary, but you can start with around one part urine to three parts water. You can experiment with different concentrations to see what works best for your tanning process.
4. Tanning with Urine Solution: Submerge the hydrated hides in the urine solution in the pit or container. Stir or agitate the hides occasionally to ensure even distribution of the tanning agent.
5. Fleshing, Scraping, and Stretching: Follow the same steps as mentioned in the previous process for fleshing, scraping, and stretching the hides.
6. Drying: After several weeks of tanning with the urine solution, remove the hides and allow them to air dry. The tanning process should now be complete, and you should have your leather!

Using urine as a tanning agent might sound unusual, but it’s an ancient method that has been historically employed by various cultures due to the ammonia content in urine. Keep in mind that the smell can be quite strong during the tanning process, but it should dissipate as the leather dries and ages. Always exercise caution and follow safety measures while handling urine or any other tanning agents.

https://www.planet-wissen.de/technik/werkstoffe/leder/index.html

https://www.peraperis.com/blog/historisches-handwerk/leder-gerben.html

Here’s a video showing how to make leather in an African village using natural materials only.