Framing & Fleshing.....part 1
(by John & Geri McPherson)
Now let's doing something with that skin, wherever it came from.
If it was dried, then you would do best to find a source of running
water, such as a stream, and weight it down with rocks and leave it for a
coupla days or so. It will take a long time to get it back to the same state
it was in when taken from the deer. You do need to check it every so often
to insure that the fresh water is getting all the skin. If you don't have
access to a creek or a stream, place it into a large container, such as a 26
gallon trash can and soak.
The water must be changed regularly; after only a coupla hours the first
few times, and probably at least every 10-12 hours from then on until it is
workable. On warmer days be sure that the water doesn't heat enough to rot
the skin. It needs to soak until it is as pliable and fresh as when removed
from the deer.
A salted skin is more easily prepared. It needs only repeated washings to
remove ALL of the salt.
Frozen skins need only to be thawed.
When ready, roll it out on a level surface and trim the perimeter to
remove all the rough edges, including the lower legs. The skin can, of
course, be tanned with the legs on but it adds considerable work. Right now
let's get you proficient at making buckskin. You can do any extras later
after you get the basics mastered.
When the skin is trimmed, stretch it to it's natural shape and lay the
2x4's around it, nailing them together, two nails per corner. We want to
build the frame about 8-10 inches larger on all sides of the skin as the
skin stretches considerably while being fleshed. While nailing the frame
together, fold the skin on itself to prevent it from drying. You will
probably want to apply fresh water to the flesh side at intervals to keep it
fresh until you're finished fleshing.
Now lace the skin to the frame--place it on the ground or work table
flesh side up and punch holes around the entire perimeter of the skin with a
thin bladed knife. The holes are to be 1/2 to 1" from the edge and
approximately 1 1/2" apart. The easiest way to make these holes is to place
a board under the skin, push the point of the knife against the skin into
the board with one hand and pull the skin up with the other. I say to use a
thin blade because you don't want the holes too large.
To keep the natural shape of the skin square within the frame as you
lace, I have found it convenient to tie each corner of the skin to the
corresponding corner of the frame with a 12-15" cord. Also place the skin
just a little off center to the right (as you face it from the bottom).
After having done a few skins you will find no need to tie the corners in
order to square it within the frame but it sure helps the beginner.
Picture the frame in an upright position with the neck at the top and the
flesh side facing you. You will begin lacing at the neck at the upper left
corner. From that corner, go through the hole at the corner of the neck, out
under the 2x4 and in over it again to the skin. Now begin to take the cord
through three holes at a time as if you were sewing--the cord, as it passes
through the series of three holes, runs in and out in a straight line, not
wrapped around the edge.
Then take the cord out under the frame and in over it and then do three
more holes. The cord always comes from the skin out under the frame and back
over it to the skin. I normally go through three holes at a lick, sometimes
two and very seldom four, but only as long as the holes are in a straight
line. This is to save the inconvenience of having to replace if one of the
holes rips out.
As the edge of the skin turns at legs, corners, etc., bring your cord
around the frame and begin your series of holes again. At the neck where the
skin is the thickest I will go through only one hole if that's the way the
count ends up at the corner.
Taken from: Primitive Wilderness Living & Survival Skills
(pp 21-23)
Authored by: John & Geri McPherson
Published by: Prairie Wolf Publications
Distributed by: www.3RiversArchery.com
Copyright: Original 1993
--
Jesse Gomez Jr
In Beautiful Norway
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