Recommended Tools - Traditional Tanners

Toggle Clips – 20 pack

braintan — Fri, 14 Apr 2023 18:05:47 +0000

20 Pack of Toggle Clips for Drying Hides on a Rack

Toggle clips make it super fast and easy to dry your hides nice and flat that don’t need to be worked while drying, like rawhide or barktan/vegtan hides. These clips are specifically designed for hides, grip really well and last a lifetime. 20 clips is a good amount per deer, sheep or goat sized hides. Once you get the hang of it, its 2 to 3 minutes to hang a hide, and 1 minute to take it down.

“Toggle Racks” can be made from any perforated metal sheeting. The style we use that has round holes closely spaced throughout can be had from specialized metal sheeting purveyors, but many people happily use the steel lath that is available at building supply stores. Paint it with rust proof paint and you are good to go.

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5.0

Based on 1,162 reviews

99%

Boyd Burnett

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5/5

Affordable and high quality!

1 week ago

Boyd Burnett

Verified Review

5/5

Absolutely love ordering from Traditional Tanners! I finally ran out of mimosa and had to get some more! It has become my favorite tanning extract! Thanks for the dependable and quick service and shipping!

1 week ago

Anonymous

Verified Review

5/5

Came in the timeframe with no damage!

1 week ago

Corinna Harper

Verified Review

5/5

The ease of ordering and the rapid delivery are great. I am new to bark tanning and the mimosa bark powder is really a beautiful color on my rabbit hides.

3 weeks ago

Bill Watkins

Verified Review

5/5

The class was great! The sheep skins turned out excellent. Can't wait to take the soft v. dense class in January.

3 weeks ago

Kristian Mesce

Verified Review

5/5

All tools of a trade are a blessing!

3 weeks ago

Kristian Mesce

Verified Review

5/5

Super fun class! Really awesome to be apart of a gathering of so many like minds. Thank you Matt for being so open and kind about sharing your information and answering all questions!

3 weeks ago

Jude D.

Reviewer

5/5

Excellent class. Matt is extremely generous with his knowledge and experience of this process and you’ll leave with some neat pieces of sheep hide

3 weeks ago

Christine M.

Verified Review

5/5

Excellent experience purchasing from Traditional Tanners. They were very accommodating as I had made special requests. Great communication and it’s always assuring to be able to reach a human in this day and age. I haven’t had a chance to use the product yet but look forward to it.

3 weeks ago

The post Toggle Clips – 20 pack appeared first on Traditional Tanners.

Pumice

admin — Sat, 22 Jun 2019 00:32:44 +0000

Pumice is a volcanic rock that works like natural sandpaper. It’ll give your hides a noticeably softer surface texture and speedily remove unwanted membrane and blemishes. These rocks are hand-selected for us from a volcano in British Columbia. They are nicely rounded and really comfortable to hold and use. One rock will last you at least 50 hides.

Use:

Wetscraping: removing blemishes, excess membrane, softening the surface texture.
Dryscraping: sanding off tool marks, and all of the above.
Furs: removing excess membrane.

Specs: Lightweight, fits in the palm of your hand, and every piece is a unique natural rock (they haven’t been cut or tumbled or anything).

Bottom Line: Very handy, but not crucial.

Other wetscraping resources:

Deerskins into Buckskins by Matt Richards. The best step-by-step how to.
The Tanning Spirit Video by Mel Beattie. See how each step is performed.
Wetscrape Braintanned Buckskin by Steven Edholm & Tamara Wilder. An excellent reference work.
Pre-Smoke Braintanning, a video by Joe & Victoria Dinsmore. Learn the popular “pre-smoke” method.
Softening Cable, the most useful softening tool.
Wetscraper/Flesher, for all of the scraping steps.

Other dryscraping resources:

Blue Mountain Buckskin by Jim Riggs. The best book on dryscrape.
Dryscraper, for removing the hair and grain.
Softening Cable, the most useful softening tool.
Wetscraper/Flesher, for fleshing on a beam (recommended by most dryscrapers).

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Traditional Tanners

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5.0

Based on 1,162 reviews

99%

Boyd Burnett

Reviewer

5/5

Affordable and high quality!

1 week ago

Boyd Burnett

Verified Review

5/5

1 week ago

Anonymous

Verified Review

5/5

Came in the timeframe with no damage!

1 week ago

Corinna Harper

Verified Review

5/5

The ease of ordering and the rapid delivery are great. I am new to bark tanning and the mimosa bark powder is really a beautiful color on my rabbit hides.

3 weeks ago

Bill Watkins

Verified Review

5/5

The class was great! The sheep skins turned out excellent. Can't wait to take the soft v. dense class in January.

3 weeks ago

Kristian Mesce

Verified Review

5/5

All tools of a trade are a blessing!

3 weeks ago

Kristian Mesce

Verified Review

5/5

Super fun class! Really awesome to be apart of a gathering of so many like minds. Thank you Matt for being so open and kind about sharing your information and answering all questions!

3 weeks ago

Jude D.

Reviewer

5/5

Excellent class. Matt is extremely generous with his knowledge and experience of this process and you’ll leave with some neat pieces of sheep hide

3 weeks ago

Christine M.

Verified Review

5/5

3 weeks ago

The post Pumice appeared first on Traditional Tanners.

Wetscraper and Flesher

admin — Sat, 22 Jun 2019 00:32:13 +0000

These mill-planer blades (recycled from logging mills) make the best scraping tools because of their extremely high quality steel. Once properly dulled, you won’t need to mess with the edge for the next 100 hides (which probably means your lifetime). Your scraper is the most important tool in your kit and is used for fleshing, graining and membraning.

Use: This tool is crucial for wetscraping, and very useful for just about everything else…

Wetscraping: used in all of the scraping steps.
Dryscraping: typically used for fleshing and membraning.
Furs: used for fleshing and membraning.
Rawhide & bark tanning: used for slipping the hair and epidermis.

Specs: The blades are 15″ long by 1″ wide by 1/8″ thick.

Cons: These blades come with simple rubber handles that are in no way fancy. We use them because they work very well, you don’t need anything better and they allow us to keep this tool inexpensive. If you want something fancier you can always replace the handles.

Recommended wetscraping resources:

Deerskins into Buckskins by Matt Richards. America’s best selling tanning book, with clear step-by-step instructions on everything from acquiring, storing, and tanning hides, to caring for and crafting with your finished buckskin.
Deerskins into Buckskins: the movie, more than two hours of detailed, expert, step-by-step instruction that helps you see how to do each step.
Softening Cable, the most useful softening tool.
Pumice, for removing excess membrane, blemishes and softening the surface texture.
KOH, wood-ash lye equivalent (potassium hydroxide).

Other wetscraping resources:

The Tanning Spirit Video by Mel Beattie. The original wetscraping bible.
Wetscrape Braintanned Buckskin by Steven Edholm & Tamara Wilder. An excellent reference work.
Pre-Smoke Braintanning, a video by Joe & Victoria Dinsmore. Learn the popular “pre-smoke” method.

Other dryscraping resources:

Blue Mountain Buckskin by Jim Riggs. The best book on dryscrape.
The Ancient Art of Tanning Buckskin, with Robert Earthworm. The best video on dryscrape.
Dryscraper, for removing the hair and grain.
Softening Cable, the most useful softening tool.
Pumice, for smoothing out tool marks and other blemishes; as well as removing excess membrane.

Add a review

Traditional Tanners

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Your review

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Name

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5.0

Based on 1,162 reviews

99%

Boyd Burnett

Reviewer

5/5

Affordable and high quality!

1 week ago

Boyd Burnett

Verified Review

5/5

1 week ago

Anonymous

Verified Review

5/5

Came in the timeframe with no damage!

1 week ago

Corinna Harper

Verified Review

5/5

The ease of ordering and the rapid delivery are great. I am new to bark tanning and the mimosa bark powder is really a beautiful color on my rabbit hides.

3 weeks ago

Bill Watkins

Verified Review

5/5

The class was great! The sheep skins turned out excellent. Can't wait to take the soft v. dense class in January.

3 weeks ago

Kristian Mesce

Verified Review

5/5

All tools of a trade are a blessing!

3 weeks ago

Kristian Mesce

Verified Review

5/5

Super fun class! Really awesome to be apart of a gathering of so many like minds. Thank you Matt for being so open and kind about sharing your information and answering all questions!

3 weeks ago

Jude D.

Reviewer

5/5

Excellent class. Matt is extremely generous with his knowledge and experience of this process and you’ll leave with some neat pieces of sheep hide

3 weeks ago

Christine M.

Verified Review

5/5

3 weeks ago

The post Wetscraper and Flesher appeared first on Traditional Tanners.

Dryscraper

admin — Sat, 22 Jun 2019 00:28:59 +0000

While you can get away with quite a bit wet scraping; having the right tool makes a huge difference when dry scraping. You need a tool that will hold an extremely sharp edge and is comfortable to use. These dry scrapers were designed by the very skilled tanner and toolsmith Darry Wood, and they are without a doubt the best we’ve ever laid our hands on. The high quality steel blades hold that super keen edge you need for pleasurable, efficient scraping. The full 2.5 lb weight helps this tool do a lot of the work for you…and because of the weight, this tool costs us, and you a bit extra to ship.

Use: Primarily used in the dry scrape method of tanning buckskin, and for thinning Buffalo hides to prepare them for robes.

Specs: The blade is oil-quenched tool steel tempered to a Rockwell hardness of about c-58. The blade is joined (using 1/4″ fine-threaded machine bolts) to a 5/16″ thick cold finish steel core, which in turn is set in a hand-planed wood handle and fixed with brass screws. The handle stock is mostly Douglas Fir or Oak.

Cons: Because this is made with high-carbon tool steel, it is susceptible to rust if allowed to get and stay wet. So you need to take some basic care of it.

Bottom Line: Dryscraping with this tool is an entirely different experience than dryscraping with what I used to use….it is 100% easier, faster and smoother. If you think you are going to be doing more than one or two dry scraped buckskins, or if you plan to do any buffalo hides, this tool is well worth the price.

Note: All blades are sold extremely sharp and ready to be used! Please use and store safely.

Add a review

Traditional Tanners

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Your review

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5.0

Based on 1,162 reviews

99%

Boyd Burnett

Reviewer

5/5

Affordable and high quality!

1 week ago

Boyd Burnett

Verified Review

5/5

1 week ago

Anonymous

Verified Review

5/5

Came in the timeframe with no damage!

1 week ago

Corinna Harper

Verified Review

5/5

The ease of ordering and the rapid delivery are great. I am new to bark tanning and the mimosa bark powder is really a beautiful color on my rabbit hides.

3 weeks ago

Bill Watkins

Verified Review

5/5

The class was great! The sheep skins turned out excellent. Can't wait to take the soft v. dense class in January.

3 weeks ago

Kristian Mesce

Verified Review

5/5

All tools of a trade are a blessing!

3 weeks ago

Kristian Mesce

Verified Review

5/5

Super fun class! Really awesome to be apart of a gathering of so many like minds. Thank you Matt for being so open and kind about sharing your information and answering all questions!

3 weeks ago

Jude D.

Reviewer

5/5

Excellent class. Matt is extremely generous with his knowledge and experience of this process and you’ll leave with some neat pieces of sheep hide

3 weeks ago

Christine M.

Verified Review

5/5

3 weeks ago

The post Dryscraper appeared first on Traditional Tanners.

Softening Cable

admin — Sat, 22 Jun 2019 00:28:09 +0000

A cable will allow you to work a hide harder and more efficiently than any other softening tool. It’s a real life-saver if you get behind on a hide and a spot or two starts to stiffen up, though we ( and just about every brain tanner we know of), use it throughout the softening process. Even folks who frame soften their hides will cable them when they take them off the frame.

Use: Used in the process of softening wetscrapes, dryscrapes and furs.

Specs: Made from 3/16″ thick, five foot long, aircraft cable. Comes with cable clamps.

Cons: After working numerous hides on your cable, it will start to exude a gray dust that can stain your hide. At that point, if you wipe the cable down with a damp cloth it will solve the problem. If you don’t, it will go away on its own, but takes longer.

Bottom Line: You could save a couple bucks and buy all the parts for this yourself at the local hardware store, or you could pay us to get the parts and put it together for you, your choice. Either way, you want this tool! One cable lasts a very long time.

Other wetscraping resources:

Deerskins into Buckskins by Matt Richards. The best step-by-step how to.
The Tanning Spirit Video by Mel Beattie. See how each step is performed.
Wetscrape Braintanned Buckskin by Steven Edholm & Tamara Wilder. An excellent reference work.
Pre-Smoke Braintanning, a video by Joe & Victoria Dinsmore. Learn the popular “pre-smoke” method.
Pumice, for removing excess membrane, blemishes and softening the surface texture. .
Wetscraper/Flesher, for all of the scraping steps.

Other dryscraping resources:

Blue Mountain Buckskin by Jim Riggs. The best book on dryscrape.
Dryscraper, for removing the hair and grain.
Pumice, for smoothing out tool marks and other blemishes; as well as removing excess membrane.
Wetscraper/Flesher, for fleshing on a beam (recommended by most dryscrapers).

Add a review

Traditional Tanners

Rating*

0/5

* Rating is required

Your review

* Review is required

Name

* Name is required

* Email is required

5.0

Based on 1,162 reviews

99%

Boyd Burnett

Reviewer

5/5

Affordable and high quality!

1 week ago

Boyd Burnett

Verified Review

5/5

1 week ago

Anonymous

Verified Review

5/5

Came in the timeframe with no damage!

1 week ago

Corinna Harper

Verified Review

5/5

The ease of ordering and the rapid delivery are great. I am new to bark tanning and the mimosa bark powder is really a beautiful color on my rabbit hides.

3 weeks ago

Bill Watkins

Verified Review

5/5

The class was great! The sheep skins turned out excellent. Can't wait to take the soft v. dense class in January.

3 weeks ago

Kristian Mesce

Verified Review

5/5

All tools of a trade are a blessing!

3 weeks ago

Kristian Mesce

Verified Review

5/5

Super fun class! Really awesome to be apart of a gathering of so many like minds. Thank you Matt for being so open and kind about sharing your information and answering all questions!

3 weeks ago

Jude D.

Reviewer

5/5

Excellent class. Matt is extremely generous with his knowledge and experience of this process and you’ll leave with some neat pieces of sheep hide

3 weeks ago

Christine M.

Verified Review

5/5

3 weeks ago

The post Softening Cable appeared first on Traditional Tanners.