Deerskins into Buckskins: How to Tan with Brains, Soap or Eggs; 2nd Edition

I purchased this book for myself as well as for my brother and nephew. It will take reading it through a few times as well as applying it a number more to really remember all the details and get the "muscle memory" from experience. I also ordered the excellent video which accompanies it. I will discuss and rate them together. Like the video, the book is of a somewhat "homegrown" production quality, but is fully sufficient for the purpose of the set, which is to teach you to be a good to great brain tanner pretty much out of the chute. I have read a few negative comments regarding this book, and while I find them to be petty, whiny and uninformed (one even stated he hadn't even cracked the book open before rating it poorly) there was one issue which bears discussing: production quality. For instance, while the video quality was obviously not a Hollywood production, does anyone really expect it to be? (Well, apparently one or two people would). But does it need to be? No, of course not, especially when you are talking about the subject matter. Do you really think the kind of person willing to stick a deer brain in a blender and then stick his hands into the brain emulsion as part of a long physically exhausting manual process is going to complain about the lack of studio lighting? The men and women who will be tanning hides are not the panty-waists writing poor reviews. The video is clean, there is zero wind noise on the mic, and the author and cameraman show you clearly and exactly what a process looks like, something that simply can not be conveyed in the book. Likewise, the book provides the level of detail and depth of understanding you can not achieve in a single video. While the book's drawings were done by the author (or a friend?) and not by a professional design artist, they still convey exactly that information which they need to convey for full understanding. Matt's writing style is down to earth with occasional light humor. He approaches each step of the process in an ordered, organized manner. It is important to rate products based on their ability to deliver their intended purpose to their intended customer at a good value. This book and video admirably achieve their goal of providing both the intellectual know-how and visual familiarity required for a beginner or less-than-expert buckskin brain tanner to be able to produce a great quality buckskin you can be proud of on the first attempt using these techniques, which Matt has perfected over the last 15 years as of the time of printing the 2nd Edition. The 2nd Edition book was edited in format to incorporate Matt's latest discoveries into the ordered list of steps. The video was not - it had the 1st edition steps, and then at the end discussed adding the acidification step after the bucking and rinse steps. He also touched on alternative processing steps for those who wish to try them. I do not find this objectionable - in fact I appreciated seeing the 1st Edition process first. It allowed me to even better understand how the simple addition of a new 15 minute acidification bath can improve the overall process and quality of the buckskin. If you are interested in learning tanning, be aware that the process is tedious, time consuming, and fatiguing. If you only want this as a library book it doesn't matter, but if you are thinking of tanning your own skins, be aware it is far from trivial and is a multi-day process. Don't forget the tanner's time capsule - the freezer is your friend. ;-{>

Best book for tanning deer hides. Very detailed and easy to understand. I tan about 2 deer hides every year and I still learned a lot from this book.

The lay out of information is very accessible and fairly concise. It does need a read through before you use it step by step. Another thing you may consider is getting his companion DVD which would probably be a better step by step. See picture is helpful, seeing it done real time would be better. Its a lot of work and managing your work area and the cadence of how you execute a technique is something you have to see in action. That said what you learn in this book worked for me with just a few bumps in the road and of course I have seen people do it first hand so I had some kind of feel for it, and chose scrapping it upright on the beam. What else is nice about it is there are "primitive" alternatives to all the more cutting edge techniques which is great if your on a budget. You can make your own tools or dig a hole in the ground as apposed to buying a smoker or small cast iron stove to smoke a hide etc. Another think worth noting is that he gives you alternative for things...its not a be all end all of brain tanning, but I would say that things like how he Alkaline soaks the hide (wood ash) as apposed to soaking in water to effectively "rot" the hide for scrapping is a easier method, but the down side is coming up with all that ash in the first place. My point is that what he lays out makes it easier for a beginner, at least thats my impression as a beginner ; ) Again this book is priceless for beginners, it gets my recommendations. All good medicine. JG

I found this book very interesting and informative for anyone who wants to learn how to tan hides for making clothes. For that purpose I don't believe one could find a more useful guide. It covers in detail, everything from how to skin deer in order to get the most out of the hide, to sewing methods. however, the book only covers tanning hides for making clothes and apparel from buckskin. I found no mention of tanning hides with hair on. If you are looking for information on tanning hides with the hair on, it might not be what you are looking for.

I bought this book based on the recommendations here. If you are like me, and view tanning as an arcane art out of reach of most people, you are in for a surprise. The author, in a most readable manner, goes through the basics of tanning a deer hide. Materials required can be found around most homes. The scope is narrow - deerskins to buckskins. This shouldn't come as a surprise - it's spelled out in the title. If you are interested in other products - pelts for instance, or animals other than deer - there are other books out there, but I would recommend reading this one first to see what an uncomplicated process it can be. I have since read Monte Burch's "The Ultimate Guide to Skinning and Tanning" This is a book that has some great ideas on tools and working area arrangements. It also goes into using some of the more toxic, manufactured treatments for curing hides. I would have never considered tanning if I had read the Burch book first. We have a small homestead, and it would be difficult to dispose of these toxic materials. Thanks to Richards and "Deerskins to Buckskins", I know there are alternatives. Other books will tell you how to skin other animals and how to preserve the fur, but this book will show you that you can do this at home and you can do it with materials that are not hazardous. This is an outstanding book, well written and extremely practical.

This book has a lot of great information, and it is well organized. As someone who is learning brain tanning the book is the top of my reading list. What I like about this book is each chapter can almost be used as a check list for learning the steps. When I am ready for the next step I read a chapter and proceed. Good tips and advice that’s well worth knowing. The author has plenty of experience, communicates well and did a great job on this book.

Impressive, instructional book. The best!

Very informative! Learning to tan hides and this is perfect!

I purchased this book prior to attending a wet scrape tanning course with native awareness and the book seemed to make things very clear. I realised on the course that somethings are just so difficult to express clearly with only words. The course definately added to the book as brain tanning is a very tactile process. The author also states this. Is this a replacement for attending a course? No, not in my opinion but it is a fantastic book and after having studyied it there are hints and tips that are very usefull. This is a fantastic book, I havent seen the DVD but I would recommend attending a course and use the book as a 'field guid' so to speak. It will be by my side certainly on the next several hides I tan to remind me of the little things that most of us forget. What chemicals to use, how much, how long and alternatives also what to do if it goes wrong. If you are intending to brain tan using the wet scrape method I would really recommend this book.

Great book to learn and understand the technics to made buckskin

Not only is this book an interesting book to sit down & read, it is also jam packed full of information. Written in simple terms, you don't need a dictionary beside you when you are reading. Covers everything from skinning to sewing. After reading this book you gain a greater appreciation for our ancestors who couldn't just go to a big box store to buy clothing mass produced in sweat shops. I rated this book at a full 5 stars. If it had color photos then it would be off the charts. If you have any interest at all in the tradional way of doing things then I highly recommend adding this book to your library.

Highly recommend, a comprehensive guide to learning brain tanning

Very informative packed full of great techniques