All we want to do is use your brains

So, today is day two of the brain tanning class.  We went in a little early to finish up on our hides.

JV needed to finish the margins and the neck.  AV worked on his deer’s neck.

We were reminded of fact that this region is a temperate rain forest.  As we climbed up the mountain today we entered a cloud bank.  We burst through in the the valley that houses Hendersonville and Flat Rock and it was sunny.  The rains came down for a visit in the afternoon.  We drove down the mountain and back into the sunlight.  It hadn’t rained in Greenville at all today.

Today is when we learned how to harvest brains. (You never thought you would hear that phrase did you?)  What follows are a series of photos chronicling the process of making “Tannins.”

After one has prepared the mixture, it is time to prepare the hide to soak in the brains.   Laying them out, wrapping them precisely, then putting all you weight behind the wringing out.

After the initial wringing, the hide goes in for a soak into the brains.  Thirty minutes of down time.  What is a guy to do?  Here is what JV settled on. AV settled on photographing him.

After the 30 minutes.  Wringing out the hide was in order.  The soaking and wringing was repeated four times.  Muscles will be sore tomorrow.  But the hide is so transformed from the stinking, pre-decaying blob into a smooth, strong (all be it not yet supple) fabric.