Some Projects

Been working on a few things before I leave for San Diego on Sunday.  I've mostly been working on this Moose hide.  Several things have to happen for an animal skin to turn into soft leather but when it's done right, buckskin is softer than any leather you can by in a store.  First everything has to be scraped clean, the hair, flesh and a layer under the hair called the "grain".  The grain is the shiny part that you see on commercial leather.  Next the hide has to be soaked in lye to remove the glues inside the skin, then it is soaked in an emulsified oil solution and then as it dries out the fibers have to be stretched.  Finally if you get some smoke into it it will turn brown and stay soft even if it gets wet again.

The frame is too small but we'll see how it works out.

This is a non-returning boomerang made from live oak.  It is a very deadly weapon and was preferred over the bow and arrow for open grassland small game hunting.

Here is a little adz that works really well.  Just needs some rawhide lashing.

This is my flint pile.  I need to spall up the big rocks so I can bring them to San Diego.

I cut down this Elm for a bow.  My ax worked better than I expected.  It probably only took 15 minutes of chopping.

Here is the stave roughed out for drying.