The Wild World of Brain Tan

Miscellaneous Cool Pictures

Painting on Brain Tanned Buckskin
by Penny Thornely

Painted with acrylic paints on hides tanned by Matt Richards. Penny does a variety of custom work and can be contacted at binesi@spacestar.net .

Fun With Brains

Nothing like mixing brains to keep the boys entertained on a Saturday afternoon.

A Big Mule Deer Hide
tanned by Billy Metcalf

This is some fine quality brain tan work. Notice how the hides he has folded over and in a pile, fold very tight and neat like fine fabric. Bet there aren't any stiff spots in there. Very even smoke color too. Billy brain tans for a living and lives in a cabin in British Columbia. His contact info is listed in our Directory of Tanners, or email him at billymetcalf@hotmail.com

Painting on brain tan

Lee Secrest uses earth pigments and sharpened sticks to paint intricate designs on his brain tanned deer, elk, antelope and bighorn hides. His work is exhibited all over the world, including at the Smithsonian, and in the movie Dances With Wolves . Lee is also a new addition to our Directory of Tanners.

More painted brain tan
by Lee Secrest

Wow!

Brain-tanned Buffalo hide tipi
by Wes Housler

Most folks don't realize that tipis were tanned soft (the ultimate braintanners' project). This fourteen foot tipi is composed of numerous hides stitched together with Buffalo backstrap sinew. Check out Wes's online catalog, and perhaps order your own!

Chris Morasky and roadkill.

Chris is having much too much fun skinning this overly bloody deer (typical of roadkills). But hey, you might as well enjoy yourself!

We hung this deer by the neck because its easier to peel the hide off working from the neck down (rather than vice versa).

Still life with hides

These are hides by Michelle and I on display at the Rabbitstick Rendezvous. To find out more about ordering hides from us, check out our buying hides page.

Flesh for fantasy

Our friend Walt demonstrates once again that no matter what you're doing, you might as well goof around.

Shéom wringing out a hide

Notice the nice neat hide donut he's made. Hide's wring out much more evenly when this type of care is taken, making life easier later. Notice too how high this wringing pole is....this allows the brain juices to run down your fore-arms....always a joy, but especially on freezing cold mornings.