Placeholder [Job Thread] Tanning leather

[Rena Rain]

Timestamp: 40th winter 517
Place: The Threaded Hide

Rena entered the Threaded Hide soon after sunrise. Looking around the store front she called out “Hello, anyone there?” she said expecting an immediate answer as the store was never left unattended. This was made possible by the fact two family groups worked there; the Wovengrass and the Heidecraft families. It was Dew Heidecraft singsong voice who answered a few seconds later.

“ Rena, I am out the back, Why dont you let yourself though.” With this invitation Rena steped around the counter into the back of the shop where there was a small work area. Rena loved it in the work room as she had a keen interest in both sewing and leatherworking which the store specialized in. As she rounded the corner Rena caught sight of Dew kneeling infront of a row of rabbits on the ground. Dew was dressed like always; in her trademark vibrant red shirt while her nondescript pants were made from a cheap leather. Dew’s long hair ran down her shoulders framing her smile and her warm brown eyes as she looked at Rena motioning to the rabbits on the ground “Ah my daughter will you please help me tan these hides?”

Dew is currently betrothed to Rena’s father's but Rena could not forget the women who had given birth to her and had thus far refused to acknowledge Dew as part of the family. This has always been a point of contention between the two however Dew had noticed that unlike every other time, Rena did not correct her on this fact. Rena looked quizzically at the rabbits “I would like to help you but I don’t know how, someone has always tanned the leather i work with for me.”

Dew kneeling on the ground a tarp between her and the grass and motioned for Rena to join her “”I would be more then happy to show you.” Rena nodded and hurried to do her leatherworking kit from the little wooden chest with her name carved into it bringing it over to the prepared space and sitting down across from Dew.

As Dew picked up the rabbit and laid it out in front of Rena “. You won’t often do the skinning and early prep of the leather yourself unless you go with the hunters on their journeys away from camp. These rabbits I caught myself close to camp so I am doing all the tanning steps. First we separate the hide from the body.”

Dew handed the fleshing knife to Rena and after correcting the grip she placed her own hand over the top of Renas as she leads the girl through the act of skinning the rabbit.
The motion of the knife as its the cutting across the rabbit's throat, down its chest and tummy. “As you wiggle your fingers inside the cut you find the rest of the skin will peel off with a bit of help.”

Rena took Dew’s advice and with some effort Parted the skin from the meat. As the meat from the rabbit was placed into a bowl by Dew’s side she nodded knowing that rabbit stew would be on the menu in the next few days. Dew planned this as she knows that one of Rena’s favorite dishes is rabbit stew/

“Now that we have a hide to work with we must ‘Flesh’ it.” Rena look up at her hand covered in blood and other juices somewhat shellshocked from turning a cute fuzzy animal into some meat and a skin “What do you mean by flesh it?” she ask in a voice quieter than normal but still full of curiosity. Dew watched her with pride that she hadn’t puked like some young hunters did on their first hunt.

“Fleshing is the process of scraping off all the loose meat and fat from the hide.” Dew took the knife from Rena’s unresisting hand and demonstrated by scraping off the scraps. Rena opened her kit and took out another knife to help but was stopped by Dew “Only use a fleshing knife like this one will do this job.” she said indicating the knife in her hand as she handed it back to Rena “A larger knife can tear or puncture the hide.”

Taking back the knife Rena ran it over the insider of the hide with long even strokes just as Dew had done. As the detritus of meat stands built up on the knife she scraped it clean on the bowl that now held the rabbit carcass. Soon the rabbit skin was devoid of all meat scraps.

Whilst Rena had cleaned the hide Dew had gotten up and fetched a bucket of water and some soap. As she was carrying them over to the tarp Rena looked up “I finished fleshing the hide Dew.” she offered the skin to Dew expecting her to want to inspect it even before Dew had said “Give it here.”

Placing the bucket down on the tarp she then took up the hide and looked it over “Excellent work my daughter, Now we need to clean the hide of blood and dirt.” Dew said dunking the hide into the bucket of water, pulling the hide in out and rubbing the soap over it to build up a lather. Once the lather was built she dropped it into the water again. With a smile on her face Dew handed the hide back to Rena “Wash, rinse repeat.” she said chuckling softly at the wording.

Rena took the skin from Dew whilst trying to hide her smile at the turn of phrase as she worked. Dropping the hide into the water she left it to soak while she washed the blood and grease off which had gathered on her hand during the process of skinning and fleshing the hide. She also took the opportunity to clean her fleshing knife due to a desire to keep her leather working tools in good order. This was because the leatherworking kit had been an expensive purchase, but one Rena hoped would pay for itself.

Turning her attention back to the hide she took the soap and scoured the hide top to bottom on both sides of the skin. As she rinsed the hide the water began to change color. First it turned blood red but as the dirt on the hide began to mix with the water down blood it turned a mucky brown. Soon the hide was squeaky clean.

Rena took the hide wringing out the skin into the bucket she soon had it mostly dry and help it up to show Dew “Done cleaning Dew, Whats next? ” Dew looked at the clean skin and point over to an empty Drying rack. “We hang the hide on one of these racks to dry.”

Rena looked from the rack to the hide and back again “How do we attach the hide to the cleaning rack?” she asked not wanting her work cleaning the hide to go to waste as she turned to look at Dew who in turn took the hole punch out of Rena’s leatherworking kit “we bore holes into the corners of the hide.” As she spoke she lay the hide flat and used the hole punch to bore a hole into the rabbits back right leg. Dew held the hole punch out for Rena while instructing her “Do the same for each of the other 3 feet.”

As Rena bored the holes into the rabbit skin Dew watched her “This rabbit gave it life to feed us the least we can do in return is to make sure we use the whole animal. The meat will be cooked, the brain will be used later in the tanning process, the fat used to make soap. Nothing will go to waste.” Rena nodded having already notice that the Drykas were very intune with their environment.

While speaking Dew cut several lengths of twine from a ball so when Rena placed the hole punch down indicating she was done boring the holes into the hide a piece of twine was shoved into her hand. “Tie the hide tightly to the drying rack, there should be no give in the twine or slack on the hide. The tighter we secure the hide the larger the piece of leather will be when we’re done.”

Rena nodded as she tied down the skin securely drumming her fingers across the hide demonstrating that there was no slack. Laying the drying frame down on the tarp Rena looked to Dew and said “What is next?” she asked her curiosity not having dwindled since she started the task. Dew got to her feet picking up the drying rack from the ground and then leant it against one of the poles that ensured that the pavilion structure was sound. “We lean the drying rack up against a pole or tie it to the roof so that air can circulate around the hide and leave it for a week to dry out.”

Using her new skills Rena help Dew with the rest of the Rabbits Before cleaning up the work space. Rolling the tarp up Dew said “You did an excellent job my daughter.”Rena paused then nodded at Dew a woman who was slowly becoming a part of Rena’s life

[Rena Rain]

Timestamp:47th winter 517
Location: Threaded Hide