COYOTE FUR TANNING

Learn to Fat Tan Coyote Furs: Join this Deep Dive into Tanning!

Before the advent of modern tanning agents, humans were turning raw skin into usable leather products using fundamental techniques and materials. Come learn to produce incredibly soft, strong, and durable leather from raw animal skin using humankind’s earliest tanning technologies!

We will utilize materials readily available in the surrounding environment as we walk through the steps of this transformation. You will learn the progression of this process from raw skin to warm, beautiful, and biodegradable, finished fur!

This intensive course will focus on tanning Coyote furs over 3 (very) full days! Each participant will tan a beautiful Coyote fur using a variety of Fat Tanning, which uses Lecithin and oil* as the dressing agent. 

Whilst not for the squeamish, the incredible end product is worth the work!

The class will cover:

• Rehydrating dried fur

• Removing the meat and fat from the inner skin surface (flesh side) of the fur

• Applying the tanning agents, and then

• Softening of the skin.

The final day will consist of smoking the Coyote fur to increase their washability. Theory for skinning and preserving furs will also be covered.

In addition to enthusiastic instruction, I provide comfortable, easy-to-use tools and detailed handouts covering the tanning process, as well as ethnographic anecdotes and a list of helpful literature for those who wish to further their own knowledge of tanning!

Please join me for a course sure to contain plenty of memorable moments, lots of practical information, and, provided you put in the work **, one that will see you heading home with your own uniquely beautiful, traditionally tanned fur!

* The use of brains or egg yolks as an alternative dressing agent will be covered.

** Please be aware that a reasonable amount of fitness is required for this course. I will provide instruction on good technique and timing with the skins, but you will need to be on your feet and active for 6 to 8 hours per day.

Please discuss any serious injuries with me before attending the course!

Additional Information:

Duration: 3 days (Friday 10:00 am - Sunday 4:00 pm)

Max number of participants: 12

Prerequisites: None - This workshop is suitable for ages 18+.

Food: This course is self-catered. Please come prepared to cook for yourselves. I am many things; a good cook is not one of them!

Location: Allentown, Pennsylvania, USA

Payment: You can pay by credit card, use one of our gift cards, or pay over time with PayPal Pay Later.

Host: (please get in touch with her directly for questions related to the venue or accommodations)Stacy Mankos

Email: StacyKarvaski@aol.com

Or by Mobile Phone: 484-264-2818

Venue:

This course is kindly being hosted by Stacy Mankos in a small valley, west of Allentown Pennsylvania.  The property is over 10 acres of mixed woodland and fields. The original rustic settlers cabin sits alongside a spring fed creek, which feeds down to a small marsh. It is a lovely site with great views and star gazing. We even saw the northern lights a few years back!

Accommodation:

There is plenty of room for campsites where one can relax and enjoy nature. Outdoor fires are permitted, and wood is available to collect. I will be staying on-site, and this is the easiest (and most fun) accommodation option.

However, if you prefer a bit more luxury, there are Hotels or B&Bs available in nearby towns!

Included: All course materials.

Not included: Off-site Accommodation.

Instructor: Theresa Emmerich Kamper

A bit about me:

I'm an avid practitioner of traditional living skills and of all kinds of primitive technology. My interest came in part from growing up in the USA's Rocky Mountains, where backpacking, hunting, and fishing are deeply rooted in the culture. This passion led me to the academic field of Experimental Archaeology, where I earned a PhD from the University of Exeter in the UK.

My work has been featured in both documentaries and popular TV shows, including Alone Season 8 and Surviving the Stone Age. I've been tanning skins using traditional methods for over 30 years. Learning to tan was a natural offshoot of my desire to use as much of an animal as possible, and it had the added bonus of producing a beautiful end product.

In my instruction, I share a wide range of information—from the intricate details of skin morphology to helpful tips for dealing with the numerous, frustrating problems often encountered when you're first learning to tan!