DEER SKIN TANNING

Learn the ancient craft of deer skin tanning in this hands-on course

You'll learn this timeless skill from start to finish, transforming raw skin into a beautiful, usable product.

This intensive, three-day course focuses on the traditional art of fat-tanning deer skins. We'll use a variation of this technology, which uses lecithin and oil as the primary dressing agents. This produces beautiful, soft, and durable leather. While this process isn't for the squeamish, the final product is a testament to your hard work. You'll walk away with high-quality skin and the skills to practice this ancient craft on your own.

The course will cover:

• De-fleshing: Removing the meat and fat.

• De-graining: Removing the outer grain layer.

• Alkalining for ground substance removal.

• Dressing: Applying the tanning agents.

• Softening and smoking the skins.

  
  

Learn to produce incredibly soft, strong, and durable leather from raw animal skin using one of humankind’s earliest tanning technologies! Using readily available materials from the surrounding environment, we will walk through the steps of this transformation. Discover the progression of this process from raw skin to beautiful, usable, finished leather.

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

Join for a course sure to contain plenty of memorable moments, lots of practical information, and, if you put in the work**, one that will see you heading home with a beautiful, unique, and usable traditionally tanned skin!

* Using 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. 

Any serious injuries must be discussed with me before booking the course.

Additional Information:

The course takes place mostly outdoors in covered areas, and in a classroom if the weather is inclement. However, certain tasks will definitely require us to go outside. Therefore, I recommend dressing appropriately for the weather. Dirt- and water-resistant shoes are not mandatory, but they are advantageous.

Please bring:

• First aid kit

• large towel/bath towel

• Outdoor/carving knife (if available)

• Snacks / individual catering

• Writing materials (for those who want to take notes)

• Clothing appropriate for the weather

Duration: 3 days (Satirday 10:00 am - Monday 4:00 pm)

Language: This course is mainly taught in English.

Max number of participants: 12

Prerequisites: None

Venue and location:  Plan B Wildnis

Großrosseln is a hidden gem of a nature spot right in the heart of the Warndt forest, near the French border. It’s a rustic, "reclaimed by nature" kind of place—think wild meadows and dense woodland sitting on former mining grounds, which gives the terrain a rugged, uneven charm.

Catering: Meals are partially included in the course fee. A hot vegetarian meal will be served each evening of the course, and muesli and fruit will be provided for breakfast. Coffee, tea, and drinking water will also be available. Please bring your own snacks and additional food. If you have any food intolerances, please inform us in advance.

Accommodation: For participants who do not live nearby, overnight accommodation in a tent/tarp on the grounds or in a van/campervan nearby is possible by prior arrangement. Arrival is possible from 7:00 pm the evening before.

Included in this course:

• Tools

• Course materials / Materials

• Handout

• 2 vegetarian dinners

• 2 breakfasts

• Tea, coffee, water, biscuits

Not included: Off-site Accommodation.

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

Instructors: Theresa Emmerich Kamper

A bit about me:

I'm an avid practitioner of traditional living skills and various forms 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 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.