DEER SKIN TANNING

Learn to Transform a Raw Hide into Beautiful, Usable Leather - South London, August 2027  

Before the advent of modern tanning agents, humans turned raw skin into usable leather products with very basic techniques and materials. Learn to produce incredibly soft, strong, and durable leather from raw animal skin using one of humankind’s earliest tanning technologies! Utilizing materials readily available in the surrounding environment, we will walk through the steps of this transformation. Come learn the progression of this process from raw skin to beautiful, usable, finished leather! 

This class will focus on tanning Deer Skin with a variation of fat tanning using lecithin as the dressing agent. Whilst not for the squeamish, the end product is worth the work! The class will cover desalinating preserved skins, de-fleshing, de-hairing, de-graining, and softening the skins, as well as smoking them so they can be easily washed.

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 knowledge of tanning! So, please join me 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 alternative dressing agents will be covered.

** Please be aware that a reasonable amount of fitness is required for this course. I will provide instruction on proper 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:

Duration: 3 days (Friday 10:00 am - Sunday 5:00 pm)

Prerequisites: None

Venue:  

Our host, Pippin & Gile, is located in South London Woods - directly South of London in the heart of Greenbelt land, on the Surrey-Croydon boundary. Tucked between chalk downland meadows and farmland, yet just inside the M25, with easy access by road, rail, bicycle, and plane.

The South London Woods have 800 acres of open-access land to one side and the fields of a large arable farm to the other. Once you’re immersed in our woods, you won’t believe that central London is just fifteen miles away. And Gatwick Airport is just a 25-minute drive.

Main teaching area

This secluded woodland area shows signs of being semi-ancient, including a wonderful carpet of bluebells in spring. It regularly has roe deer resting in it, signs of badger passage from the nearby sett, and a fox den nearby.

You will receive full, detailed instructions on how to find the woodland prior to your course. The postcode area is CR3 5, and we are easily reached by numerous train services from London and Gatwick, all within zone six, a short taxi ride away.

About our host Pippin & Gile:

Pippin & Gile, led by founder and lead instructor Lizzy Maskey, are known for delivering high‑quality bushcraft, foraging, and countryside craft experiences in their beautiful private woodland settings. Their team brings deep expertise, a strong safety culture, and a welcoming, hands‑on teaching style that helps participants feel confident and inspired outdoors. I’m glad to be working with them as hosts for this course.

Facilities in South London Wood:

The main instructing area is under a parachute, which is remarkably weather-proof for usual conditions. There is a range of stumps and wooden benches for sitting and working.

There is a cassette toilet on-site. This has been carefully designed to ensure no contamination of local watercourses, in line with our strict environmental policies.

Plenty of clean water will be supplied for your drinking and washing needs.

Pippin & Gile are bringing together curious minds of all ages

Catering: This course is self-catered.

Parking: Parking is nearby, at an old farmhouse. It is a 35-minute walk from the parking area to the woodland through farmland and chalk grassland, and you will need to carry your kit.

Accommodation: We have an area within the woodland for camping on tarps, in tents (note that it’s a woodland floor), or in hammocks.

Included: All course materials.

Not included: Off-site Accommodation and food.

For all questions regarding the course, accommodations, venue, and practical details — please contact hello@pippinandgile.co.uk 

Payment: This course is ticketed directly by Pippin & Gile.

A bit about me:

I'm an avid practitioner of traditional living skills and primitive technology of all kinds. My interest came in part from growing up in the Rocky Mountains in the USA, 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.