Thread: My very best strop

Timber Tanned is where your mom or dad made you get your own switch and "Tanned your hide" with it...

It's probably just a marketing catch phrase like '"Manganese" Steel' but I imagine that Neil Miller will be along shortly to give us the real skinny. The man knows leather!


rs,
Tack

Trying to find out what timber tanned leather was I stumbled across this excerpt. From The Book of Buckskinning, Vol.2, Chapter 2"Working With Leather".

Early day garment leather was somewhat like today's commercial leather in that it was a vegetable chemical tan. Lime was used to loosen the hair and break down fibers. A solution of animal excreta and water was used to remove and neutralize the lime. The hides had oil added, were washed, stretched, dried and then were ready for use...
oil tanned leather is a leather softened by the addition of oils such as that of cod. This makes a fine boot and bag leather...
Strap leather is another very versatile leather for the buck skinner. It is oak tanned leather. It comes in varied weights and thicknesses...the 7-8 ounce weight makes good belts and 8-9 and 9-10 ounce is good for heavy tack belts, equipment belts, knife sheaths,etc.

Originally Posted by shooter74743

Timber Tanned is where your mom or dad made you get your own switch and "Tanned your hide" with it...

So are you saying I should strop on me backside?

Originally Posted by cosperryan

My guess would be like Veg Tan where they use tree bark. Not a leather guy but thats my guess. Leather - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Chrome tanning leather into "wet blues" gradually replaced most of earlier veg tanning (which included the use of bark) houses. Chrome salts made for a softer, more pliable and genearally longer lasting hide; it was cheaper and it produced even more noxious byproducts than veg tanning. There used to be a tannery or two in every major city - use of synthetics, US labor costs and environmental concerns have closed all but a few in the US.

Tanning with bark produces a "tanbark" color and a stiffer hide. I could see why it would be nice for strops.We have both veg- and chrome tanned side leather in our shop and I have made strops from each. If you don't like things on the "boardy" side you will prefer chrome side leather. If you want something closer to a cricket bat it would be veg tanned shoulder leather.

Thanks for the replys all.However they processed this leather I think they did it right.
I have two vintage scotch shells,my other is an aberdeen,is nothing like them