this course equips you with all the knowledge you need to begin producing your own high quality, all natural, ethical leather right in your own backyard. with almost two decades of experience, Josh Barnwell uses a hands on approach, allowing you to try out each step of the process so you can not only see but feel what it's like to tan your own hide.

from hunters to homesteaders, you gain more than just the knowledge, but also the first hands on experiences with each step of the hide tanning process, something you just can't learn from books or videos. If you have ever thought about making your own leather, this course is for you!

There is so much mystique surrounding hide tanning and it can feel overwhelming to get started on the journey to making your own leather. This one day class breaks everything down into easy to understand, simple steps, from proper skinning technique, to final stages leaving students with the confidence to return home and apply what they learned on hides from their own hunts or harvests.

topics covered include:

• proper skinning

• hide storage

• to buck or not to buck

• scraping

• tool selection and construction

• softening

• smoking

  This is a hands on “symposium” style event focusing on hair off braintan buckskin. each participant will get to try their hand at each step of the braintanning process. there will be room to discuss application of these methods to hair on/fur tanning as well.