American Hunting: Starting with Solitary Life in the Wilderness

Chapter 26 Tanning Beaver Skin

Lin Yu-an's addition undoubtedly injects new vitality and attention into the hugely potential Chinese market.

When the first episode aired, it sparked heated discussions in the civilized world thousands of miles away.

Lin Yu'an was completely unaware of this.

At this moment, the sunlight on the shore of Lake Chirko is filtering through the sparse coniferous forest and shining on his natural-style stone shelter.

Two fresh beaver pelts were drying on a makeshift wooden frame outside the shelter.

He was now completely focused on the two precious beaver pelts.

"Our main task today is to process these two precious beaver pelts."

"Beaver fur is thick and has excellent warmth retention. If it can be successfully tanned, whether it is made into hats or used as bedding, it will greatly improve my quality of life."

He picked up one of the beaver pelts, still covered in fat and glistening in the sunlight, and showed it to the camera.

"Alright, ladies and gentlemen, I'm going to get to work now."

Lin Yu'an stretched out a beaver pelt with the flesh side facing up and laid it on a relatively flat birch log, placing it at a slight angle.

This tilt helps the scraped fat and meat scraps slide off.

He didn't have a professional peeler, but the tools he had were enough. A shale flake he chipped off from the rock and carefully polished it was enough to serve as a peeler.

He explained as he roughly scraped away the large chunks of grease from the leather with a stone blade.

"The first step in tanning, which is also the most laborious, requires thoroughly scraping away the fat, meat scraps, and tough inner membrane from the inside of the hide."

"If these things are not removed, the leather will smell bad and harden, making it impossible to tan."

Starting from the tail of the beaver skin, Lin Yu'an leaned forward, using the weight of his upper body to assist in pushing and scraping forward steadily, one stroke at a time.

"When scraping, the angle is very important, about 30 to 45 degrees, and the pressure should be even."

"Our goal is to scrape until the white dermis is exposed, but without damaging it."

"I learned this skill from my neighbor who slaughtered sheep when I was a child. It's barely enough to scrape a beaver pelt."

He shaved with great focus, especially on the edges and irregular areas, where he was particularly careful.

Sticky white fat, red meat strands, and translucent fascia rolled up and fell off as the stone slab scraped them.

It took him nearly two hours just to initially scrape clean a beaver pelt.

By the time he finished processing the two pieces of leather, it was already afternoon.

At this point, the inside of the leather panel has turned a clean white or pale yellow and no longer feels greasy to the touch.

Lin Yu'an then took the cleaned beaver pelt to the stream and thoroughly rinsed off the dirt with the cold water.

He did not perform complicated "skin retting" or alkali treatment; he simply soaked the hides in clean water for one or two hours to allow them to fully absorb water and swell.

"Now comes the most crucial step: making the natural tannins, using the material the beaver itself has prepared for us—its brain!"

"One of the most traditional and effective methods of tanning fur in the wild is to use the animal's own brain."

"It may sound a bit primitive, but it works very well and this method has been used around the world for thousands of years."

Lin Yu'an extracted the brain matter intact from the two beaver heads that he had carefully preserved.

He placed the brain in a small ceramic bowl and added about the same amount of warm water.

Then, using a smooth wooden stick, I began to vigorously pound and stir it.

"We need to thoroughly mash the brain into a paste, mix it fully with water, and form a brain liquid like thin porridge." They patiently mashed it for a long time until the mixture in the earthenware bowl became a uniform, milky white, slightly foamy brain liquid.

Once the brain tanning agent was ready, Lin Yu'an laid a damp beaver skin on the fallen log again, with the skin facing up.

He scooped up the warm brain matter with his gloved hands, and the stench was overwhelming! But he still endured the smell and spread it evenly on the inside of the leather plate.

"It looks a bit disgusting, but it smells even more disgusting! Every inch of the leather plate must be coated, especially the edges and thicker areas."

Lin Yu'an carefully kneaded the brain matter into the fibers of the skin.

Then, he folded the beaver skin coated with brain matter, fur side to fur side, and this "brain soaking" process lasted for several hours.

Once Lin Yu'an determined that the brain matter had fully permeated the tanning process, he proceeded to the most laborious step in the entire tanning process: "breaking the skin."

"Now we need to break the fiber structure inside the hide through continuous physical action so that it remains soft after drying."

He unfolded the beaver skin, which was soaked in brain matter, and began a series of intense kneading and stretching movements.

Arriving at a hardwood stake that he had shaved perfectly smooth, he placed the fleshy side of the hide on top of the stake, then grabbed both sides of the hide with both hands and pulled and rubbed it back and forth forcefully.

Then roll up the leather like wringing a towel and twist it in opposite directions with both hands.

For particularly thick or difficult-to-stretch areas, I would knead them repeatedly with both hands, like kneading dough.

This "skin-breaking" process is continuous; once it begins, the skin cannot be allowed to dry completely.

Lin Yu'an took turns processing the two beaver pelts, his arms aching so much he could barely lift them. This process took up most of his day.

Once the "skinning" process has reached a satisfactory stage, Lin Yu'an's hides are thoroughly dried in a cool, well-ventilated place.

Another day passed, and it was afternoon.

Once thoroughly dried, beaver fur becomes very soft, like a thick piece of velvet, and its color takes on the characteristic milky white or light yellow hue of brain tanning.

To make the tanned beaver skin more durable and to prevent rotting and insect infestation, Lin Yu-an smokes it.

The waterproof tarpaulin fumigation chamber has been restarted.

They still lit a smoldering fire, mainly composed of birch wood and damp pine needles.

After wrapping the wood section with the tanned, dried, and soft beaver fur, secure it with wire or fishing line to form a cylinder, and carefully hang it above the smoldering fire.

"Smoking not only gives leather a beautiful, glossy color, but more importantly, the chemicals in the smoke make the fur more durable."

The smoking process lasted for most of the day until the leather turned a charming golden color and had a unique smoky aroma.

When the two smoked beaver pelts were finally removed from the smoking rack, they exuded a faint smoky aroma and the unique suppleness of leather.

Lin Yu'an finally showed a relieved smile, as if he had completed his mission.

He stroked the soft, supple leather and the still glossy, thick beaver fur with his hands.

"Hey, look at this!" A fully tanned beaver skin is spread out in front of the camera.

"Handmade, all-natural brain-tanned beaver skin! Although the process is arduous, the result is absolutely worth it!"

"I haven't decided what to do with it yet, so I'll just store it away for now!"

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(Image of beaver fur)

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