Our day started with a cup of coffee as we talked about the processes we've learned and the tasks we have ahead of us for the day. The days leading up to today we had been laying out punky wood in the sun to dry out. Today that punk wood will be used to smoke our hides and give them that nostalgic deer hide golden color.
Traditionally, hides were sewn together to create a chimney, allowing smoke to evenly bathe and preserve the hide. The process involves suspending the hide from a tripod over a pail containing a combination of hot red embers and dried punky wood, creating the necessary smoke to treat the hides. Fabric clipped to the bottom of the hide and laid around the pail contains the smoke and channels it upward. Both sides of each hide with be smoked for hours until a rich golden color.
We used clothes pins instead of stitching the hides and a pillow case at the bottom around our ember pot. It’s important to keep the ember pot from bursting into flames by carefully regulating the air to punk wood ratio.
Keep the fabric wet at the ember pot end to keep it from burning and the end attached to the hides dry to keep your leather dry. Using springy green twigs inside your leather chimney will keep it open and the smoke bath is even.
By learning about this traditional method, you can gain a deeper understanding of the historical and cultural significance of smoking hides.
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