Natural cheap way to tan goat fur

A lot of reenactment level work is about learning appropriate historical crafts and skills. This board is for all general skills that don't have their own forum.

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Feredir (hunter)
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Natural cheap way to tan goat fur

Post by Feredir (hunter) »

Greetings fellow Rangers!
looking for a cheap natural way to tan some goat skin I got from a friend..
preferably ways that the Celts would have or what they would have done during the medieval period..
Thanks!!
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Elleth
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Re: Natural cheap way to tan goat fur

Post by Elleth »

Udwin just did a wonderful job brain tanning our goats.
Are you looking for hair on or hair off? Is there a particular use you have in mind?
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Re: Natural cheap way to tan goat fur

Post by Feredir (hunter) »

hair on is what I'm looking for sense its long and brown, it would go good for my winter kit as a mantle.
lol, dang Elleth, you seem to be answering all my questions!!
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Elleth
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Re: Natural cheap way to tan goat fur

Post by Elleth »

Hunh...as a mantle?

While it might work, I think you'll be happier with sheep, coyote, or even wolf (if you can get it / are willing to own it) for that. I've been poking about for hair-on goat for a bota, but as similar as the hair is to deer I'd expect it would have the same shedding issues. And it doesn't have nearly the loft of the other pelts.

...certainly happy to be proven wrong though. I'm not the resident tanner. :)
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Re: Natural cheap way to tan goat fur

Post by Feredir (hunter) »

lol, the reason I'm keeping it as a mantle is because of the fact its really long and thick, it could be sheep I cant tell, it would be like game of thrones fur blackwatch mantle.
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Udwin
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Re: Natural cheap way to tan goat fur

Post by Udwin »

Just a few days ago at the IndyMoot, one of the topics that came up around the campfire was the practicality of including fur items, and the support for them in Tolkien's writings.
Boromir is first described as being "cloaked and booted as if for a journey on horseback; and indeed though his garments were rich, and his cloak was lined with fur, they were stained with long travel", while the Fellowship leaves Rivendell "well furnished by Elrond with thick warm clothes, and they had jackets and cloaks lined with fur."
Note that in both of these examples, the garments are lined with fur, which is not suggestive of a furry 'mantle'.

Our consensus was that a big ol' piece of fur strapped about the shoulders--outside of the Paleolithic--is purely fantasy and is more useful in a visual storytelling sense, often to give a more 'barbaric' silhouette for easy identification--see: Germanic-type folks in Gladiator's opening battle, Ironclad, &c.: AKA 'rule of cool' but not necessarily very practical, and a credible and authentic interpretation of Tolkien's world should be focused on practicality.

As to what type of fur to use, I'll second Elleth's comment above that goat would be far from ideal. Sheep's wool (which you should have no difficulty differentiating from goat hair) would be better, but the ideal (and historically-used) would be some sort of small furbearing mammal--mink, stoat, weasel, ferret, marten, &c. (In which case you should take great pains to ensure that it comes from an animal that has been legally trapped and not from a furfarm.)
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Re: Natural cheap way to tan goat fur

Post by Straelbora »

I agree with Udwin's assessment- I have a beaver pelt that I use as a mantle of sorts, in that I wear it fur-side in across my shoulders. The only time I wear it out is as a display item (medieval Russian kaftan, with the fur mantle to show off wealth- the kaftan has mink-lined cuffs and mink along the bottom as well).
Vápnum sínum skala maðr velli á
feti ganga framar því at óvist er at vita
nær verðr á vegum úti geirs um þörf guma
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Re: Natural cheap way to tan goat fur

Post by Feredir (hunter) »

ok, thanks guys! so what would you suggest I use a large shaggy brown hide for as far as ranging is concerned?
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Re: Natural cheap way to tan goat fur

Post by Kortoso »

I'd suggest experimenting with it. That's how we know almost everything. Try wearing it as a garment and see how or whether it makes you comfortable.
Trying sleeping on it. See if it keeps off the rain, etc...
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Greg
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Re: Natural cheap way to tan goat fur

Post by Greg »

Feredir (hunter) wrote:ok, thanks guys! so what would you suggest I use a large shaggy brown hide for as far as ranging is concerned?
I would say skip the leather entirely, for now. "Medieval" Leather clothing is very much a modern invention...very few garments were leather. I promise from years of experience, start with the right materials for fabric clothing, and you'll soon find yourself light-years ahead in comfort and authenticity. Leather as clothing will make you look "cool", sweat a ton, and generally miserable. You'll likely remove it before the end of a moderately warm day.

There are a few expensive and labor-intensive ways you can add leather in as a part of common ranger gear, but to start on the right foot, I can't harp on linen and wool nearly enough.
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Greg
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Re: Natural cheap way to tan goat fur

Post by Greg »

Udwin wrote:Our consensus was that a big ol' piece of fur strapped about the shoulders--outside of the Paleolithic--is purely fantasy.
THIS.
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Re: Natural cheap way to tan goat fur

Post by Feredir (hunter) »

Ok, thank you! I think i will hold off it then for now and maybe use it for something else!
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caedmon
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Re: Natural cheap way to tan goat fur

Post by caedmon »

Greg wrote:..."Medieval" Leather clothing is very much a modern invention...very few garments were leather. I promise from years of experience, start with the right materials for fabric clothing, and you'll soon find yourself light-years ahead in comfort and authenticity. ...
This has been my opinion for years, but recently I've been finding some interesting counter examples.

For example, leather mantles seem to have been part of the standard uniform for late medieval pilgrims. Of course this is not hair on....

Image

But for the hair on look, don't forget the irish shaggy mantle (ok, not actually made of leather, but definitely the shaggy GOT look...)

Image
-Jack Horner

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Impression: Cædmon Reedmace | bronze founder living in Archet, Breeland. c. 3017
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Greg
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Re: Natural cheap way to tan goat fur

Post by Greg »

I can buy the leather mantle thing. That could fit the bill. Touche, Jack. I was more talking about shirts and pants. For what it's worth, in this part of the world (America/the lower 48) a leather mantle will still induce noticeably large amounts of sweat.

As for the fur collars in that image...I'm just going to pretend I didn't see them and keep on going. I certainly hope those were supposed to be decorative...unfortunately, the dude in the bottom right warming his hindquarters by a rather large indoor fire suggests otherwise. *sigh*
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caedmon
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Re: Natural cheap way to tan goat fur

Post by caedmon »

Greg wrote:As for the fur collars in that image...I'm just going to pretend I didn't see them and keep on going. I certainly hope those were supposed to be decorative...

Nope, not decorative, it's from Derricke’s Images of Ireland, one of the main sources for Irish clothing in the 16th century. Just for fun here's one by Alberich Duhrer from about 70 years earlier. Once again, I would point out that the Irish Shaggy Mantle is not fur. it's a wool cloak woven like a 70's carpet.

Image
-Jack Horner

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Impression: Cædmon Reedmace | bronze founder living in Archet, Breeland. c. 3017
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