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WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? Been working on a leather laptop case for my wife’s computer. The leather was from a doe taken in 2022 and tanned using hemlock bark. Just glad to see it used for something. My wife sure is getting good at that sewing too; LotsContinue Reading

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WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? Remnants of last year’s deer made into tanned leather.  I cut out the pieces using patterns and punch the holes and my wife does the sewing. I thought this pouch might come in handy while working up in the tree to hold small thingsContinue Reading

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WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? Finished 1 of 2 deerskins into leather last week. This hide was from a doe down in the Wallkill Valley. Doeskins are normally thinner than buckskins. Making leather reveals in some part, the lives these deer lived. Scars from tick bites, barbed wire, andContinue Reading

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WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? Now is the time–from Memorial Day to mid-August or so—to peel hemlock logs. As a hobby, I like to use hemlock bark to tan deerskins into leather. Seeing these “naked” logs was once a common thing in the forest back in the early 19thContinue Reading

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WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? Been working on another doe-skin over the last month or so. It’s gone from that fleshy & hairy thing to almost full-grain leather. Everything has been done in the de-hairing and scraping department. Now, all that is left is patience and waiting for theContinue Reading

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WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? Shortly after Memorial Day or so & into August marks the best time to peel bark from hemlock trees. Hemlock bark was traditionally used in the Catskills–and many parts of the eastern US–for making tanning liquor from. Bark is grinded up and water addedContinue Reading

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WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? Got a chance to do some hiking in the mountains. Sometimes I like to just find & follow an old “bark road” as high as it’ll go. Can you see the road from the photo? “Bark roads” are numerous throughout the Catskills. They wereContinue Reading

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WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? Spring has sprung and with it the bark of some trees is beginning to loosen up. Last week, I took the bark off a chestnut oak and ran it through the chipper. The bark will be used to make a “tea” or “liquor” forContinue Reading