Smoked hide??

[MaggieB]

Okay my cousin lived in washington for a minute. While she was there she got this leather that was so soft and boy you can get any needle through it. we treat it like gold but now we don't have anymore. Can anyone help us out??
she says it is smoked hide. or something like that.
it feels like a soft plush toy.
HELP!!

[Tara]

sounds like smoked brain tanned hide (as opposed to commercial hides) .. lots of people sell it, just the good stuff goes for upwards of 10 bucks a square foot (worth it for the time that goes into scraping, braining and smoking it)

eidnes furs in idaho has good prices, try them?

Tara

[Sahnish]

Smoked moose hide. Get a canadian connection. It's the moose hide that you can stick any needle right through.

[CHEROSAGE]

I agree I believe you want Moose hide. I got some when I was stationed in Fairbanks. An Athabaskan lady gave me a piece and it was the greatest thing I too have ever beaded on.

Your uncle knows some canadians and maybe he could help.

[Iron Wood]

I agree that the moose hide is great to work with, but it also depends on what you want to make out of it. Any braintanned hide is going to be far better than a commercially tanned hide. I tan my own as the cost , as mentioned, is a little prohibitive. Eidnes is a great place for the moose. They usually have one of the better selections to choose from. They have a website you can go to also.
If you are looking for deer or elk, I would recommend going to the website "braintan.com". It is set up for people interested in tanning, but also has people selling hides on there.
Curtis

[waksupi]

brain tan

If you should ever get some smoked brain tan that doesn't have as much loft as you would like, try this. Put in a washing machine with some Irory snow on the cold wash cycle. When the rinse cycle starts, add some Downy Fabric Softener. It doen't take much. Then spread the hide out on the floor or something flat, and work out any serious wrinkles. Then hang up to dry. When it is dry, rub it between your hands for a few minutes, and it will be real nice to work with.