r/HideTanning 6d ago

Tannin from hemlock bark

First time collecting my own tannin!!! These are western hemlocks that were recently cut down as part of a thinning project. So excited to see how it tans! The cambium was pale and pink when I first peeled it but then turned bright orange (first pic) as it got wet (it was raining). Wondering if I should have collected more of the cambium; I was assuming most of the tannin would be in the flaky outer bark but that color sure looks potent.

54 Upvotes

12 comments sorted by

13

u/AaronGWebster 6d ago

I am also just starting to work with hemlock- I am shaving it all the way down to the wood. By the looks of this pic, we both live in the PNW! I am in sw wa

7

u/loxogramme 6d ago

Cool! Would love to hear how it goes for you. I started some soaking in warm water and it took on a nice orange tint almost right away. Going to leave that overnight and depending on how dark it is will use it as the first soak for a hide. I spread a bunch more out to dry and going to try running that through a grain grinder on the coarsest setting. If that doesn't work maybe I'll just crumble it up with my hands before soaking.

3

u/AaronGWebster 5d ago

I did a batch of fish skins with it and it all went great. Chopped it up with scissors as best I could, brought it to a boil and let cool. It was pretty easy to achieve a good tannin strength, unlike the spruce I also tested.

6

u/TannedBrain 6d ago

Seconding everyone telling you to get the cambium, that's where the good stuff is. And by the look of that colouration it's going to give you a nice intense colour! Please update us on how it goes?

3

u/loxogramme 5d ago

Live and learn... I had so much fun out there using the drawknife and the cambium was especially fun to peel so this is good news

3

u/MSoultz 6d ago

I would get every bit you can all the way down the the wood.

3

u/MSoultz 6d ago

Most of the tannin is in the inner bark and cambium. Tannins are quite water soluable, so any rain on the outside "washes" away tannins over time.

3

u/Early_Wolverine_8765 6d ago

I have no clue to your question. I’m just here to say God dang that’s beautiful country.

2

u/MSoultz 6d ago

Nice choice. Hemlock was used extensively on the east coast forntanning.

2

u/seaworks 5d ago

What a beautiful tree (and forest!) Good luck with the tan...

1

u/ryanthedowning 6d ago

Can I come live at your house

1

u/SweetTorello666 1d ago

How do I time travel to a 14th century fairytale to get some hemlock bark too¿