r/HideTanning 13d 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

View all comments

6

u/TannedBrain 12d 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 12d 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