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Greenhorn
Picture of 71Eagle
posted
I actaully have two questions.

1. For buckskin or elk, what was normal, rough side in or out? Any recommendations on a good source for pants and/or shirt?

2. Any suggestion on a good pair of boots, circa 1820s to 1850s?

I'm looking at an early Texas impression (pre-revolution thru 1850s). Or just arrived to the mountains or trader in Rocky Mountains.

Thanks,
Chris
 
Posts: 12 | Location: Central Texas | Registered: 15 August 2013Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Hivernant
Picture of Willis Creek
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Wear the hide the way the animal did. Fugawee for boots


"touch not the cat without a glove"
"Much of the social history of the western world over the past three decades has involved replacing what worked with what sounded good. . ." Thomas Sowell
 
Posts: 143 | Location: South of the Arkansas, on the slopes of St. Charles Peak, Colorado territory | Registered: 25 January 2010Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Greenhorn
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http://sew-it-seams.com are great folks and a good source for period correct clothes.
 
Posts: 22 | Location: New Mexico | Registered: 08 November 2011Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Factor
Picture of Dick
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If the skin was brain-tanned, native style, both sides of the skin more-or-less resemble "rough side out". The process of working the skins produces a tolerably rough side on what would be the smooth side if it's tanned with modern chemical methods. So for commercially-prepared hides, the preferred way these days is rough side out.

Fugawee makes "over the counter" boots. You can probably find nicer ones by custom makers.


Dick


"Est Deus in Nobis"
 
Posts: 2902 | Location: Helena, Montana | Registered: 10 December 2004Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Factor
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Bag the skins, and use cloth.

" The hunting shirt was universally worn. This was a kind of loose frock, reaching half way down the thighs, with large sleeves, open before, and so wide as to lap over a foot or more when belted. The cap was large, and sometimes handsomely fringed with a ravelled piece of cloth of a different color from that of the hunting shirt itself......The belt, which was always tied behind...., The hunting shirt was generally made of linsey, sometime of coarse linen, and a few of dressed deer skins. These last were very cold and uncomfortable in wet weather."
Joseph Doddridge

Use the leather for things like a rifle bag and knife or tomahawk sheaths, rifle lock covers, and such.

LD


It's not what you know, it's what you can prove
 
Posts: 3843 | Location: People's Republic of Maryland | Registered: 10 November 2004Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Greenhorn
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71Eagle,
Loyalist Dave does make a good point- buckskin is no fun to wear wet! But not much is. Buckskin garments were quite common in 1850's Texas for the fact that the material was practical, more durable then fabric, and could be obtained in the wild country away for traders and dry goods stores. Samuel Chamberlain described the dress of John Glanton and a Texas Ranger as "that of a Mexican heardman, made of leather, with a Mexican blanket thrown over his shoulder. His opponent in the game was a tall, reckless, good looking young ranger, dressed with a red shirt and buckskin leggings."
Both cloth and hide were universally worn during the time period you've described, and many period trekkers will swear to usefulness and comfort of good brain tan.
 
Posts: 22 | Location: New Mexico | Registered: 08 November 2011Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Booshway
Picture of GreyWolf
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With respect to Dave but wearing bucksin (braintan) here in the high dry west is very well documented - it is just not the same as modern leather since it breathes and drys relatively fast plus this is not the humid and much wetter east so it's really a matter of who, what, and when

Charles Larpenteur was one who man who purchased a set of skins in the 1830's - the reason it would last at least 18 months, much longer than cloth.

Here's how James Kirker was described by one of Doniphan's Missouri Regiment in 1846:
"Fringed buckskin shirt and breeches, heavy broad Mexican hat, huge spurs, all embellished and ornamented with Mexican finery......In addition to a Hawkens rifle elegantly mounted and ornamented with silver inlaid on the stock, he was armed with a choice assortment of pistols and Mexican daggers........."

a pic of Texas Ranger RIP Ford in the 1850's


an alternative to the usually much more expensive braintan is the German tan from Crazy Crow - this is a period correct oil tan (basically the same method as braintan only using fish oil) that closely imitates brain tan and even comes smoked. I do not generally recommend modern chrome tanned hides (the common bucksin and elk hide from most suppliers) since it DOES NOT breathe and thus does not dry out near as fast as the real McCoy


aka Chuck Burrows
 
Posts: 616 | Location: Southern Rockies | Registered: 03 April 2005Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Greenhorn
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Ok after 4o years of making these clothes the smooth side is better to be able to slip on. For shirt as the others stated linsey wool was used. Cost money today, good linen or cotton would do. Like you stated new to the area, so that kind of shirt would fit in. As for foot wear up to what you like to be comfortable in.
 
Posts: 3 | Location: calif.and want out of here | Registered: 19 June 2012Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Greenhorn
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40 years of making this stuff smooth side in. Easy to put on. Also gets wet wear until dry.
 
Posts: 3 | Location: calif.and want out of here | Registered: 19 June 2012Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Greenhorn
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Sorry for double text
 
Posts: 3 | Location: calif.and want out of here | Registered: 19 June 2012Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Booshway
Picture of GreyWolf
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The Texan Immigrant - 1840 - Col Edward Stiff:
"Perhaps about 3,000 people are to be found at Houston....among them are not to exceed forty females. Here may be daily seen parties of traders arriving and departing, composed of every variety of colour from snowy white to sooty, and dressed in every variety of of fashion, excepting the savage Bowie-knife, which, as if by common consent, was a necessary apppendage to all."

A New History of Texas, Being a Narration of the Adventures of the Author in Texas, and a Description of the Soil, Climate, Productions, Minerals, Tons [sic.], Bays, Harbours, Rivers, Institutions, and Manners and Customs of the Inhabitants of that Country; Together with the Principal Incidents of Fifteen Years Revolution in Mexico; and Embracing a Condensed Statement of Interesting Events in Texas, from the First European Settlement in 1692, Down to the Present Time; and a History of the Mexican War. by Col Edward Stiff.

THE PRAIRIE AND OVERLAND TRAVELLER A COMPANION FOR EMIGRANTS, TRADERS,TRAVELLERS, HUNTERS, AND SOLDIERS TRAVERSING GREAT PLAINS AND PRAIRIES. R. B. Marcy
http://books.google.com/books?...yqV6UID1HrooRR6WJg\\

http://www.over-land.com/diaries.html


aka Chuck Burrows
 
Posts: 616 | Location: Southern Rockies | Registered: 03 April 2005Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Pilgrim
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The brain tan I've seen looks sort of like suede- rough on both sides. For someone who is trying to save on the cost- how would a tan suede work?
 
Posts: 54 | Registered: 14 November 2012Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Pilgrim
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It will work.
While Indian made brain tan does look like suede on both sides, commercial tan buckskin was available at the time and it's smooth side looks much like our modern tanned leathers.

Wear you leather smooth side in or out, both are correct.
 
Posts: 51 | Location: North Texas | Registered: 26 October 2012Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Hivernant
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Bubba:

I know that brain tan does cost a bit more than your typical factory tanned stuff, but not really all that much. And I can tell you, as one that does a bit of brain tanning the price is a steal for the amount of work that goes into it.

A nice pair of brain tan pantaloons or hunting shirt will be very comfortable and last you a very long time.

I highly recommend holding of a month or so, saving a bit more money, and then getting brain tan. You will have it forever and never, ever regret the extra money you paid for it.

I can almost guarantee that if you go with the factory tanned stuff after a year or so you will be wanted a new set of brain tan clothing.

Just a thought

Rio
 
Posts: 140 | Registered: 18 March 2009Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Booshway
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Rio, you are absolutely correct about the price of brain tan being a steal. Anyone who has ever done it would agree.
 
Posts: 507 | Registered: 14 August 2013Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Greenhorn
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Highly agree that the price of brain tan is a bargain for all the work that goes into it! If cash is the real issue hides right off the deer are either free or less then twenty bucks. The sweat and back ache of tanning them yourself is free and the knowledge of knowing how to tan is priceless.
 
Posts: 22 | Location: New Mexico | Registered: 08 November 2011Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Booshway
Picture of GreyWolf
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another less expensive alternative to brain tan is the German Tan sold by Crazy Crow.

This is much like real brain tan (both sides "sueded") and in fact uses a period correct oil tan method- brain tan is also technically an oil tan leather although it's the aldehydes in the smoke that actually tan it - these same type aldehydes are also what tans the German tan albeit using a different method that makes a finished product practically the same as GOOD brain tan (sadly there is a lot of crappy or at least less than GOOD brain tan being sold out there.....)


aka Chuck Burrows
 
Posts: 616 | Location: Southern Rockies | Registered: 03 April 2005Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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