Black Bird
09-25-2015, 03:12 PM
Hi folks,
I am looking to see if anyone is willing to part with antlers this year (or has any kicking around that they don't want). I teach Grade 7 and for the past number of years I have been doing a "primitive project" with the kids where, for one aspect of the project, take a deer skin from a raw state to buckskin. After they get it to buckskin, they make crafts with it such as bracelets, hair bow ties, bookmarks, medicine bags, and the like. Last year, a bit of antler was used to make a fastener and it looked really good. That got me to thinking that if we had more antlers to work with they could be incorporated into the art. I have (hopefully) put some pictures below to show the kids going through the stages. I bring in the hide fleshed, but they salt it, wet scrape it, buck it, creating the dressing and dress it, and hand soften it. For the past few years I have smoked it for them, but thanks to the blueprints from a fellow from Wisconsin named Ron, I now have built a portable smoker that I can take down to the beach to smoke the hides with the kids.
So, if someone would be willing to part with some antlers from this year's hunt, or from a previous year's hunt, that would be fantastic. They do not have to be big as I am looking to cut them up for the kids. If you don't want the antlers cut up but would rather look to donate the antlers to the classroom for the purposes of science, that would be great too.
Below are some pictures and a link to a video of where they take the hides from and where we end up with them, and a video of my portable smoker. If antlers this year won't work out, then please consider keeping some from next year's hunt as I plan on doing the project for some time to come.
Cheers,
BB
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8NE3xD6BZ8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wumXDDFpI1Y
http://i1289.photobucket.com/albums/b514/1blackbird1/Screen%20Shot%202015-09-25%20at%208.33.22%20AM_zpsfcyw9ks0.png (http://s1289.photobucket.com/user/1blackbird1/media/Screen%20Shot%202015-09-25%20at%208.33.22%20AM_zpsfcyw9ks0.png.html)
http://i1289.photobucket.com/albums/b514/1blackbird1/Screen%20Shot%202015-09-25%20at%208.35.29%20AM_zpsdc8avqyd.png (http://s1289.photobucket.com/user/1blackbird1/media/Screen%20Shot%202015-09-25%20at%208.35.29%20AM_zpsdc8avqyd.png.html)
http://i1289.photobucket.com/albums/b514/1blackbird1/Screen%20Shot%202015-09-25%20at%208.45.02%20AM_zpszlbdgjqi.png (http://s1289.photobucket.com/user/1blackbird1/media/Screen%20Shot%202015-09-25%20at%208.45.02%20AM_zpszlbdgjqi.png.html)
http://i1289.photobucket.com/albums/b514/1blackbird1/Screen%20Shot%202015-09-25%20at%208.46.04%20AM_zpsszlbd9rw.png (http://s1289.photobucket.com/user/1blackbird1/media/Screen%20Shot%202015-09-25%20at%208.46.04%20AM_zpsszlbd9rw.png.html)
http://i1289.photobucket.com/albums/b514/1blackbird1/Screen%20Shot%202015-09-25%20at%208.45.24%20AM_zpsokzibdtg.png (http://s1289.photobucket.com/user/1blackbird1/media/Screen%20Shot%202015-09-25%20at%208.45.24%20AM_zpsokzibdtg.png.html)
I am looking to see if anyone is willing to part with antlers this year (or has any kicking around that they don't want). I teach Grade 7 and for the past number of years I have been doing a "primitive project" with the kids where, for one aspect of the project, take a deer skin from a raw state to buckskin. After they get it to buckskin, they make crafts with it such as bracelets, hair bow ties, bookmarks, medicine bags, and the like. Last year, a bit of antler was used to make a fastener and it looked really good. That got me to thinking that if we had more antlers to work with they could be incorporated into the art. I have (hopefully) put some pictures below to show the kids going through the stages. I bring in the hide fleshed, but they salt it, wet scrape it, buck it, creating the dressing and dress it, and hand soften it. For the past few years I have smoked it for them, but thanks to the blueprints from a fellow from Wisconsin named Ron, I now have built a portable smoker that I can take down to the beach to smoke the hides with the kids.
So, if someone would be willing to part with some antlers from this year's hunt, or from a previous year's hunt, that would be fantastic. They do not have to be big as I am looking to cut them up for the kids. If you don't want the antlers cut up but would rather look to donate the antlers to the classroom for the purposes of science, that would be great too.
Below are some pictures and a link to a video of where they take the hides from and where we end up with them, and a video of my portable smoker. If antlers this year won't work out, then please consider keeping some from next year's hunt as I plan on doing the project for some time to come.
Cheers,
BB
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8NE3xD6BZ8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wumXDDFpI1Y
http://i1289.photobucket.com/albums/b514/1blackbird1/Screen%20Shot%202015-09-25%20at%208.33.22%20AM_zpsfcyw9ks0.png (http://s1289.photobucket.com/user/1blackbird1/media/Screen%20Shot%202015-09-25%20at%208.33.22%20AM_zpsfcyw9ks0.png.html)
http://i1289.photobucket.com/albums/b514/1blackbird1/Screen%20Shot%202015-09-25%20at%208.35.29%20AM_zpsdc8avqyd.png (http://s1289.photobucket.com/user/1blackbird1/media/Screen%20Shot%202015-09-25%20at%208.35.29%20AM_zpsdc8avqyd.png.html)
http://i1289.photobucket.com/albums/b514/1blackbird1/Screen%20Shot%202015-09-25%20at%208.45.02%20AM_zpszlbdgjqi.png (http://s1289.photobucket.com/user/1blackbird1/media/Screen%20Shot%202015-09-25%20at%208.45.02%20AM_zpszlbdgjqi.png.html)
http://i1289.photobucket.com/albums/b514/1blackbird1/Screen%20Shot%202015-09-25%20at%208.46.04%20AM_zpsszlbd9rw.png (http://s1289.photobucket.com/user/1blackbird1/media/Screen%20Shot%202015-09-25%20at%208.46.04%20AM_zpsszlbd9rw.png.html)
http://i1289.photobucket.com/albums/b514/1blackbird1/Screen%20Shot%202015-09-25%20at%208.45.24%20AM_zpsokzibdtg.png (http://s1289.photobucket.com/user/1blackbird1/media/Screen%20Shot%202015-09-25%20at%208.45.24%20AM_zpsokzibdtg.png.html)