Type of tool: flesher and wet-scraper

Country of Origin: USA

The first tool in the hide tanner’s toolbelt. Used for fleshing, graining, and membraning: a.k.a wet-scraping. This tool is intentionally slightly dulled, so that we don’t cut into the skin of an animal when scraping. During wet-scraping, we apply a lot of downward pressure to peel away layers of skin rather than slice them away. If you find yourself unable to scrape away flesh or grain, you can give it a bit of a sharpening (but don’t overdo it!).

Our Rune Wet-scraper is stainless steel with an added resilience coating to resist rust in damp climates + when hides mix with salt. The tools have removable rubber handles for cleaning thoroughly. This is a Fern + Roe custom slender design, drawn by Mara back in 2018. Initially designed to be a slender tool for women and anyone with smaller hands, but the feedback we’ve got over the years is that these dimensions are ideal for grasping + applying a lot of pressure for hides.

This wet-scraper is hand-fabricated by our friend Ryan Fogarty from Leechtown Blacksmith. See more of Ryan’s work here.

Tool use: place a hide on a round beam (wooden or PVC) and angle tool about 40 degrees to the hide. Apply pressure in long strokes to scrape away flesh, grain, or membrane from the skin.

Rust-proof, washable, and hardy. To take handles off, squeeze and pull apart. Clean and dry the handle and then put handles back.

15″ long; 1″ wide; .25″ thick.

A Tale of Two Wet-Scrapers: what’s the difference between the two wet-scrapers we carry?

• The Classic Wet-scraper is hand-fabricated, which results in some variation (waviness) of the bevelled edge

• The Classic Wet-scraper is straight stainless steel with no added resilience coating

• The Classic Wet-scraper arrives to you with a sharp edge.  It is the best sharpness for fleshing. If you want to dull the edge for more delicate work, place a pice of sandpaper on the edge and rub it up and down for 5 minutes.

• The Rune Wet-scraper is belt-fabricated, which results in a uniform bevelled edge

• The Rune Wet-scraper is stainless steel with an added resilience coating

• The Rune Wet-scraper arrives to you dulled. This is the best edge for graining thin hides and for membraning delicate hides. If you want to sharpen the Rune Wet-scraper, place a mill file or bastard file on the bevel and swipe across it for 5 minutes.

Individual tools will vary from photos. Email us with any custom requests such as a more dull or more sharp tool, after ordering.

Prices are in CAD. Click the upper-right tab to view local currency. Tool orders ship on Wednesdays.

USA residents: your orders have a tariff fee applied. The tariff fee is reflected in the shipping cost at check-out.

Type of tool: flesher and wet-scraper

Country of Origin: USA

The first tool in the hide tanner’s toolbelt. Used for fleshing, graining, and membraning: a.k.a wet-scraping. This tool is intentionally slightly dulled, so that we don’t cut into the skin of an animal when scraping. During wet-scraping, we apply a lot of downward pressure to peel away layers of skin rather than slice them away. If you find yourself unable to scrape away flesh or grain, you can give it a bit of a sharpening (but don’t overdo it!).

Our wet-scraper is stainless steel to resist rust in damp climates + when hides mix with salt. The tools have removable rubber handles for cleaning thoroughly. This is a Fern + Roe custom slender design, drawn by Mara back in 2018. Initially designed to be a slender tool for women and anyone with smaller hands, but the feedback we’ve got over the years is that these dimensions are ideal for grasping + applying a lot of pressure for hides.

This wet-scraper is hand-fabricated by our friend David Robertson from The Hammer and Tongs in Ontario, Canada. Check out more of David’s work here.

Tool use: place a hide on a round beam (wooden or PVC) and angle tool about 40 degrees to the hide. Apply pressure in long strokes to scrape away flesh, grain, or membrane from the skin.

Rust-proof, washable, and hardy. To take handles off, squeeze and pull apart. Clean and dry the handle and then put handles back.

15″ long; 1″ wide; .25″ thick.

A Tale of Two Wet-Scrapers: what’s the difference between the two wet-scrapers we carry?

• The Classic Wet-scraper is hand-fabricated, which results in some variation (waviness) of the bevelled edge

• The Classic Wet-scraper is straight stainless steel with no added resilience coating

• The Classic Wet-scraper arrives to you with a sharp edge.  It is the best sharpness for fleshing. If you want to dull the edge for more delicate work, place a pice of sandpaper on the edge and rub it up and down for 5 minutes.

• The Rune Wet-scraper is belt-fabricated, which results in a uniform bevelled edge

• The Rune Wet-scraper is stainless steel with an added resilience coating

• The Rune Wet-scraper arrives to you dulled. This is the best edge for graining thin hides and for membraning delicate hides. If you want to sharpen the Rune Wet-scraper, place a mill file or bastard file on the bevel and swipe across it for 5 minutes.

Individual tools will vary from photos. Email us with any custom requests such as a more dull or more sharp tool, after ordering.

Prices are in CAD. Click the upper-right tab to view local currency. Tool orders ship on Wednesdays.

USA residents: your orders have a tariff fee applied. The tariff fee is reflected in the shipping cost at check-out.

Type of tool: dry scraper + softener

Country of Origin: USA

Use with: Any hide. As a dry scraper, it will peel layers of skin on the membrane side and clear away ground substance/corium on the grain side. As a softener, it will stretch the fibres of skin apart to soften.

This tool is a custom design by Fern + Roe, made by Upcycle Forges in Seattle.

We took our classic head knife and added another bevel - meaning, you can go up and down, side to side with this tool without thinking about which direction the bevel faces. This dry scraper is also slightly heavier with thicker metal than the standard head knife + it has a more rounded edge for greater versatility.

Measures 4″ x 6″

Prices are in CAD. Click the upper-right tab to view local currency. Tool orders ship on Wednesdays.

USA residents: your orders have a tariff fee applied. The tariff fee is reflected in the shipping cost at check-out.

Type of tool: opener + dry scraper + softener

Country of Origin: USA

Use with: Any hide, in a frame or in your lap as a hand tool. As a dry scraper, it will peel layers of skin on the membrane side and clear away ground substance/corium on the grain side. As a softener, it will stretch the fibres of skin apart to soften.

A small rounded-blade dry scraper that fits in the palm of the hand. This is an English style blade called a Head Knife. The handle sits atop the single-bevelled steel blade and the knife can be handled one-handed or grasped with both hands, as you scrape downwards away from the bevelled edge on a hide.

How to use: Keep edge super sharp to use as a dry scraper, or let it go dull to use as a softener. This blade has sharp corners so make sure your hide is tight in a frame when using.

Always move this tool in a downward motion (with bevel facing up to the sky) to keep the bevel intact: “bevel up, scrape down.”

The symbol of the Head Knife became synonymous with hide tanners and leather workers in the British Isles. Its likeness was the public emblem of leather guild shops (a pictographic brand during oral/non-literate times). It is still used by many European hide tanners in their branding and logos. This is a bit of a creative take on the classic Head Knife design - traditionally in England, the Head Knife had a long, round handle similar to our tool The Handheld.

This Head Knife is akin to the Italian Mezzaluna, the Nordic Ulo, and the Athabaskan Ulu: cultures around the world have come up with the shape that best scrapes a dry hide, while innovating unique handle styles that are emblematic of the creators.

*

Tool made by Stevan de la Rosa in the Sonoran Desert. The handle is harvested Mesquite wood + the steel is reclaimed.

Measures 4″ x 6″

Prices are in CAD. Click the upper-right tab to view local currency. Tool orders ship on Wednesdays.

USA residents: your orders have a tariff fee applied. The tariff fee is reflected in the shipping cost at check-out.

The Slicker blunt tool

What’s it for:

• Softening all hides

• Flattening bark-tan hair-off leathers

This is a single-bevelled tool so one side is flat and the other has a bevel (edge).

To soften a hide in a frame, think “bevel up, scrape down” while holding the tool 90 degrees to the hide.

To use The Slicker for flattening bark-tan hair-off leathers, lay your leather on a clean and dry flat surface, hold the tool 40 degrees or so to the leather, and lightly scrape and smooth the leather.

Made by our friend Ryan from Leechtown Blacksmith, this dry-scraper is hand-forged and comes with a hardwood axe handle with a beautiful inset of abalone shell.

Type of tool: dry scraper and softener

Country of Origin: Canada

Use with: any hide in a frame, but especially large hides (Cow, Elk) to peel layers of membrane away to thin a hide

This is an ultra lightweight dry scraper for scraping and softening hides in a frame. Its rounded wood handle is ergonomic and its light weight allows for endurance over long stretches of time. It can be first used as a dry scraper to peel away layers of membrane from big hides, and then used as a softening tool for the rest of the tanning process.

Tool use: The blade is used for scraping (when sharp) and softening (when dull); the butt end of the handle can also be used for softening - simply turn the tool upside down and wield it with both hands to apply pressure to the hide in a frame.

Keep edge super sharp while dry-scraping. When using more as a softening tool, you can let the edge get dulled a bit and apply more pressure once dull. Always move this tool in a downward motion to keep the bevel intact (bevel should face upwards if scraping downwards): “bevel up, scrape down.”. Check out our IG stories for tool use + care.

Long handle with a single-bevelled, sturdy metal blade attached. It can be combined with small dry scrapers like the Head Knife or the Handheld to swap tools mid-tanning and keep your hands and wrists feeling fresh.

14″ long x 4″ wide x “2” deep.

Individual tools will vary from photos

Prices are in CAD. Click the upper-right tab to view local currency. Tool orders ship on Wednesdays.

USA residents: your orders have a tariff fee applied. The tariff fee is reflected in the shipping cost at check-out.

Type of tool: dry scraper and softener

Country of Origin: Canada

Use with: fish skins and any mammal hides, even Elk!

The most versatile little dry scraper. Use on a hide in frame and use for a finishing touch to make a hide extra soft. Wonderful for small fur-bearers, fish skins, and I even use it on Buffalo. Being able to grasp the handle with both hands makes this tool gentle on the body and great for easing into a balanced softening technique, using both sides of the body equally. Its small blade also fits between holes on a framed hide so it can soften edges of a hide nicely.

Tool use: Keep edge super sharp while dry-scraping. When using more as a softening tool, you can let the edge get dulled a bit and apply more pressure once dull. Always move this tool in a downward motion to keep the bevel intact: “bevel up, scrape down.” Check out our IG stories for tool use + care.

Hand-forged with lathed wooden handle, by Hammarede Blacksmith of Sweden.

7″ long; 3″ wide: 1.25″ thick.

Individual tools will vary from photos.

Prices are in CAD. Click the upper-right tab to view local currency. Tool orders ship on Wednesdays.

USA residents: your orders have a tariff fee applied. The tariff fee is reflected in the shipping cost at check-out.

Type of tool: dry scraper and softener

Country of Origin: Canada

Use with: any hide in a frame, but especially large hides (Deer, Elk, Cow) to dry-scrape.

A sharp and quick scraper for large, thick hides. The S scraper is a slightly heavier weight than the long-handle dry scraper. It has a sharp bevelled edge on each end for swift motions and getting into every nook and cranny of the hide.

Some tanners like to keep one edge dull and one edge sharp to turn the S Scraper into two-tools-in one: a softener and a dry-scraper.

Made from forged steel by Hammarede Forgeworks blacksmith in Sweden.

Tool use: Hold the S scraper with both hands, placing one hand on the bottom S curve and one hand on the top S curve. Scrape in a downwards motion. Keep edges super sharp while dry-scraping. When using more as a softening tool, you can let the edge get dulled a bit and apply more pressure once dull.

Always move this tool in a downward motion to keep the bevel intact: “bevel up, scrape down.”.

8.5″ long x 2.5″ wide x 2.5″ deep

Individual tools will vary from photos.

Prices are in CAD. Click the upper-right tab to view local currency. Tool orders ship on Wednesdays.

USA residents: your orders have a tariff fee applied. The tariff fee is reflected in the shipping cost at check-out.

Type of tool: Sewing and framing hides

Country of Origin: China

Use with: any hide that you want to put in a frame, generally sheep-size and higher. Pair with a large tapestry needle and twine for framing.

An awl is a sewing tool that we use in hide tanning to punch holes in hides, for framing the hides into a rack.

These awls are tapered, starting with a tiny sharp tip and graduating to a wider diameter. You can control the size of the hole you make in a hide + match it to the size of your framing string, whether you use thin artificial sinew or large baling twine.

The pointed tip of the awl does not have a blade, so that holes can be punched clean and resist tearing when we soften the hides in a fame. I like to pair the awl with a large (size 13) tapestry needle.

Steel with a wooden handle.

4.75″ long x .5″ wide; steel measures 2.5″ long

Prices are in CAD. Click the upper-right tab to view local currency. Tool orders ship on Wednesdays.

USA residents: your orders have a tariff fee applied. The tariff fee is reflected in the shipping cost at check-out.

Type of tool: grooming/finishing

Country of Origin: USA

Use with: sheep, bison, mountain goat, and many fur-on textiles

The foundational grooming tool for sheepskins. Sheepskin wool is typically knotty and tangled; use this tool to detangle the wool threads after tanning, leaving the sheepskin fluffy and clean of seeds, dirt, or detritus trapped in the wool.

Tool use: for the first grooming of a newly-tanned sheepskin, place tines of comb at base of wool and gently pull outwards. Move in a systematic way all around the hide. This is called “line combing.” It thoroughly cleans the wool. Make sure the hide is completely dry when doing this. For subsequent uses, comb the sheepskin wool at random to fluff it up again.

After the initial grooming, you can spritz a sheepskin with water to get the curls back. Use this tool to fluff up a sheepskin rug for maintenance at any time.

7.25″ long x 2″ wide

Individual tools will slightly vary in shape from photos.

Prices are in CAD. Click the upper-right tab to view local currency. Tool orders ship on Wednesdays.

USA residents: your orders have a tariff fee applied. The tariff fee is reflected in the shipping cost at check-out.

A knee-length adjustable apron for working hides when they are fresh or wet.

Country of Origin: China

We’ve gone through several iterations of aprons over the years. Started off literally making garbage bag ponchos, then we found waist-length dog grooming aprons. Finally had to switch to heavy duty kitchen aprons, and found that quality was hard to come by. But we didn’t give up, and after a few years of putting aprons to the test, we’ve got one that will last you hide tanning for years.

Prices are in CAD. Click the upper-right tab to view local currency. Tool orders ship on Wednesdays.

USA residents: your orders have a tariff fee applied. The tariff fee is reflected in the shipping cost at check-out.

This is 5lbs of tannin extract from the bark of the Wattle (Acacia ) tree. Known in hide tanning parlance as “mimosa extract.”

This is enough tannin extract to tan one average-sized sheep skin or deer hide, at three to four feet long. This tannin can also be used in natural dyeing.

*Any orders of Mimosa over 20 pounds will have an additional shipping charge applied in order to reflect accurate shipping costs. This additional charge will be invoiced to you once your order has shipped.

USA residents: your orders have a tariff fee applied. The tariff fee is reflected in the shipping cost at check-out.

This is 100 grams of Organic non-GMO powdered sunflower lecithin.

Use lecithin as the emulsifier in your fat emulsion for all methods of tanning - smoke-tanning, brain-tanning, mineral-tanning, bark-tanning, and of course, oil-tanning!

Recipes vary. Here’s one we like:

• 3 tablespoons lecithin

• 2 tablespoons fat/oil

• 1 gallon water (per hide)

Prices are in CAD. Click the upper-right tab to view local currency. Tool orders ship on Wednesdays.

USA residents: your orders have a tariff fee applied. The tariff fee is reflected in the shipping cost at check-out.

Country of Origin: China

Use citric acid to pickle or acidify a hide to prepare for bark-tanning or mineral tanning.

This is enough citric acid for 10 gallons of water - one or two hides.

Recipe for pickling:

• 3 oz of citric acid

• 1 lb of salt

• combine in 1 gallon of warm water and dissolve

• scale up the recipe as large as you need to submerge a hide.

Prices are in CAD. Click the upper-right tab to view local currency. Tool orders ship on Wednesdays.

USA residents: your orders have a tariff fee applied. The tariff fee is reflected in the shipping cost at check-out.

All orders come with $100 insurance. If you’d like additional insurance to cover the full cost of your order, you may add it on here.  You only need to apply this add-on once for $4 no matter the cost of your order.  American friends, remember to keep your orders at $800 and below to avoid extra duty (tariff) fees.

A 50+ page guidebook to tanning customized for our Hide Club Winter 2026 schedule.

It includes:

• Step-by-step guides for each hide project in our Hide Club season

• Resource sheets for general hide tanning steps

• Fillable notes for each hide project

• Fillable notes for your future hide projects

Just for the Modern Homesteading Conference:

The everything-is-here for you toolkit to tan the sheepskins of your dreams.

This kit contains:

• The Scraper: wet-scraper for fleshing, membraning, and graining

• Waterproof apron: for keeping you dry while wet-scraping

• Awl: a graduated awl for perfect framing holes

• Long-Handled Dry-scraper: for softening (blunt end) and frame-scraping (sharp end) OR the Slicker

• Pumice stone: for polishing your leather as a finishing touch

• Comb: to clean + fluff that wool

And it all comes in a heavy-duty recycled cotton bag made by a local BC small business, The Market Bags!

AVAILABLE FOR CURRENT STUDENTS ONLY. WE DO NOT PROVIDE REFUNDS FOR SHEEP SKINS PURCHASES BY NON-STUDENTS. WE DONATE THEM TO OUR SCHOLARSHIP FUND.

Country of Origin: Canada

What you get in this hide pack:

• 2 untanned, salted (preserved) sheep skins

• thoroughly wet-scraped to remove meat + fat

• lightly fan dried + salted for 5 days

• 2 sheep skins ready to tan; will keep unrefridgerated for up to six months

The sheep skins will arrive in an 18” x 12” x 12” box and will be between 15-30 lbs. Shipping is a flat rate.

These sheep skins are from animals raised humanely and with care on Vancouver Island, BC family farms. We divert the byproducts of farming - the hides - from waste and send them to tanners across the world.

Prices are in CAD. Click the upper-right tab to view local currency. Tool orders ship on Wednesdays.