The Scraper

Type of tool: flesher and wet-scraper

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!).

Stainless steel with removable rubber handles, this Fern + Roe custom slender design is hand-fabricated by our friend Nathan Zilka, at Zilka Foregwerks in Portland, OR.

Tool use: place a hide on a round beam (tree or PVC) and place tool about 40 degrees to the hide. Apply a lot of pressure in long stroked 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.

Individual tools will vary from photos. Email us to request a more dull or more sharp tool, after ordering.

Prices are in USD. Tool orders ship on Fridays *