Rating: 
Summary: The one to have if you are only having one
Review: This book is truly a must have for the person who wants to learn to make their own high quality buckskin. It will help the seasoned tanner as well as the beginner. buying this book is money well spent.
Rating:
Summary: THIS BOOK IS THE MOST INFORMATIVE BUCKSKIN BOOK EVER
Review: This book shows, in great detail and easy-to-understand language, the basic steps for natural tanning. Compared to other books I have read, this one really covers all the bases in a clear and concise way. Where other instruction books leave you saying, "Huh?", this one caters to those of us who REALLY have never done this before!Excellent step-by-step directions. I highly recommend this book.
Rating:
Summary: Very Clear, Very Helpful
Review: This book shows, in great detail and easy-to-understand language, the basic steps for natural tanning. Compared to other books I have read, this one really covers all the bases in a clear and concise way. Where other instruction books leave you saying, "Huh?", this one caters to those of us who REALLY have never done this before! Excellent step-by-step directions. I highly recommend this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Very good on subject but could do without the social lecture
Review: This has a great deal of good info on turning deerskins into buckskins, which is what one would expect from a book with such a title. I bought this book primarily to find ways to better prepare the skins of small game animals like rabbits, fox etc. And for that purpose the book was NOT intended, so I'm still looking. The one really bad point about the book is that the author was/is a hippie (not that there is anything wrong with that) but I found it really irritating to have to read through a bunch of social comentary which was really irrelavant to the topic of the book in order to get at all the useful info. But, hey! That's just me. You just might dig it. Yeah man! Groovy. ;)
Rating:
Summary: Very good on subject but could do without the social lecture
Review: This has a great deal of good info on turning deerskins into buckskins, which is what one would expect from a book with such a title. I bought this book primarily to find ways to better prepare the skins of small game animals like rabbits, fox etc. And for that purpose the book was NOT intended, so I'm still looking. The one really bad point about the book is that the author was/is a hippie (not that there is anything wrong with that) but I found it really irritating to have to read through a bunch of social comentary which was really irrelavant to the topic of the book in order to get at all the useful info. But, hey! That's just me. You just might dig it. Yeah man! Groovy. ;)
Rating:
Summary: Great Book
Review: This is really an excellent how-to and reference book. It is easy to read and explanations are very clear. Matt writes with an easy sense of humor that draws you into the subject. Tanning skins is a subject that is treated superficially in a number of books on outdoor and primitive survival, with the result that if you follow the loose instructions you may just end up with stiff, high-protien-cardboard. Been there and done that. After following Matt's method I ended up with soft buck skin the very first time with significantly less effort. Matt's book covers the subject in very good detail, covering the bucking/wetscrape tanning method, theory of how brain tanning works, the tools necessary including primitive tools, and the basics on how to make garnments. I think that if you are going to try brain tanning deerskin, this book is a must-have.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent book to have when learning to brain tan.
Review: When I recieved my copy, I did not know anything about brain tanning hides. With this book, I learned how to tan, and successfully completed 15 of 30 hides this past summer (the other 15 were tanned in a different fasion). I am so confident in my abilties to brain tan with this book and personal assistance from all the folks at braintan.com, that I have already placed orders for 80 hides this season, plus panning to pick up additional hides along the way.There are other books and videos available on the market dealing with this, but my personal recomondation for you is to get "Deerskins into Buckskins" to guide the beginner and refresh the advanced tanner in brain tanning deer skins.
Rating:
Summary: Simply Put.....The Best Book On the Subject
Review: While there are many different ways of making Buckskin the methods described in this book just plain work! Mr. Richards takes you from obtaining hides to how to use them when you have tanned them. Heck you also get online support. Ancient methods backed by contemporary perks.
Rating:
Summary: A must-have for anyone interested in the way things were.
Review: Writing a regular outdoors column for four SC newspapers and having been involved with primitive skills for over ten years, I can honestly say that Mr. Richards' book on hide tanning with the brain-tan method is one of the best I have seen. I first learned to tan hides with this method when I was still in high school and have enjoyed making my own buckskin ever since. When I got my copy of Deerskins into Buckskins in the mail, my learning started with the picture on the cover and didn't stop until I reached the back cover. Specifically, the front cover photo shows a skin sack smoking, but the hide is hung from the rump not the neck as I had been doing. Mr.Richards goes on to say that this allows the hide to hang with fewer folds and so, prevents streaking from the smoke. He's right!! Probably the best bit of knowledge I gained from this book is glueing the seam with regular elmer's glue, instead of sewing it shut or using clothespins. The glueing makes a tighter seam, is faster than the other methods, and because it is air-tight, it forces the smoke to penetrate the hide instead of rushing out of the gaps. Due to the pressure, the hide balloons, further reducing any folds or wrinkles in the hide. This is the fastest method I have ever tried. These two bits of knowledge alone make the book worth the price asked but when you combine it with the author's easy, simple style of writing, you have a true gem. I've read it from cover to cover at least twice and will undoubtedly read it again. Take it from an experienced tanner, you won't be dissappointed.
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