
across it after you have passed it 
through some clear water to remove the 
excess lime and taking a common draw 
shave, such as used by carpenters, com- 
mence on it. Your object is to remove 
the hair as well as the grain. Having 
the hide laying across your rounded 
piece of wood with the hair side up fac- 
ing you, with one end held in place by 
three or four common shingle nails 
driven through it into the 
wood you are ready to start. 
The first thing you will no- 
tice is that the deer appar- 
ently has two hides. The 
upper hide or epidermis in 
which the hair is embedded 
is the one you must remove. 
Go at it carefully, that you 
do not cut entirely through 
the hide and make holes in 
it. You will find that the 
upper hide peels off leaving 
a rough surface underneath. 
Be sure that you get every 
particle of the upper hide 
off and do a smooth job of 
it. This will take two hours 
eareful work and is the 
hardest part of the method. 
You are now ready to tan 
the skin. Geta can of com- 
mon lye at your grocers and 
read carefully the directions 
on it for making soft soap. 
Make what the can is suf- 
ficient for and you have 
enough to tan the _ hide. 
When cold it should be the 
consistency of thick soup, no 
thicker and if found too 
thick the addition of a little 
cold water will bring it 
down to where you want it. 
The same barrel or keg that formerly 
you used for removing the hair will an- 
swer very well for tanning. Pour the 
soft soap into it and throw in the skin. 
Every day move it around, unfolding 
any folds you find, giving every part of 
it a chance to get properly tanned. 
Leave it in the soft soap until it floats 
and it is then ready to be removed. 
Wash it through five or six changes of 
luke warm water to remove every par- 
icle of the soap in it and hang it up in 
a cool shady place. When it is just 
“pi 
ae (esd en 
ry 4“ “poiced 
© Detail ok Reel Seat 
Detail op Hanelle 
barely damp, it must be taken down and 
rubbed between the hands until dry, us- 
ing the same motion you would if wash- 
ing out a handkerchief without a wash 
board. Stay with it until the buck- 
skin, for that is what it now is, is thor- 
oughly dry. When dry it will be found 
to be soft and pliable as a piece of 
cloth and have a velvet finish, but will 
It soils too 
be a creamy white in color. 
Reel Band 
what Bye 
Crank 
Pg) 
tail of Spool Folded 
cite =i hack 
whet upen Base 



Figure 2 
easily and that is why the Indian 
smokes it. To properly color your buck- 
skin with smoke, build a fire out in the 
yard and when it has died down to live 
coals smother it with bark and leaves; 
anything to make a thick smudge. Drive 
five or six stakes around the smudge, 
the upper ends all coming together at 
the top like the shape of a teepee. 
Drape the buckskin over this and watch 
that fire carefully that it does not break 
into flame. It takes about two or three 
hours to get the proper shade of brown 






Me aierees | 
ites ste , 
by smoking on both sides. When brown 
enough to suit, remove and your buck- 
skin is ready to be converted into any 
useful article you care to make. 
W.H. ELLIOTT. 
How to Use Skis 
HERE are no age limits for the 
person who wishes to try skiing 
for it is a sport that all can become 
quite proficient in by a little 
practice particularly if they 
get the right and not the 
wrong start. 
The toe harness should 
have a heel strap as this 
will prevent the foot from 
turning sideways. The foot 
held straight along the ski 
will help one to keep a 
straight course over the 
snow. The foot harness 
should fit firmly. To prevent 
the skis getting away from 
you, when you are adjusting 
them to the feet, it is wise 
to see that they are placed 
on the snow so that the tail 
of one ski rests over the 
other. This will hold both 
in place while you adjust 
the foot harness to one foot. 
The other foot can then be 
adjusted with the skis still 
over-lapping at the tail 
ends. 
It is wise to pick out a 
level stretch of snow for the 
first attempt at_ skiing. 
Take long strides and do 
not bring the rear ski up 
to position until you have 
completed the stride of the 
first ski forward. After a 
stride one ski should be in front of 
the other with the weight of the body 
mostly on the front ski, the rear ski 
trailing until the end of the glide of the 
first stride forward, the body leaning 
forward a bit but in a straight line 
from the waist up. The skis are not 
lifted from the snow. Walking on skis 
is a sliding motion. Keep up long, slow 
glides until you have become proficient 
at a slow speed before trying to make 
faster travel. 
(Continued on page 172) 
155 
