3 Methods Of Tanning For Animal Fur In Ancient Times

Human beings on animals

The utilization and processing began in ancient times.

As we all know, fur clothing of modern humans has become quite light, soft, gorgeous and elegant.

However, it is used for

Before making animal fur, it is far from being so comfortable and soft.

It has grease, stiffness and animal odor.

This kind of animal fur not processed by nitric acid is called "raw hide".

In order to obtain a smooth and soft garment fur, the "raw leather" must be treated with "nitrate" to make it a soft leather, tasteless, glossy and elastic "crust".

This process is the "tanning" process, which is commonly known as tanning process.

The fur made of nitrate is smooth, light and soft, with strong leather and satin. It is the best choice for making garments.

Of course, if tanning technology does not pass, then the same level of fur raw material, the result may be heavy leather plate, feel not slippery.

In ancient times, the living and living conditions of mankind were extremely hard, the natural environment was relatively difficult, and the development of productive forces was extremely low.

In order to survive the cold and protect the need of camouflage, human beings began to consciously use hide and hide for their survival and physiological instincts.

At first, the fur was simply used for hanging. Later, in order to put on a more comfortable fit, a desire to soften the fur of animals was created.

Because animal fur is one of the main items worn by ancient humans to withstand cold weather, is also their first dress.

The animal fur that has not been processed is hard to be hung like wood.

In the course of millions of years of evolution, mankind will do everything possible to make use of all the resources and conditions surrounding it, and do everything possible to solve the puzzles and problems encountered in the process of survival, and constantly carry out experiments and explore again and again.

In the process of exploration, there will always be new discoveries.

Thus, the history of tanning of animal fur was started in ancient times.

According to research and research, in ancient times, human beings should have the following methods of tanning animal fur.

The first is the oil tanning method and the smoking method. This is the two fur tanning method approved by experts in the archaeological field, and it is also a more authoritative saying of the fur industry.

The tanning and smoking methods are as follows:

First, the oil tanning method. In ancient times, the early human beings basically lived a life of "empty blood" and "eating meat and skins".

And when they realize that animal fur has the function of keeping warm and keeping warm, they hang it on the body or cover it.

Later, in order to make the bedding easier, they tried many times to find that animal fat and brains had the softening effect on animal skin.

Therefore, they kill the animals that are hunted or died naturally, with their stone axes, stone shovels, stone knives and other stone tools. They peel and spread the skins, then apply animal fat, brains, lipids and so on to the skin plates, then hammer them repeatedly to make them more soft.

Later, in the late Paleolithic age, human beings invented bone needles and bone cones, and they could simply make up the skins, so that they were more comfortable and comfortable than before.

Comparatively speaking, the skins of animals that are not tanned are still dry and hard, and they are very difficult to use or even impossible to use.

Two. Smoked method. In the long life practice, ancient people also found another way to make animal fur soft, that is, fumigation.

Animal skin is placed on the trunk, and wood is ignited below to produce smoked and smoked skin to soften it.

Then, we use grass ash and stove soil to deal with the fur simply.

In fact, whether the oil tanning method or smoking method used by ancient humans is based on modern technology analysis, the principle is aldehyde tanning.

The fundamental role of aldehyde tanning is to modify the protein in animal fur, making leather flexible, durable, and easy to preserve.

According to legend, there are two ways of combining oil tanning and fumigation.

The second is water tanning and mouth tannage. This is a controversial argument at present.

Three. Water tannage. Based on the removal of animal meat residue by stone tools, the temperature and acidity of water affect the tanning of fur.

In ancient times, people used natural hot spring water resources, together with primitive slates, wooden sticks and other tools, to rub, beat, beat and beat animal fur, and soften the fur by physical and chemical action.

This is a long process of groping.

Living in ancient times, they will make use of all kinds of natural river water, spring water, including animal blood, urine and so on, repeatedly hammering and rubbing animal fur, and constantly trying, so as to get the softening method of fur through these physical functions.

This is known as water tanning.

Four, mouth tannage, that is, chewing the skin plate with teeth, making it soft.

In this process, the saliva and the cortex produce a certain chemical reaction, and through the bite pressure and the mouth temperature of the mouth, finally make the animal fur achieve certain softening effect.

This is a human instinct.

For quite a long time, the frequency of human mouth utilization is the highest and strongest. Apart from arms and legs, the mouth is also a powerful tool for production and survival.

The function of the mouth is not limited to diet.

After millions of years, women are sewing with their teeth when they are sewing.

This is the most convenient form of ironing.

It is even more common to bite the suture.

The tanning method has been applied and circulated as a convenient and practical method for tanning fur.

The third is soil tannage.

Five. Soil tannage. During the research process, we also found that there was a kind of soil tanning method in fur tanning.

Because the nature of the earth contains a lot of salt, alkali, nitrate and other trace elements, to remove grease and soften leather has a good effect.

The use of tanned fur not only has physical effects, but also produces chemical reactions.

For example, during the Yellow Emperor period, the saline and alkaline beach on the banks of the Sang Sang River in the river basin became the main production base for tanning and processing fur.

Because Huang Di was migrating from the Weihe River Valley of Shaanxi to the valley of the lower reaches of the river, unexpectedly discovered that the saline alkali soil on the saline alkali soil of the mulberry dry beach has the magical effect of softening the skin.

Therefore, he studied the method of tanning fur from saline alkali soil and popularized it, and established many fur processing and tanning workshop.

Since then, this technology has been handed down for thousands of years.

In 50s and 60s twentieth Century, it was also widely used by locals.

After testing, the content of sodium sulfate in saline alkali soil of Sang Sang river reaches fifteen percent, and other elements such as nitrate and alkali.

These are indispensable ingredients for tanning fur.

In the course of millions of years of human evolution, in order to survive, ancient humans would do everything possible to make use of all available things and take various feasible ways to soften the fur so as to make full use of fur and keep warm, thus achieving the reproduction, survival, evolution and development of human beings.