archaeology student with Q's for experiment

jayb4k

Hi if anyone can help or point me the right way then thank you. I am an archaeology student in Dublin and am about to cover a boat in skin as they did thousands of years ago. I need cow skin/hide but cannot get a straight answer in dublin so need to ask anyone out there for help. I know it will smell and even worse i will have to scrape the extra flesh off with stone scrapers and even pee on it at one stage. I dont know if its illegal for somebody to sell these for health and safety reasons, if so please tell me, im not trying to get anyone in trouble. Anyone who can supply them for me in next few month would really be appreciated. any info appreciated too. Do you know somebody who tann's leather themselves? as there does not seem to be anybody left that i can find. thanks

slowburner

The hide industry in Ireland seems to be something of a dinosaur.

Here is one supplier
http://www.northwesternwoolhide.com/nwwh_hides.htm

There is an interesting piece in the following link on tanneries and the tanning process (you'll need to scroll down a fair bit to 'The Irish Leather Industry').
http://www3.ul.ie/~childsp/CinA/Issue39/editorial.htm

It all seems a bit strange: we export thousands of tons of meat, but what happens to the hides?

slowburner

By the way, I'm sure folks in the Archaeology forum would be interested in your progress.

niallb

You've probably come across it, but the "Brendan Voyage" by Tim Severin had a lot of comments about how he tracked down suitable hides, needles and people who could show him how to stitch that many skins together.
That was for an ocean going boat, and yours would be much lighter, but some of the same questions would arise.

It's been years since I read it, but I think it would be worth getting your hands on a copy if you haven't already skimmed through it. Enjoy your boat!

jayb4k

thanks for the help lads, have tim severin on my list alright but needed to make sure i could get the materials. will be starting on this next month, i have been doing work experience this month but nothing exciting, a lot of walking while carring a machine checking the resistance in the soil. thanks for the supplier info it seems most of the hides are checked by vets and then destroyed. they call it the fourth cut i think and ithe weight of the skins must match the meat produced eg 1 ton of hide and hoof equals 2-2.2 ton of meat or something like that. it is to make sure all meat is traceable is what i have been told. also the hide needs to be treated or will decompose quickly, all must be done individually which takes time and man power, having a very slow turnover. this probably puts them off, i will update and maybe blog on arch forum

blue5000

OP you could try this company in waterford

WATERFORD HIDE & SKIN MARKET LTD, WATERFORD

• KNOCKHOUSE GRACEDIEU WATERFORD
  GEO : 52.264450 , -7.143235
  Phone : 051 374131 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 051 374131 end_of_the_skype_highlighting

Bizzum

jayb4k wrote: »

Hi if anyone can help or point me the right way then thank you. I am an archaeology student in Dublin and am about to cover a boat in skin as they did thousands of years ago. I need cow skin/hide but cannot get a straight answer in dublin so need to ask anyone out there for help. I know it will smell and even worse i will have to scrape the extra flesh off with stone scrapers and even pee on it at one stage. I dont know if its illegal for somebody to sell these for health and safety reasons, if so please tell me, im not trying to get anyone in trouble. Anyone who can supply them for me in next few month would really be appreciated. any info appreciated too. Do you know somebody who tann's leather themselves? as there does not seem to be anybody left that i can find. thanks

You need to have a chat with Clive Gibney, Who lives on the banks of the Boyne near Drogheda. He makes the traditional Boyne Currach

http://www.newgrangecurrach.com/

bradachu

If you have a few bits left you could make aran island pampooties(sp?) (shoes) - very simply design.