Primitive Skills and Fur On Hide Tanning with Billy Souter

We are very lucky to have someone of Billy Souters' unique skill-set to run this course.

During this two-day course students will explore a range of primitive living skills. Gaining a basic understanding of skills including tanning, bone tool making, flint knapping, percussion fire lighting and primitive glues.

Primitive skills enable us to connect with those who came before and allow us an insight into how our ancestors lived and what it must have taken to thrive in variable environments and create the tools they would have needed for day-to-day tasks. By using traditional methods, you encounter and experience problems that would have been common to those living off the land and as part of nature. These skills are not only beneficial for those seeking to gain a more in-depth knowledge of bushcraft but also those who wish to slow down and become more aware of their surroundings and what nature has to offer.

Course Content:

Tanning – Students will learn the basic process of fur on tanning. Each working individually with their own Rabbit skin. The skins will require scraping to remove remaining meat and fat prior to dressing and working until soft. Understanding the breakdown of the fibre structure, types of tanning and general considerations will be discussed.

Bone Tools - Understanding the potential and characteristics of bone will allow the students to create tools such as sewing needles, components for fishhooks and various other crafts. A simple range of tools will be used to create these items including flint blades, drills, pebbles, and abrasive stones. The differences between fresh/dry bone including their strengths and weaknesses as well as which bones are suitable for the desired craft will be discussed.

Flint Knapping – Students will gain understanding and experience knapping stone to create a variety of tools including arrow heads, microlith blades and drill tips. These tools will be used by students throughout the course.

Primitive Glues – Students will learn how to make various thermoplastic glues using different materials depending on the desired application. These glues are used for a range of purposes including fixing projectile points to sealing bark containers.

Percussion Fire Lighting – Students will learn how to create fire using one of the simplest and oldest methods of ignition used by our ancestors, Flint and Iron Pyrite. Using this method students must prepare various tinder fungi as well as sourcing and making tinder bundles.

Saturday:

• Flint Knapping
• Primitive Glues
• Tanning

Sunday:

• Bone Tools
• Percussion Fire Lighting