How to Wash Buckskin

The thought of washing buckskin can provoke some anxiety and, in some cases, rightly so. Will the buckskin come out as soft as it was? Was it smoked enough? Will my clothes fit me just as well? are all justifiable questions.

The first buckskin garments I made, which fit me just fine before washing, became lopsided and long and narrow afterwards. I was not a happy camper. So in this post I'll share with you some of my tips to keep your buckskin clothes as nice and well-fitting as when you first made them.

Shaping Buckskin

As you might imagine, the way your buckskin will react to being washed is dependent on how it was tanned in the first place. When I first started tanning deer skins I was under the impression that you could shape buckskin during the tanning process. That is, if you had a long and narrow hide you could pull it width-wise to end up with a piece that is more square. 

That's true enough. However, there's a price to pay for it later. Indeed, when that piece of buckskin is wet, it will naturally go back to its original shape, so that your nicely tailored shirt, for instance, becomes a long narrow tube that you cannot fit into. Of course, you can always reshape the shirt while it's still wet but sometimes it's rather difficult to get it back to the way it was, especially if several pieces of skins were sewn together, and it will always tend to go back to its original shape during the course of wearing it.

The moral of the story is that it's better to leave the hides be whatever shape they are during the tanning process so as to avoid the bad surprise later. It is also advisable to wet your hide and let it dry flat on a smooth surface before you make stuff with it.

Smoking Buckskin

If you haven't smoked your hide after tanning, you of course cannot get it wet and expect it to become soft again without some huge effort. Traditionally, a lot of buckskin was kept white and unsmoked, especially ceremonial garments. The way these garments were cleaned, then, was to rub some white clay into them. The clay would absorb body oils and other excretions and it was then beaten off the clothes. I've never done this because I always smoke my hides but it's probably worth a try if you just happen to have the right hue of clay for your clothes.

If you want your clothes to be more water resistant, you have to smoke your skin first. Many beginners always ask how much smoke is enough. To this day I'm still a little nervous about under-smoking my skins so I tend to go above and beyond. I don't really care what color I end up with anyway because I always dye my hides with black walnut to turn them brown. But I am assured that it takes very little smoke to change the nature of the skin; the slightest tinge of color from the smoke should allow the skin to become wet without having to be reworked.

When to Wash Buckskin

That, of course, is up to you. Personally, I don't think that buckskin needs to be washed more than once every few months. In general, if it becomes dirty you can rub the skin between your fingers a little bit, then beat it a couple of times, and the dirt will likely be gone. However, there will come a time when the buckskin will have absorbed enough of your natural body oils that it will be somewhat saturated with it. I'd say it's a good indicator it's time for a wash.

Clean Buckskin

Buckskin Asking for a Wash

How to Wash Buckskin

The most important thing about washing buckskin is that you do NOT use water warmer than what your own skin can handle. If you get burned by holding your hand in the water, your buckskin will get burned as well (and, unlike your own skin, it doesn't heal).

The second most important thing is that you do not use harsh chemicals that will strip the oils off the buckskin. If you wash your clothes by hand, using a soap you would use for your own skin will do the job just fine.

You can also put your clothes in a washing machine, using a mild detergent. Any environmentally-friendly detergent should do. In this case, I like to use cold water because I can never be sure how warm the warm water will be. Better safe than sorry. Using the gentle cycle is probably preferable.

How to Dry Buckskin

First and foremost, do not put your skins in a dryer; heat will kill them. And though it is tempting, I avoid wringing my skins heavily, as it may pull them out of shape. If I clean my skins by hand, I squeeze the water out but do not twist them hard to get the last drops of water. If I wash my clothes in a washer, the spinning cycle should do good enough of a job. Of course, a lot of water will remain in the skin at this point.

So lay your skins to dry flat on an even surface (hanging them may pull them out of shape if they're too heavy with water) and wait until the water evaporates.

If you wait until your clothes are completely dry, they will feel very rigid, as if they had been starched. That's nothing to worry about, but if your skins are thick enough you may have to rework them a little bit on the back of a chair, or even on a cable for them to become soft again.

So my preferred way is to let them dry until they're still a little damp, and then just pull them a couple of times, once lengthwise, then widthwise, and then put them back in their neutral shape. Be especially cautious with sleeves, as it's easy to end up with long narrow sleeves, so I tend to pull those a little more on their width to make sure I can get back into them. Also be very careful not to break your stitches where different pieces of hides are sewn together; the wet thongs are fairly fragile and may not tolerate much pulling.

If you can, you may also wear your slightly damp clothes. That will guarantee the most perfect fit as they dry. That's not necessary, however.

Even if you pull your hides while they're still a little damp, some areas may be a little stiffer than you would like. The edges may be particularly difficult to return to their original softness as they're harder to hold while working the skin. Don't worry, just wear your clothes and the stiffness should work itself out in a couple of days. Several weeks of luxurious comfort are worth a couple of days of slight discomfort.

And, in case you're tempted, don't rub oil into your buckskin. It's not the same as leather and you would just end you with oily skins!

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