Alternative leather-making method

[Lumin]

Leather was (and is) pretty commonly used all over the world, but in Cantr unless you're near some place with salt it's not even an option.

As an alternative to the curing tub, why not let the more primitive places use the more historically accurate method of a bone fur scraper and some fat?

We already have one of the items, and the fat can be made to drop from some of the bigger animals. (And maybe fat could eventually be used in cooking too...pemmican, tortillas, etc.)

The machine required could be a simple frame made from wood and sinew, required to keep the hide stretched tight during the curing process.

[Agar]

Yay! More animal parts for jecks to throw around!

Aside from the toilet humor and meanies, this IS a good idea. More of that whole "Use the entire animal" thinking. I like it, especially with a frame thingy.

[Lumin]

Though for game balance I suppose it would have to take more hide (and time?) and produce less leather than the salt method.

[Agar]

I think more time and more fat, proportinatly, would make more sense than more hide. A slower rate of production makes sense too, as salt is a dessicant, drying the hide out, where fat is gooey, and has to soak into all the fibers and pores to seal up the hide.

Since the fat will be more readliy available, as it'll wander in on the hoof from time to time in most locations, the overall process shouldn't be better than salt, or it will unbalance what leather economy there is. It all also depends on how much fat is dropped and needed. Birds are generally fairly greasy, where as most wolves are sort emaciated.

And please, dear Jos, don't make the non violent species a good source of fat. We'll lose all the rabbits then ...

[Antichrist_Online]

Dung was also used a primitive curative, and urine is still used in some leather works.

[A Neo Irony]

...and urine is still used in some leather works.

I don't think I can ever wear my leather gloves again now.

But anyway, I like the suggestion. But, much like what needs to be done with dung, using animals parts soley needs to be the most god awful ineffecient thing ever. This should only be done so that people out in the middle of nowhere can get just that tiny bit of leather they'll need for their hilt or whatever it is they're making. I don't think the production should be even remotely close to that of the curing tub's.

Now this may be a little too low, but it would keep the leather industry in buisness and give that occasionaly wanderer the leather they need to keep their pants up. I think the rates should be 20 grams a day, needing 300 hide and 800 fat.

The only reason I say this is because leather is one of the last non-metals that is still in demand.

[Lumin]

Now this may be a little too low, but it would keep the leather industry in buisness and give that occasionaly wanderer the leather they need to keep their pants up. I think the rates should be 20 grams a day, needing 300 hide and 800 fat.

The only reason I say this is because leather is one of the last non-metals that is still in demand.

I don't think it's exactly realistic to have to use such a huge amount of raw resources, but something like that might be best as far as game balance is concerned.

Only thing is, maybe the requirements should be reversed. ie: 800 hide, 300 fat. Again, not realistic, but taking into account the huge piles of useless hide sitting around in many places and the fact that killing an animal should only get you a small amount of fat (these things aren't domesticated in a pen somewhere, remember), and it seems to make more sense.

[A Neo Irony]

The exact numbers aren't really my concern. You could use 2 fat and 48,000 hide for all I care. Just as long as it's far inferior to curing.

[Savanik]

... the fat can be made to drop from some of the bigger animals. (And maybe fat could eventually be used in cooking too...pemmican, tortillas, etc.).

Speaking from cooking experience, the easiest way to get fat is...

Grilling meat! That's right, when you're grilling meat, about 1/3 of the liquid runoff is actually fat that WAS in your meat - varying somewhat on cooking technique and cut. You get LOADS of fat from bacon. Not so much from a trimmed chuck steak or chicken.

So now, grilling meat, instead of being simply useless compared to smokers and ovens, could give some fat from the cooking process that could be used in other projects.

Sav

[Talapus]

When you are trying to grill meat to eat, you are not collecting the run off. In fact, if you are grilling, the liquid is let to fall into the fire. What would be better would be a project called "Rendering Fat" which would take meat and wood (and other cooking type fuels), and gives you fat as a product. This project could be applied to just about every cooking machine there is out there.

[El_Skwidd]

What other cool uses for fat are there? Outside of cooking and leather, I can't think of any that would apply to Cantr.

[viktor]

the bigger meaner animals are always an awesome source of lard lol bears buffalo, mammoths, cows even, those would be the prime sources realisticaly. uses for fat other than cooking and leather................................................................................. um............... hey it's already 1 more use than dung has it's good enough lol

[Lumin]

Candles? Good for roleplaying purposes at least.

For a more practical usage, packing a sword in grease keeps it from rusting.

[Chris Johnson]

What other cool uses for fat are there? Outside of cooking and leather, I can't think of any that would apply to Cantr.

Soap .. something to keep that Dirtyness rating down at 0% .
Most soap until recent times was made from animal fats .

[El_Skwidd]

I knew that one, I've seen Fight Club

Seeing as how dirtiness hasn't been implemented yet, I didn't write it down.

Candles would work, and the whole sword packing thing would be cool for deterioration.

Hey, the whole sword packing thing would be cool for deterioration.