Tanner Hall

MasterTanner Polanin

Colors: Sienna-brown and white.
Emblem: Sienna-brown hide on white background.

Main Crafthall Location: Yukon Hold.

Tanners learn how best to remove the skin or fur of an animal, which hides are the most useful for a particular purpose, how to tan a hide, how to stretch and cut it properly, and all the steps involved in turning an animal hide into the finished product. Tanners may also learn how to press patterns into leather, and cobblers (shoemakers) are an extension of this Craft. Tanners create everything from riding straps for dragonriders to runnerbeast tack to Wherhide boots, and if a hide bears the Tanner stamp, buyers know that the leather has been properly prepared and will not rot. A tanner's hands are often cut or colored from the sharp knives and strong dye used in this Craft.

On SouCon, the TannerCraft is based in the Unified Crafthall and is under the direct auspice of the Craft Wizard. To become an Apprentice, Journeyman or Master please read through NEWS CRAFT JOINING. Characters may also request a posting to any open Hold or Weyr.

The TannerCraft has one of the most active schools for non-apprentices, and will teach the basics to any interested student, for there are many applications for cured hides. Nearly everyone has some knowledge of the basics, whether they learn at the Northern, Southern or Unified Crafthalls, or from the Tanner at their home Holds.

Salt, plentiful in the Southern Continent, is used for curing the majority of hides, though some are cured with creature's brains -- these produce hides that are very soft and prized for garments. All Tanneries are situated well downwind of any living quarters to protect the population from the smell. Hanging from the rafters and beams of the hall are sheaves of drying thongs. Stretching racks also hang, or are propped against any unoccupied surface. The air inside is often noxious, so most of the windows are open to catch any breath of wind. The stone floors are swept and scrubbed almost daily, but scraps of leather, scattered drops of dye and curing substances are often underfoot.

Every Major Hold, and most Weyrs, has a Tanner-trained cobbler working full-time. They keep lists of measurements for every important person's feet so that they may make shoes or boots in their size. Since generally floors are stone or earthen, people need heavy shoes or boots to protect their feet. These tend to be very gaudy. Indeed, some of the MasterTanner's special dyes are intended solely for boot leather. Color and new designs are often introduced. Since leather is easily obtainable, more so than cloth at times, fashion-minded folk often have many pairs of shores. Leather gloves and caps can also make fashion statements. The Weyrs also have at least one Tanner who specializes in the leathers needed for riding gear.

The more sure-handed apprentices regrind the knives and tools to razor-sharpness as part of their regular duties, and indeed, ever Tanner's hands are covered with cuts and blots, the mark of their profession. The Tanners are taught how to best remove the skin or fur of an animal, which hides are the most useful for a particular purpose, how to tan a hide, how to stretch and cut it properly, and all the steps involved in turning an animal hide into the finished product. As well as stains and dyes, Tanners may also learn how to press patterns into leather.

Although fashioning riding harness and garments, and covering furniture is passed on, the TannerCraft preserves some Craft secrets. These include some special processes and chemicals, techniques and compounds to make fine leather items, such as gloves and boots.

The MasterTanner will often send specialists to the various Holds known for their beasts, in particular Karachi Hold in the Southern Continent. He then provides certification for the quality of the hides for the various Trading families that will take them to gathers in the various Holds all over the Southern Continent. The discerning buyer knows to look for the stamp of the Tanner Hall to ensure the hide has been prepared properly and will not rot.

SubCrafts

Cobbler:	Those in the Cobbler SubCraft specialize in the construction of everything from the sturdiest of workboots, to the most delicate of shoes. It's a Craft that requires steady but strong hands, and a firm understanding of the various grades of leather, and just what purpose they best suit. A laundry worker's shoes, after all, need to hold up to very different conditions than a gardener's. Cobblers can be found crafting shoes for general purpose, as well as custom creating footgear for a particular individual.

Curing:	Hides don't just come off of animals ready to use. They must be tanned, the process which provides the Craft's name. Those in the Curing SubCraft are experts at any of a variety of methods to remove hair or feathers, and then to process the skin into leather. The methods vary based on the type of animal skin, and the end result to which the skin will be put.

Dyeing:	Hides tend to be rather monochromatic, since herdbeasts don't naturally come in blue or green, for example. So Dyer SubCrafters come in. Dyeing leather is a tricky proposition, and doing it well is an art. Dyers can turn hide into a great many shades, and like their Weaver counterparts, they're always looking for new dyes, and new formulations for old colors. Hide can be dyed unusual colors, or simply a flat brown, to cause less appealing hides to look as if they're of a higher quality. Hide is often bleached as well, to better serve as a writing surface, although this is slowly becoming less common with the growing prevalence of paper.

Hide Certification:	Like any natural product, the quality on hides varies. Those in the Hide Certification SubCraft are responsible for judging the hides, and marking them for the purpose they would best suit. Heavy, rougher leathers make better straps and harnesses. Only the smoothest of ovine skins suit for parchment, and so on and so forth. They are also the ones responsible for judging the hidden qualities of a hide. After all, one with underlying flaws would make very poor raw material for a strap or belt that had to bear someone's weight, as in a runner's saddle or a rider's straps.

Saddlery:	Saddlery is a complex art, and this is not a SubCraft lightly undertaken. Saddlers must have an enormous passion for detail, not only in the creation of the sculpted wood and leather saddles that are used for runners, but in the piecing and stitching of straps for those riders who lack the time or the skill to make their own. Even for those riders who prefer the assurance of having constructed their own straps, the Saddlers provide the cut strips and pieces, tanned and dyed to specification.

Tailoring:	Jackets, vests, belts, and hats, a great deal of clothing can be made out of leather. Often in cases of extreme weather or strenuous use, it suits much better than even the sturdiest of fabrics. Tanners in the Tailor SubCraft are responsible for crafting these items of clothing, from the plainest of rider's jackets, to tooled leather belts for those of higher status.

CrossCrafts

When Tanners choose to CrossCraft, they usually choose one of two directions. Either the Herders, to learn and work with the source of the hides on which their craft depends, or another of the Weaving aspects, to better understand the process of constructing hide into usable end products.

MasterTanner Polanin:

Born and bred at Southern Barrier Weyr, Polanin was a young lad of thirteen turns when he asked the Headwoman for permission to apprentice to the Tannercraft. Strongly loyal to home and planet, he wished to do his best in the defense of both. A leg permanently twisted in an avalanche when he was eight meant that he would never have the chance to Impress, despite an impressive bloodline full of riders, but helping to craft the leathers precious to rider safety would be the next best thing. Polanin had every intention of returning to the Weyr as a Journeyman, and his superiors in the Craft could easily discern his fierce loyalty to his home, so he was indeed allowed to return, spending over two decades working with the riders, especially Weyrlings. Returning to the Crafthall to sit his Mastery exams, he was tapped to train in special duties under his Craftmaster. Upon that man's retirement, Polanin was elected to the post, and felt the honor keenly, enough to make him regretfully say farewell to Southern Barrier.

Polanin is a serious man, without being somber. He speaks in a slow drawl that some of the local women find charming (they're wasting their time; Polanin's interests do not lie in the feminine gender), thinking over every word he says before it leaves his mouth. He is also inexorable, easily able to go the distance and wear others down until they agree with his opinion through sheer weariness.

Relevant Links:

Leather working - a basic guide

Leatherworking tools and supplies