Dyfi Tanerdy/Dyfi Valley Tannery
Bore da, Jane dw i /Hello I am Jane.
I run a small tannery workshop on a regenerative farm between Machynlleth and Aberystwyth, in Mid Wales.
You'll find me here, working on skins.
The methods I use are ancient and traditional to Wales, and, unlike many other tanneries don’t porduce any toxic run off.
I work with skins that would either be cremated as a waste product, or shipped to China to be tanned using harmful chemicals.
These beautiful hides are an amazing resource and should not be wasted.
Every skin is scraped and cleaned by hand, using only hand tools.
Then, i extract tannin from the bark of trees, mostly Oak, Spruce and Willow. I do this by boiling the bark in water to make a strong ‘bark tea’ which the skins submerge in.
The tannin solutions have an astringent effect on the skins and an irreversable chemical reaction takes place, turning the skins into leather.
After some weeks soaking in tannin, the skins are washed, oiled with a mix of natural oils and waxes before drying.
The soft supple nature of these leathers is due to softening them by hand and oiling them with care.
Nothing toxic has gone into the skins, and all ‘waste’ products from the tannery I can pour onto the ground with good conscience.
The hides i work with come from the Mid Wales area.
Lamb skins from Will Lloyd in Machynlleth
Roe deer skins from Coed Y Brennin
Fallow deer skins from Willo Game in Bishops Castle
Red Deer skins from The Welsh Venison Centre near Brecon.
By supporting a natural tannery you are making a vote for slow, sustainable fashion and keeping the old craft ways alive.
Most of my finished leather goes to Ruth Emily Davey of RED shoes in Machynlleth, an award winning shoe makier. You can find her shop on the high street (the bright red one!) and you can commission your own pair of shoes using this leather.
Her website is here
Because of the slow nature of my tanning, i can take on more unusual requests that larger tanneries migth turn down.
Get in touch if you would like to come and learn tanning with me here in the tannery, or if you have a hide that you want transforming into leather/ fur.
Diolch am ddarllen , thankyou for reading
Jane
