What is the best way to cut straps for cutting into strings on rawhide?

[Pascal Olivier]

Just last week I rawhided a 2-3 year old steer. I cut a couple of straps around the hide to see if I would get some nice 1/8" lace for braiding. I was just wondering if anyone else would recommend if it would be better to cut several disks out of the hide instead (for splitting or thickness purposes). I'm trying to make the most of a hide from an animal of this age, before I go on and get another hide going.

[rcsaddles]

You could cut a few disks to get a more uniform thickness in your strings.

My process is to cut one 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 inch wide strap from the hide. I start in the middle and corkscrew out. Then I stretch the strap between a coupld of posts, yea, could be 120 feet long, and scrape the hair off. Soak the strap in water until like spaghetti and then split it down to a uniform thickness which is only as thick as the thinnest part. Then I cut my strings for whatever I am making.

[rgerbitz]

I have cut disk out of hides before and I feel that I end up wasting more of the hide than I'd like. Currently I cut about a 3/4 inch wide strip out and split that down to a consistant thickness than strech it out on the fence. Here is link with some more details.

Good luck,

Rob

[Pascal Olivier]

Thanks guys. I really appreciate the the help and advice. It sure is nice to be able to talk to people who share the same ideas. Getting the right temper and splitting down the lace is a slow and painful process.

Edited January 20, 2010 by Pascal Olivier

[Alan Bell]

Ok I'll chime in with my opinion. I feel that when you cut a wide strip out of the whole hide and then spit down you may waste less BUT I think that the quality of the string is diminished. There is a lot more stretching of the string when done this way as it stretches a little each time it is pulled through the splitter. The strength of the string is in the grain side AND in the connective fibers that make up the hide, when you stretch the hide you are damaging those connective fibres. In fact you can make softened rawhide by damaging those fibers enough. There is quite a bit of stretching that goes into doing it that way. When you cut uniform disk there is not so much skiving so not so much stretching and not so much damage to the fibers. I did finally get to skin an old skinny cow that died and i did a real good job of fleshing when I skinned her and her hide was the most uniform in thickness I have ever had BUT I still cut disk out of here to make string. Most of it I simply cut into strips and had to pull it through the splitter twice to even out before making string some of the circles out of the neck and hip I cut into strips and those I pulled between fence post. This is so I can compare the two processes. I'm away for a while but I'll let you know the differences I fine when I get home and make more string. The un stretched string is REALLY nice!!

Vaya con Dios, Alan

[megabit]

So Alan, do you stretch your string before you do your final cut down or just cut and use it?

I have done it both ways and can see where if you are splitting it much you are getting a bunch of stretching in too.

Mike

[Pascal Olivier]

Now we're talking! It sure is nice to get a conversation fired up. I had done a Hereford cow last winter, and from a big round I cut from the center of her back I braided a 70 foot reata, ( consistent thickness without hardly any splitting) from the sides I braided a couple of 5/8 bosals and swivel hondas (approximately 24 so far), and from the belly I got enough 1/8 lace for the nosebuttons and knots, and I braided up a quirt.

The red 2-3 year old steer that I just rawhided will have to be approached very much the same way I think. It is not as consistent in thickness as I had hoped it would be. I guess that I would have to take small samples out of different areas of the hide to find out what all I can do with it.

I may have to see if one of the neighbors will have a 700 pound calf to skin. Just as long as I don't have to do one of mine!

P.S. One of these days I'll post some of my work up for you guys to see. Though it's not near the quality of workmanship as you all's yet.

Thanks once again for talking.

Pascal