How To Work Rawhide

[TomG]

I have a few questions on working rawhide. As in - I know nothing about it and want to learn.

I am considering making a rawhide maul for fun and experience.

Tandy has some small rolls of it that I will probably use.

I guess my plan is to cut a bunch of circles and then stack them together with a bolt through them and a wooden handle,

The rawhide is a roll and is hard. So I assume I have to soak it. How long? Overnight? My plan is to get it soft, lay it out flat and let it dry flat under some type of panel or weight. Then cut it u with a circle cutter, wet them to re-soften, stack between a couple of plates with a bolt to tighten.

Does this sound right so far?

Do I need to use some sort of adhesive on them as well? How would this work on wet rawhide?

Thanks in advance.

Tom

[Historybuff]

I've worked with raw hide but never made a maul from it. I suggest piick up a cheap used one at a flea market if possible and use that as an example.

I'e also never found a glue that works on anything while its wet.

[BillB]

TomG,

You have the concept correct. Do not use glue on the leather circles. The pressure from the two pressure plates (one on either end of the stack) should be sufficient to provide the pressure to keep the leather compressed enough to provide the proper striking force. Here are some things to consider:

Do you use a Lag Bolt and bolt into the wooden handle or do you drill a hole through the handle and run the bolt all the way through?

I would make and that would be to use a bolt long enough to run it through the wooden handle. That way you can achieve a greater compression force on the leather.

Do you make the handle out of leather as well and then shape the stacked leather circles to fit you hand?

This is the Al Stohlman style maul. Tandy used to sell this with both a leather head and a poly head. Now they only show the poly head. I will take a picture of mine and put it in my next post.

BillN

[BillB]

Here are the pictures I promised.

Picture Name - Content

Al Stohlman Mallet and Maul - The mallet is on the left, the maul with leather head is in the middle and the poly head for the maul is on the right. Both the Mallet and the Maul have leather handles not wood.

Maul Siassembled - This shows the main components of the Maul. On the left is the main shaft with the top pressure plate welded to it and threads on the other end. Next are the raw hide discs, the second pressure plate, the leather handle also made from leather discs, the third pressure plate, lock nut and cap nut.

Leather Handle - Close up of the leather handle so you can see the layering or rings of the leather discs.

Reassembly 1, 2, 3, and 4 show the steps to reassemble the maul. In this case I did use the leather head or I could have used the poly head. I prefer the leather head.

Things I like about the leather head are: 1. As it is used and the same location on the head is struck the leather compresses and makes a nice sweet spot; 2. If the leather compresses too much due to not enough pressure, I can disassemble the head, soak each of the leather discs, shape them back to their round shape, reassemble the head and make sure I have more pressure (tighten the nut more). If there are not enough threads, I can always added another leather disc.

Things I don't like are: The finish on the leather handle. When the made these Al Stohlman Mallets and Maul they copied the way they looked after years of use and did not realize that the surface and coloring on the handle was done by hand oils, dirt and sweat. The finish is actually too smooth for my liking and I end up gripping the handle harder than I should need to. By taking sand paper and roughing it up, I get a much firmer grip with less hand pressure. This makes a difference when you are using a tool for a long time.

I hope this helps.

BillN

[TomG]

I don't think I've ever seen a rawhide maul at a flea market. But I'll be keeping my eyes peeled <g>

I've worked with raw hide but never made a maul from it. I suggest piick up a cheap used one at a flea market if possible and use that as an example.

I'e also never found a glue that works on anything while its wet.

[TomG]

WOW! Thank you so much for that in-depth look. More answer than I ever expected!

As for a slipping grip, it would look ugly, but if you want a sure-grip solution, you could take tennis racket replacement grips and wrap the hamdle with that. The only way you would ever lose your grip is if you let go. They are very tacky and meant to get tackier with sweat.... Most have an adhesive that will stick to the handle. The overgrips will be tacky but don't have the adhesive.

Thanks again for the great tutorial

Tom