I have my rawhide - help please

[JLD]

Hi,

I have a full cowhide in rawhide. What do I do with it?

Sound simple but I am stumped should I cut it into strips or one continious wide strap going round the hide. I would like to use it for braiding bosals etc.

Thanks

Johanne

[HorsehairBraider]

I'd go with one continuous strap around and around. That way you will have length if you should need it! Cutting it in straight straps won't give you much length.

[JLD]

How wide would you make the strip and should I try to straighten it after I have cut it. Would straightening require stretching it

[Alan Bell]

Johanne, do yo have any idea of what you are wanting to do other than "I want to make a bosal"? If not I would have suggested latigo lace or something more forgiving than rawhide. Do you braid already? What kind of core do you want? Do you have a way to make lace? Can you split the strings to even thickness? Can you bevel the edge? If you answer yes to all these things we can proceed. If you braid I'll assume you are familiar with 8, 12, and 16 plait and also that you know your casa knots and the various interweaves up to the third level. Also that you have a multiple string method for tying a long knot. As for the hide, it will vary in thickness and stretchyness. The neck and flank will be thicker than the rest. the belly stretchy-er that the rest. Sometimes the spine is thin too. So I suggest cutting circles out in areas that are uniform thickness. They can even be ovals on the sides but I generally do circles. Depending on the size of lace you are going to end up with you can make an 1" strip or a 2" strip. If you are going to do a twisted core you will want to decide on the size of the finished project to know where to cut the strip you will use for the core and how wide to cut it any where from 1" to 2" and long enough to make a 34" finished core. It's is easier to braid up a core. As for stretching the string there are some that feel that in the splitting of the the string down to uniform thickness you will stretch the string more than enough to straighten the curves. But if you want to stretch it you would take the wide strips and wrap them around fence post at least 30' apart 50' is better. Wrap it fairly tight but remember as it dries it will shrink and stretch so you don't want it so tight when wrapping that you will break the fibers in the rawhide as it stretches. Good Luck

Vaya Con Dios, Alan Bell

Soon we'll find out who is the real Revolutionary and I don't want my people to be contrary!

Bob Marley - Zimbabwe

[JLD]

Hi Alan and thanks for your help. I have done a fair bit of braiding with Kangaroo and latigo. This is my first go on a Bosal as I wanted to make it in rawhide with a rawhide core.

The hide I have is fraom a Holstein Fresian cow and I have dehaired it and gotten all the flesh of and stretched it to dry (I wont be doing that again in hot weather)

It is a reasonably thin hide. I do have a splitter and can cut the strands and I bevel by hand.

So I soak up the hide to cut it and cut some 2: wide straps from the sides in circles and use the backbone area for the core since it is thicker?

How do I do the core. can I cut my strings for the core directly along the spine line (head to tail). What width strings and how many and do I need a core also.

Johanne

[Alan Bell]

Hi Joanne, depending on the breed and weight of the cattle some times the spine is thinner. In the States some operations use a fly chemical back rub or they put liquid fly repellent directly on the spine of the cattle and that makes the spine of no use. I'm not familiar with your hide so you will have to determine that. At any rate, to make a twisted core you take a strip of even thickness from 1 to 2 in. wide, nail one end to a board and start twisting and stretching until you have a 32 - 36 in core to braid over ( you might want it a little longer so it is longer than your bosal and you can cut it when you are ready). then you nail the other end stretched out tight. Let it dry and then you have to sand it because it will curl a bit and will have ridges spiraling around it. You can also, do a 1 in strip twisted core and then take another 1 + in. and twist the opposite direction over the first to make a bigger core if you wanted. This will also make it stiffer. For a braided core it all depends on what you are wanting. For the sake of getting started I'd say take either 4 or 6 reata type strings 1/4 in, 5/16 in, or 7/16 wide, that means you are basically braiding a short reata of say 32 - 34 in. as your core. Smooth this out using your preferred method (rolling, pounding or pulling through a rounder) and braid over that. It will give you a 3/8 to 1/2 in bosal. So now you have a few ways to go about it. Try what sounds more to your liking and if that doesnt' work out then try another method next time. I do the braided core and I don't cut straight strips out of my hides only circles. There is quite a bit of hide that goes to my dog because I want only the best part for my strings! If it iw weak or stretchy it will not make good gear. Also, if you braid rawhide and make a mistake you have to cut it up and start over because rawhide does not do well when you re-braid it. Since you have a thinner hide maybe twisting is the way to go and then you can double it like I described. Or you can take a circle out of the hip cut a long 1 in strip and split that to make strings for a braided core. What ever suits your fancy!

Vaya Con Dios, Alan Bell

We've been taken for granted much too long, rebel, rebel!

Bob Marley - Babylon System

[rgerbitz]

You could use string that hasn't been braided as a core. I did that on the last one, thought it worked out pretty good. Gave the bosal a more supple feel, than one that I had done earlier that had a twisted core in it. Dogs love braided rawhide work, everytime I start working with some they start drooling all over everything. So far they usually end up with the first attempt of most projects.

There's my .02

Rob

[Alan Bell]

FWIW, I NEVER give my dog anything that I have already braided! He gets the fresh rawhide when I am making the rawhide but once it is string he doesn't touch it and I don't let him consequently he has been left in a room or the garage where I am working on gear or where I will have a bosal hanging off my saddle horn within his reach and he will not touch it. He knows the difference between gear that has been braided and rawhide pieces. He even will eat the flesh side when I skive it off but not touch the string if I leave it on the floor near him! I am afraid to give my dog braided mistakes for fear he will then take that as an OK to chew up my nice bosal! Heck, he only chews on the fat left on the hide in the frame if I am there and he leaves when I leave. GOOD ROSCOE!!!

Vaya Con Dios, Alan Bell

Sorry fi maga dawg maga dawg turn round bite you! (don't mess with a mad dog or you'll get bit)

Bob Marley - Maga Dog

[Duke]

sounds like a very smart, very good dog.

[JLD]

OK,

I am psyched and ready to go.

My cow (Nadia) came from an organic dairy so I shouldn'y have to worry too much about the pesticide effect on the leather. Though it makes you wonder how good it is for the cow if it effects their leather/skin?

My hide is not really thick so I might try a braided core. Do I get a smoother finish if I put something in the middle.

Johanne

[Hedge]

If you're braiding a foundation core, start with a 4 plait braid. 4 plait doesn't require a core to give it roundness. Then, braid over the foundation as many layers as it takes to get the thickness of the bosal core you want. Increase the number of strings or increase the

width of the strings for each successive layer in order to get full coverage of the previous layer.

[JLD]

What thickness should my finished core be. If I keep makeing more ayers doesn't the core reach a point where it is no longer pliable enough doe to the thickness?

Johanne

[Hedge]

What thickness should my finished core be. If I keep makeing more ayers doesn't the core reach a point where it is no longer pliable enough doe to the thickness?

Johanne

Common cores run from 3/16" to 3/8".

The 3/8" will give you a finished bosal of about 5/8" diameter. That's considered a full sized bosal.