Making Rawhide

[rgerbitz]

If it ever warms up around here I am going to get another hide soon. It seems that I have the best luck when it stays above 55 degrees at night. I am going to list out how I am planning on going about it in hopes that someone may have some questions or suggestions about what I could or should be doing.

1- Buy hide (Usually able to get it home and start working with it within few hours after the steer has been butchered)

2- Remove extra fat and meat from hide (This is the dogs favorite step)

3- Put in old washing machine with about a coffee can full of lime

4- Let agitate a few times a day till hair slips changing lime and water every couple of days till hair slips

5- Throw hide over a saw horse and remove hair with a old mower blade

6- Stretch hide on frame/ let dry

7- Mark out large circles on hide and cut out with tin snips

8- Soak and temper circles and cut into string

Any thoughts and ideas about this process will be welcomed. Even if it just a comment about a certain step and your own experience.

Thank you for your time,

Rob

[Alan Bell]

Sounds like a plan to me! I've never had to change the lime wash out so I don't know if it helps or not but other than that I do basically everything you describe just like you describe it.

Vaya con Dios, Alan Bell

So they build their world in great confusion to force on us the Devils illusion.

Bob Marley - Ride Natty Ride

[deadringer]

G'day there,

Same here I don't change the lime bath as you want the bacteria to build up this is what causes the hair to slip.

Try starting the lime bath by using warm water about 22 degrees celsius this will get the bacteria working quicker.

The shorter the hide is in the lime the better.make sure you wash the hide thoroughly after the lime before you neutralise it .

Vinegar is great for neutralising after liming, I use about 1 litre vinegar to every 50 litres of water and leave stand over night stirring a couple of times.

cheers

Chris

Edited April 29, 2008 by deadringer

[whipit]

I'm with Allen and Chris on this. Don't change your lime wash. Depending how soon I get another hide, I sometimes use the same wash. I use a large plastic drum and lift the hide out and turn by hand. I did try a washing machine once. I found it ideal for small hides eg; goat, roo, calfs. When it comes to cattle hides you will find it a bit to heavy for your washing machine. I'm like Chris and use vinegar (cleaning vinegar, or white vinegar). If you use lime you must neutralise it. Battery acid can use but very dangerous and you can use to much and ruin your hide.

[skip]

how about a pictorial tutorial of the next hide you clean and wash so we can visualize your process, the process sounds simple enough but it always helps to see pictures of the process. thanks for the information.

When you pick up your hide how do you konw that it just came off the cow? I have one processing that I know of that is an hour and a half away. Do you get your hides from a processing plant or do you go direct to the butchers, or Cattlemen? thanks again for the information

Skip

[whipit]

Hi Skip, This is where I get my hides from.

1. I'm lucky enough to live on a dairy farm with Jursey cows. At times we have to destroy a cow that has trouble calving and can't get up. If you let your farmers in your area know that you would like the hides off any animal that needs to be destroyed you'll be surprised what will show up. Only thing you'll have to have a sharp knife and be prepared to do a bit of skinning. I often have people ring up with an old cow and want to know if I could do something with her.

2. Slaughter houses - I have a small one that is fairly close to where I live but are expensive. (I pay by weight $110 - $130 AU)

3. Tannery - Some tanneries will sell there hides at any stage of the tanning stage. This saves a lot of hard work. I can get a hide that has the hair off and ready to be pegged out. The only trouble it is a fair way to drive from where I live. (I pay by full hide $130AU)

4. Home butchers - In Australia we have butchers that go around to farms to butcher cattle for the farmers table. (I have paid $60 - $80 AU)

Bob

[rgerbitz]

Thank you everyone!

I am wondering about the lime is it to keep the pH of the water at the right level or what?

About soaking it in vinegar overnight, I tried to shorten that up to about 3 hours once and the hide turned out kind of chalky. Definitely needs to be left overnight.

I get my hides from the local meat locker about 10 miles down the road. They only kill on Fridays, if I call on Thursday he usually has a good idea of what animals he will have color, size, and breed, and is nice enough to let me select which critter I would like to have. Cost $40. Was only $25 when I started a few years ago.

Anyone have any ideas on how to get the grease off hide. Seems like sometimes after the hide dries out there is a thin film of grease/oil on the hair side.

I was thinking that maybe after the vinegar soak maybe some fresh water and a bunch of grease cutting dish soap then rinse and dry. Any thoughts?

Thanks for your input

Rob

Edited April 30, 2008 by rgerbitz

[rcsaddles]

If you look at the post "quik question" I have posted how I make rawhide. I tried to copy and paste but did not work. I'm too lazy to type it all again.

Joe

[troy]

Shocked at your prices of hides, mine mostly cost £5.00 for deer and £15.00 for cow or occassionally nothing from road kills.

Used to use chemicals to help the de-hairing (man-made ones) but having a wood fire and living somewhere where its burning most of the year, I started using ash - if the hide is still warm I wrap it in salt for a few days first.

A week soakin normally does it, sometimes the neck areas can be a pain but most hair comes off without taking too much of the underlaying skin off.

Luckily we are in a windy area and place frames in direct path of it, otherwise the skins would never totally dry. Usin this method, I never had any grease on the hide.