Hair on hide question

[Hilly]

I have a small goat hide which came with an obvious wrinkle from being folded. It shows in the fur side, too. It's a little like having "bed head". Can I somehow smooth the wrinkle and the fur? It's not a huge issue, but it would look much better if it were having a better hair day.

[Clay]

Hilly,

I had a customer with a similar problem, they sprayed it lighty with water and alcohol mixed 50/50 and then ironed it from the flesh side. Iron set at low heat. I was a little skeptical but they swore that it worked. I think thie iron would be a little dangerous. But the water alcohol mix seems like it could help and mayby just use something heaqvy to press it down. Hopefully someone else has a better idea lol

ClayM.

[HorsehairBraider]

I've never done this on a hide... However, the goat hair should behave just like your own hair. (I know it does _off_ the hide.) When I need to smooth out goat hair or some other fiber (like, for example, horsehair) I get it wet with very hot water, lay it out the way I want it to be and let it dry in that shape. I will sometimes use something to hold it in the right shape. In your case I would think a heavy flat weight would do it. Just make sure the hair is brushed the way you want, or you might end up having to do it again.

[Hilly]

Okay, here's what I tried with reasonable success: I dampened the back of the hide where the wrinkle was, and folded it the opposite direction, and applied a very cool blow dryer to it. It took almost all of the wrinkle out but the hair on the other side was still pretty messed up. I then dampened the hair with warm water, and combed it the direction it should be laying, and blow dryed it on low. Although it still isn't perfect, it is much better than it was.

Now I have another question as to what that awful smell was when it was wet? It smelled like old urine. Are hair on hides ever urine tanned?! If this is the case, then it's going right in the garbage.

[Elton Joorisity]

Sounds like typical "wet goat" smell to me!!

[bruce johnson]

I am with Elton. Goats smell, but nothing is cuter than a baby goat, children and grandchildren included. We have been intermittantly in the goat business depending on the market. My son has traded in them since he was about 6 years old. Regarding the tanning using urine. I am sure it is probably done somewhere. I can only envision the collection centers. That said, ShopTalk had a series on some of the Mexican and South American tanneries. That was one of the questions that came up. Apparently there is a tree that some tanneries use that grows down there, and it does have a smell similar to urine. That is supposedly where the smell comes from, and I am sure a lot of the rumors of urine-tanning are a perpetuated story. Goats are consumed probably on every continent. Most all of these hides are tanned in foreign countries, and they use what they have growing there or close by.

[Hilly]

Sounds like typical "wet goat" smell to me!!

I've never smelled a wet goat before today. Do they always stink like that?

I'd rather smell a wet dog or a wet chicken.

[HorsehairBraider]

Ah, well. Having raised goats my entire life, and having spun many a pound of goat hair (mohair, cashmere) I can tell you with complete confidence: GOAT HAIR DOES NOT SMELL!

Now, a buck in rut might smell, due to the glands on his head. However the glands on his head do not equate to the fiber on his skin. Most of the time, processing a hide will remove any residual oils or scents. If they have not been removed, it is quite easy to simply wash the hide and remove them yourself.

Because of this, I conclude that your hide may well have been tanned with urine. (Unless of course you have not tried washing it ? ...) What color is it? Urine is also used in dyeing, particularly for blue colors, in other countries where a good lye solution is not readily available.

I suppose I should be saying that goats smell, and hoping to scare everyone off mohair and cashmere. Then there would be more for me.