Rawhide Question

[TomG]

Here's a strange one for you.

I need some small pieces of rawhide to experiment with and have never used it. So, I had a brainstorm. Why not use some of those rawhide dog bone chew toys.

I got a small one and put it in a glass of water. After about 2 hours, it;'s still pretty hard.

How long does it take to soften? Or do they coat it with something?

Tom

[rgerbitz]

Tom, I don't know much about the dog chews but whenever I have a full hide that I need to work. I will soak it for 10-12 before I can do much with it.

[TomG]

Well, it softened up enough overnight so it is pliable. I'll let you knwo how the little project turns out.

Tom, I don't know much about the dog chews but whenever I have a full hide that I need to work. I will soak it for 10-12 before I can do much with it.

[roo4u]

the dog chews are not very good quality rawhide....add to that the bleaching process and you get stuff thats only good for dog chews(im very anti-rawhide for dogs it kills alot of dogs). there are quite a few places that sell real small circles for drum heads if you want a better piece to work with.

[Nod4Eight]

TomG, I have used those for practice - simply because I mess up enough when I'm learning to know better than to use more expensive pieces. Soak for a few hours and they will get pliable enough to use. It is a low grade of rawhide, very uneven in thickness. Unless you have a splitter to get it to a consistent thickness it might be difficult to work with.

An option that might work for you is scrap pieces of rawhide. I get mine from the scrap barrel at my local Tandy. Odd shapes and sizes, but for a buck I can usually dig through there and find a piece big enough to make an 7 or 8 inch circle. That gives me quite a bit of string to play with for a very small investment.

** Also - I don't give my dog rawhide chews because I don't want her thinking it's OK to chew on rawhide or leather.

[TomG]

I agree. They are not even close to what I've seen at Tandy. I just don't like messing up perfectly good leather to experiment and learn OF a cheap substitute will do. For example, I would probably not do a lot of dying and staining practice on anything other than the hide I was going to use in production.

As for Tandy, our local store doesn't have a scrap bin that I am aware of. They do have some scraps they sell but I think they charge around $10 a pound or so. And I have never seen rawhide in there.

And we never give our dogs rawhide either. I've seen too many dog wind up in surgery or dead

Later

Tom

[LBsaddles]

Depends what you are doing, but when I am braiding I will soak it in warm, not hot, water for an hour or so then I put it in a bag like I case leather in and leave it there for an hour or so and its ready to braid. That said i'm using flat rawhide or strings I have cut, not a dog bone.

[Nod4Eight]

What are you working on Tom? Did it soften up enough to work with?

[TomG]

I'm working towards making a rawhide maul, but right now am just fooling around with the rawhide.

The dog chew is cheap stuff for sure. Very rough and uneven. It looks like it will only be good for roughing in an idea here and there.

Tom

What are you working on Tom? Did it soften up enough to work with?

[Nimianang]

I have a full bison rawhide; about 10-12 feet long.  It came rolled up and is hard so the diameter of that is 10-12 inches.   I cannot work it until I have soaked it, but I don't know what kind of container I can soak it in because it is to large.  Any suggestions?