Rawhide Horn Wrap

[Ropinkountz]

made my first saddle and wanted to do a rawhide horn wrap. got an 1 1/2 inch by 40 inch rawhide piece, wet it, then skiieved it to a manageabvle thickness. but it on and tightened. when it dried i was not a happy person. there were some wraps with gaps and the wrap had a loose fit. followed the same instructions as for a 'mulehide' wrap except did not have a 'chinaman'. i have one to use now. should I have used rawhide or latigo for this. would the use of a "chinaman" helped this be a better wrap? any suggestions or alternatives is appreciated.

[CWR]

Unless you tie on all the time or you are going to put rubber over the rawhide, I would go with mulehide or latigo. The rawhide is just too slick to dally on. But if you want the rawhide here are some ideas that might make your wrap tighter. You are probably working the rawhide too wet. Real wet rawhide will be twice as thick maybe more than it is dry. Soak it until it is good an soft then let it dry back a little. Rub a good bit of saddle soap into it and wrap it up in an old towel and put it in a plastic bag for several hours or overnight. When you take it out it should be pliable but about the same thickness as it was dry. I always tack one end under the gullet then make my wraps. The ones I have done I went around the horn cap as well as the post. The chinaman should help you get it tight. I would also tack the other end under the gullet. I think the rawhide shrinks too much to just put the tail under a wrap.

Hope this helps,

CW

[bruce johnson]

First off, it would have gone better with mulehide or latigo. My guess is that the rawhide was still a little too damp and then didn't get pulled tight enough. As it dried it maybe thinned down some more left the standing gaps. You have to keep working the rawhide down as it dries also. Keep levering on it and you will be suprised at the amount of stretch you can continue to pull out of it. Once it dries down, it should be pretty tight. A strap sure helps them to pull tigher and lay better.

This vast experience I have is based on one rawhide hornwrap for a customer who thought it would be a more durable base for rubber. My first one was loose. My second one turned out Ok. About a month later he brought it back. It was a lot slicker than he thought it would be. A few times the rubber turned on him and barked his hand apparently.

[Ropinkountz]

First off, it would have gone better with mulehide or latigo. My guess is that the rawhide was still a little too damp and then didn't get pulled tight enough. As it dried it maybe thinned down some more left the standing gaps. You have to keep working the rawhide down as it dries also. Keep levering on it and you will be suprised at the amount of stretch you can continue to pull out of it. Once it dries down, it should be pretty tight. A strap sure helps them to pull tigher and lay better.

This vast experience I have is based on one rawhide hornwrap for a customer who thought it would be a more durable base for rubber. My first one was loose. My second one turned out Ok. About a month later he brought it back. It was a lot slicker than he thought it would be. A few times the rubber turned on him and barked his hand apparently.

Thanks to both of you for the fast response. something new learned. since I have seen rawhide on only a few horns it looked durable. but roping 3 times a week I still would like to keep my fingers. I do wrap with rubber but if it slips i will not use rawhide. somethings are better for show than to use.