Rawhide String Riding Up

[Shelly]

This is a reply to the post that was removed, regarding the string riding up - I've been braiding rawhide, latigo, roo, etc, since 1976. In my opinion, rawhide, once it is tempered, (proper temper will allow you to 'see' thru your initial strip, transparent almost. Then, if it is about ready to be cut, you will know if it is too wet still, if, by pulling it thru your fingers, it leaves your fingers feeling 'wet'). This doesn't mean it's too wet to cut, necessarily, but, it will not bevel or split worth a damn, as it will need to be a bit dryer for that step.

Once it has the proper feel thru most of the strip, I set up my cutter - leaving my strips in the humidifier, to keep them where they need to be. I only work with what I can get thru before the cut strings are too dry to finish them, which is usually about 3 to 6 at a time, if they are about 3/64" each. My first step is to take one of my strips out, shake it out, (these that I worked today were about 8' long, by about an inch in width. Because my strips were fairly uniform in thickness, about 1/32", I did not worry about splitting the strip down at this stage, but, rather, may knock off a bit of the flesh side later on, when I am choosing a string for a project I'm working on. First - I will shake it out, then, I will put the strip hair side down, and pull it evenly over the cylinder of the cutter, with even pressure downward, from the left to right side of the cylinder - this will do a few things - it will take the kinks out of the strip, and flatten it, in case it curled a little in the humidifier, then, it will show me where any areas are still a little too damp, as those areas will 'stick' a bit, and lastly, it will find any weak areas that want to 'stretch', and will pre-stretch that slightly, before you find it later, when cutting the strings, and then the string wants to stretch to nothing and break.

Next, always cut rawhide with the hairside down, flesh side up. Set your razor blade with a slight angle forward toward the string on the cutting edge, so that it somewhat forces the string to feed against the cylinder of the cutter. You will want to have some protection on your thumbs and index fingers doing this work - On the Hansen cutter, the guide allows you to place your thumb close to the blade - you need to keep your thumb close, and the strip feeding thru your hand before it goes into the blade on the one side, and, on the side you are pulling it thru, pull downward, not straight out. Also, pull slightly away from the blade side, so, with your thumb in the proper position on the feeding side, you will also be applying a bit of downward pressure with your thumb, in conjunction with the downward pull of the other hand, so that it should effectively stop any ride up.

When your strings are cut from the strip, and you are now ready to bevel - set the blade in the bevel area on cylinder so that the cutting edge of the blade is at a 90 degree angle to the edge of the fence that the string will ride against. The hairside down, it must be beveled on the hairside, either only the hairside, or, if you are making a bigger string, say for the body of a hackamore, you can bevel the hair side first, then take a bit off the flesh side, but only after the hair side is done. The style of feeding the string through for beveling is the same as for cutting. At this point, if you decide that it needs to be a bit more taken off the flesh side then it's an easy thing to split a little off of these strings, if done a bit at a time. I always keep my thumb on the top of the string, feeding through a bench splitter, to keep the string from riding up against the blade and being cut off. Also, I am keeping my string feeding through my hand in order to feel if it has twisted, and I never pull it thru 'fast'. You pull the string in a downward pull in the splitter, just as you do in the previous process on the cutter.

If you have any further questions or concerns, let me know. I'll try to answer the best I can.

FYI - I sold my Hansen cutter a number of years ago, because I was annoyed with the splitter on it. I chose a splitter that maintained the same adjustment and could be reset with each pass of the total number of strings I was working. This way, all strands are equal in depth when you are done with them.

Hope this helps...once you are cutting at the proper temper, and with the proper technique, you will then understand why I say that you must have some protection for your thumbs and index fingers - the edges of the rawhide strings will cut your fingers up like so many paper cuts - and, if you are putting the proper amount of pressure against the string with your thumb when feeding through the blade, your thumb will look like chopped hamburger if you don't have some sort of protection on it. I have acrylic nails, which I love for braiding - the thumbnail will be toast by the time I'm done, as it will have grooves in it from the strings cutting into it, as they feed thru the blade. Rawhide is supersharp on the edges, and the strings will tear you up when they are in proper temper!

Edited September 4, 2011 by Shelly

[rawhide1]

Shelly

A very nice and detailed explanation.

Mike

[HellfireJack]

I couldn't agree more.

[Guapo]

Hi Shelly,

What do you use for a humidifier?

Thanks, Guapo

[KnotHead]

That is a good explanation Shelly. Very well said.

B...

[rgerbitz]

Great wording. Thank you for your time on this.

[acox4t4]

I hate to ask you to go to more work, but pictures would really help going along with your words of wisdom. I'm one of those people that always have to see to learn. Just an idea if you have time, LOL I've got two jobs so understand time limits.

Thanks and again great words of wisdom Annette

[barbiesdude]

Thanks Shelley,

I cut some more string yesterday and it went much better. I probably started out a little moist but there came a point where it actually sliced my guiding thumb, and then I knew what you meant when you said it would tear up your hands when the temper was right for cutting. From then on my strands were way more consistant in width. Thanks again for your detailed post.

Jamie

[Shelly]

I hate to ask you to go to more work, but pictures would really help going along with your words of wisdom. I'm one of those people that always have to see to learn. Just an idea if you have time, LOL I've got two jobs so understand time limits.

Thanks and again great words of wisdom Annette

Hi,

I may post some 'how i do it' pix at some point, but not likely in the very near future - have 5 saddles to finish, as well as some braiding work, (which I've already done string for), and lots of repair work to do...Oh, and did I mention that I'm left handed?? I'm afraid pix may confuse anyone that doesn't 'think' about it first...some things I do as a left-hander, others as a right-hander....!

I'll try, but can't make any guarantees on this request right now...

SL

[Ecapone]

Awesome explanations Shelly

Enrique

[Shelly]

I use a 12" tuperware pie safe for my strings that I'm cutting, and I store the cut/ready strings in another one...so have two for two different stages. I keep my project strings in the tuperware that I will be working out of, and I will still usually have to rewet a little before braiding, either with saddle soap or with warm water, with a quick dunk and shake off excess, then back into the humidifier for a few minutes. Then soap and braid. I strongly detest yellow soap on rawhide work - I only use white Fiebings saddle soap, but any brand will suffice, as long as it's white. I have seen some very nice braidwork that was made nasty looking by the application of lots of yellow soap!