Rawhide making Do's and Don'ts

[KAW]

Most of the time I slip the hair with clean hot water, when doing it this way you must have a fresh green fleshed hide or it doesn't work very well ,if at all. When I make my hides in lime I like to use as fresh a hide as I can and flesh them, also the naster the lime solution is the better for me and warmed to about 80 100 degrees work best for me, I try to make my hide in the summer when it is warm. when I scraped my hides with a knife I would clean the hell out of them flesh them REALLY good, brush the hair out good with a comb, streach them a tight as I could, then clip most of the hair as close to the hide as I could with a big set of clippers, then scrape the rest with a sharp knife and it is very important to get the hide as tight as you can so you dont get wrinkles in it. I like to streach them like Alan said in a hoop like these.

I like to do it with the water now because it is quick and clean and If you want to work alittle you can do more than one hide at a time once the water is at temp. These are some things that work for me depending on the hide and situation. The better the hide to start with the better the string can be in the end if everything goes well.

[rgerbitz]

Hello Kevin,

If I remember right from your tut. that got lost you said to not let the water get above 140 degrees? And what diameter is your hoop?

Thanks for your input.

Rob

[rawhidesculpture]

Hey! 

I'm an art student looking to create a sculpture from rawhide, I'm just wondering once I let it dry and mold to the shape I'm looking for should I treat it with anything? or cover it in something to preserve it? 

thanks any help would be great:)

[chuck123wapati]

yes you should. it would depend on the finished look your after on what you would use. I would test any product before applying it to your work on scrap pieces. Acrylic paints, poly sealers for wood, shellac, boiled linseed oil & beeswax,  are just some options you can try.   Good luck and post a picture of your work!! 

1 hour ago, rawhidesculpture said:

Hey! 

I'm an art student looking to create a sculpture from rawhide, I'm just wondering once I let it dry and mold to the shape I'm looking for should I treat it with anything? or cover it in something to preserve it? 

thanks any help would be great:)

yes you should. it would depend on the finished look your after on what you would use. I would test any product before applying it to your work on scrap pieces. Acrylic paints, poly sealers for wood, shellac, boiled linseed oil & beeswax,  are just some options you can try.   Good luck and post a picture of your work!!