Softening Rawhide?

[RobertB]

I am just starting to delve into rawhide and learning its quirks. I think that I am getting the hang of casing my strings to the correct moisture and am getting a good even braid. Been just doing some small projects like bracelets and they are coming out nicely, however they are too stiff and hard when they dry in my opinion. Is this normal or should they be more flexible? I read in Grants book about softening stings and am wondering if anybody dose this and if so what is your process. Thank You for any insights.

[oltoot]

Rawhide is just stiffer than leather but soften or not and how depends on the project. Saddle soap, creams, etc are all post braiding options. Pre-braiding or string preparation and treatment, project design, backing material used under buttons, cores for longer things: the list and options is long and takes time, experience, experimentation, observation to master. All that said, it's not impossible for someting to turn out just fine the first time out of the box. How old are you? Go forth and do good things.

BTW. In case you haven't already discovered, the history of the cattle industry is intricately interwoven with at least these:

The Civil War, the railroads, the buffalo slaughter, the Indian wars, the saddle industry, the hog industry, the generic "westward expansion".

Yes, I too am a great fan and student.

[bucksnort]

Rawhide has a certain amount of stiffness (life) to it & it will vary from hide to hide & how the hides are processed will make a difference as well. You can soften it up some with a good rawhide dressing. A friend recently told me that a guy showed him a piece of rawhide that was soft like leather & told him he soaked it in glycerin. Haven't tried it, but might be worth a try. You can soften it prior to braiding by tempering your rawhide, rolling it up hair side in & pounding it. This is what Grant shows in his book, but he doesn't give any details. Enrique Capone has more details in his first book & says pound it for about 1/2 hour a day for 10 days. Hope this helps. Buck

[RobertB]

Thanks for the reply guys. Oltoot I'm 33 our place is just in the sandhills. I have been a "cowboy" all my life, and when my wife and I started to take over the place and buy the cattle I wanted to be a better stockman and started to really understand the industry. How stock handling methods, tack and even the style of horses we ride vary though the states by which part of Mexico, Texas and California the majority of the original cowboys or vaqueros came from. As well as how the established English methods of the original 13 colonies has influenced us. It really is very interesting.

Bucksnort Thanks for your insight. I have heard of soaking stings in glycerin or tallow to soften but I was afraid that it would weaken the strands to much, and I am not wanting the fully softened hide like Enrique shows. All though I am going to try and make some for different projects. I am wanting my stings to have some spring in them but my stuff just seems to be to stiff, more like you would want in a Honda. I guess I was wondering if anybody was using a mordaza to make them a little more pliable. But in the end I might not be soaping them enough.

[rcsaddles]

Robert,

I've spent some time around Lakeside, NE. I clipped a bull sale for Immage Hereford Ranch back in the late 80's. Sorry if I spelled the name wrong. I was actually born in Broken Bow and raised in Mason City on a small ranch. Clipped cattle in the Sandhills quite a bit and just love the area.

That being said, when I make a reata, While it is still a little damp, I will use an anvil and hammer and pound it. |'m not talking about trying to kill the thing but lightly pounding to help the strings lay into each other. This process also softens the rawhide to some degree.

Keep asking the questions because it is good information to all of us.

[bucksnort]

I have a set of reins that I braided from some rawhide circles that I bought. They are too stiff & I have to condition them more frequently than stuff I have from rawhide that I made. Not sure what the difference is as some of mine was dehaired with lime like the commercial stuff. Hides I have dry scraped or done with dry ash are more pliable but still have good life. Like I said before, different hides processed the same way will vary as well. Joe's suggestion will help with finished projects & pulling the flesh side back & forth around the edge of a fine toothed file in a vice will soften strings before braiding which is kind of the same effect as a mordaza. Good luck, Buck

[RobertB]

Thanks for the input guys. I decided I was not letting my strings temper long enough and was not using enough soap while braiding. The stuff I have made lately is much better, guess I just need a little more practice it really is a lot different than latigo and roo. Joe you were close the name is Imig they are still in the country still raising Herefords. It really is a small world.

[rcsaddles]

Been a lot of years since I have been back in that country. I love that area. I think I'll have to plan a vacation back that way.

What are you using for soap? I know there is a lot of different ideas on what works and what is best but I'm just curious as to what you are using.

[RobertB]

My current recipe is equal parts water,tallow, soap mix ( 2 parts fels naptha 1 party glycerin saddle soap, 1 part beeswax), and a table spoon or two of eucalyptus oil. I boil the water add the tallow take of heat, mix in my soap and oil stir until everything is dissolved and keep stirring until it starts to harden a bit. When all said and done it has the consistency of saddle soap. I add the eucalyptus to give a pleasant smell and it will deter vermin from chewing on the item.