Advice For Making Rawhide

[rgerbitz]

12 inch planner blades work well. Usually have to buy in sets of three, but they are made of good steel and 4 sides. once they are tuned up you can scrap one hide without having to stop and sharpen anything.

[acox4t4]

Whow you all are good at motivating a person to try again. I've personally ruined 3 attempts. First by hanging out to dry and then scrape, bad idea to do that when fly's still flying -- maggot mess. Second time, two much lime turned it into a mushy mess, and third time not enough lime or didn't wait long enough but had in bucket with lime for close to two weeks and gave up. But have really been wanting to try the fourth attempt and you all have made me motivated enough to try. Thanks for all the time you take to help us out with answering questions and posting your pictures of the gear you make.

[gbsbullet]

I was looking around Google trying to find some instructions on how to make French Waxed Calf when I came across a Google book that goes into a lot of detail on tanning a hide. I didn't read through the whole thing but the pages I did read laid out some pretty good instruction on how to prepare a hide for tanning. I figure if you adjusted the later instructions you would end up with some nice rawhide.

http://books.google.com/books?id=RaZRAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA293&lpg=PA293&dq=how+to+make+french+waxed+calf&source=bl&ots=ygQFHZFWgm&sig=07K3xih6R4oTdB-kcGYwtAK5wJQ&hl=en&sa=X&ei=mUR-VKyMIYXuoATy2oKoBA&ved=0CE4Q6AEwCA#v=onepage&q=how%20to%20make%20french%20waxed%20calf&f=false

try that again.

http://books.google.com/booksid=RaZRAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA293&lpg=PA293&dq=how+to+make+french+waxed+calf&source=bl&ots=ygQFHZFWgm&sig=07K3xih6R4oTdB-kcGYwtAK5wJQ&hl=en&sa=X&ei=mUR-VKyMIYXuoATy2oKoBA&ved=0CE4Q6AEwCA#v=onepage&q=how%20to%20make%20french%20waxed%20calf&f=false

Well they don't want me to post the link so if you go to Google Books and search for "how to make french waxed calf" you should come up with the information I was referring to

[WinterBear]

Try this for a link gbsbullet:

http://books.google.com/books?id=RaZRAAAAYAAJ&dq=inauthor%3A%22Hippolyte%20Dussauce%22&pg=PR3#v=onepage&q&f=false Or

http://books.google.com/books?id=RaZRAAAAYAAJ&lpg=PA293&ots=ygQFHZFWgm&dq=how%20to%20make%20french%20waxed%20calf&pg=PA293#v=onepage&q=how%20to%20make%20french%20waxed%20calf&f=false

[millwright]

My hide's been drying for about 25 days and seems like it's dried out. Does this sound right?

If you cut circles from the whole hide, where is the hide typically the same thickness? What areas, what size, and how many rounds do you normally get from a hide? What area is considered the best quality?

I read on a post where someone cuts 10" rounds and stores them 'til they need strings for a project. How much string would you get from one round? Would you cut the whole hide into 10" rounds?

Has anyone cut soga strings length wise of the hide like Gail Hought does? How does this work for having more consistent width compared to rounds? What are the benefits of this method rather than the rounds?

I didn't trim the belly from the hide while it was green. Is there something to look for to know how far up to trim off so I don't get any stretchy hide? How do you tell if it's going to stretch even before you cut the strings?

I'm sure most of the answers depend on personal preference and trial and error, but I like hearing the voice of experience. Wish my teenage boys liked to hear it too! Bret

[bucksnort]

These measurements are off the head guesses & of coarse will vary with hide size. From the neck & tail come in about 8 to 10 inches (these pieces are ok for button strings), off the center of the back come down about 20 inches ( rest of this is scrap, too thin & stretchy). The oval left is your best rawhide. Some cut strings out of this & some, as I do, take a strip of about 4 inches out of the center of the back ( between grubs & the use of pour-on this rawhide sometimes isn't that good). I use it for bosal cores & such. I personally cut the rest into 10 inch squares & store it to cut into strings. When I get ready to use it I mark & cut a circle & cut a string a little over 1/4 wide & get about 25 feet, which will give me four 1/8 strings for reins. If you search Lacemaster, they have a lace calculator which is really accurate. Not always easy to tell thickness on a dry hide but with practice you can get squares with even thickness ( that center piece is usually pretty consistant & many will cut the entire piece into one long string & for reatas this is a necessity. Cutting strips would probably be OK for bosals or any shorter items, but wouldn't give you long enough strings for reins. This is just the way I prefer & there are a lot of other ways that produce equally good results (or better). Try them all & you'll come up with what works best for you & if your like most of us next week you'll be doing it differently. Buck

[millwright]

Hide number 3....down the tube. I thought I had this one figured out but it turned really cold here in Oklahoma and it froze. I didn't know you shouldn't let a green hide freeze when it's stretched out. Looks like some of it dried like it's supposed to, nice clear amber color, and the rest was white like it was stretched too much and broke the fibers.

I have my 4th stretched and out of the weather, so I'm feeling good about this. Maybe I'll finally be cutting some strings in a week or so.

I fleshed the last two with the grinder and wire wheel method and it works really well. I hope to try with a fleshing beam and knife sometime, but for now, I'm tickled to death to have this one fleshed and drying. Going to use the dry ash to get the hair off. Going to try the lime sometime too.

Got a call about a yearling colt someone had to put down and got that hide this weekend. I'll get it cleaned up and stretched in the next day or two. Does the dry ash method work for horse hide too? wooh, this has been quite an ordeal, think it'll work this time....I'm sure hoping. Bret

[millwright]

I have white patches/blotches showing up where it has already dried. Is it possible/easy to stretch the green hide too tight, then as it dries and contracts the fibers in the rawhide break? I've pulled hides 2,3 and 4 fairly tight in the hoop. Dang it!! Still not cutting any strings. This is crazy, it's just drying out a hide, how cotton pickin hard can it be! I haven't figured out how to resize pics so I can't get any on here. Who's got an idea?

[bucksnort]

Bret, Not sure what the white spots are. When I stretch hide I pull them as tight as I can & then tighten them again the next day. I think you'd be more likely to break your frame or string than stretch a hide too tight. Pics might help. When I resize I pick edit/organize in upper left corner, click on picture & it gives the option to resize. Buck

[millwright]

You were right Buck. It wasn't too tight. I think I was prematurely worried. I went ahead and scraped the hide today and it turned out fine. I have RAWHIDE! I think it looks pretty good. Thanks for all the help guys.

Hope to be posting some pics of some tack before long. Reins and headstall is first on the list. I'm trying copy/paste from facebook with some pics.

This is what I was worried about. Next pic is outcome after the scraping.