Newbie working with deer-skin

[Alexjoseph0000]

Hello All,

This is my first post on this forum.  Happy to be here and looking forward to learning all I can.  Please forgive me if I'm posting in the wrong place or if this topic has already been covered.  Still getting used to this site.

I'm posting here for advice concerning the nap on deer/doe skin.  I create new and restore various classical Japanese weaponry.  In the process of preparing doe-skin to be used as a wrapping/securing material I first hang, attach a weight to, and stretch these does skin strips.  Afterward, I shape, sew, glue, etc in order to turn these strips of doe skin into the desired shape.  The manhandling that goes into using this doe skin though raises the nap of the doeskin substantially.  I've been over the internet trying to find out how to lower the nap while the entire internet wants to tell me how to raise it.  My questions are:

1) Is the length of a nap left long or shortened by the person/company that initially sources the doeskin?  Can one request a shorter nap?  Or am I destined to have a long nap due to the stretching and handling required to get these strip into the desired shape?

2) Is there a way that I can flatten, or better yet shorten, the nap myself while still retaining the doeskins beauty and function?

Thank you all very much for your help.  I look forward to any and all advice you can give me. 

 

Sincerely,

Alex