Making Rawhide Lesson

[KAW]

Rod,

You need a green hide fleshed, you will have to play with the temps and time as to your location and hides, when the hair slips on the back and near the star in a hereford usally it is time some thicker hides alittle longer if it starts to srivel and starts to curl up then you usally have ruined it and you need to constantly move the hide in the water. Anything to push the hair of will work just not to sharp if done correctly you can push it off buy hand and another nice thing is you can do more than one hide at a time this way and usally by the time you flesh a hide the water is at temp, if you try this get a digital thermometer like this they are very acurrate

[Alan Bell]

Kevin, are you using a Hansen string cutter? Sharon had one made for her that incorporated a calipered dial to adjust the width for cutting and beveling. When she beveles she noticed that once you take off one corner when you turn the string around it takes off a little less on the other side, so she can turn the knob one mm or so and take off the same bevel. Also, do you dye before or after you cut string? and are you using Ritz too? This is great stuff! I'll have to get a honda from you to add to my collection, Sharon got me started on it she has a honda collection and I owe one to Vince for the one he sent me. I'll braid one up for you too if your interested we can trade.

Vaya Con Dios, Alan Bell

Old Pirates,yes, they rob I, sold I to the merchant ships, minutes after they took I from the bottomless pit

Bob Marley

[KAW]

Alan,

I use a cutter that Wayne Jueschke out of Elko made for me about 10 years ago he doesn't make it any more.

This is the splitter I use the most Monty Servere made it and he doesn't make this one anymore either

I also use an old Osborne but it needs some work to the blade it has quite a dish in it after a hundred years

I use both natural and Ritz dyes and I like to dye before I cut my strings.

We could work something out on a trade.

[mudman]

KAW;

This is really fasinating stuff, very enjoyable. Couple of questions;

I have heard that old skinny jersey cows make the best rawhide. Any truth to that?

Also, I have a riata that needs some dressing/conditioning. I see that you use beef tallow. Do you need to do anything to it before you using it?

[KAW]

Mudman

Old skinny cows make nice tight grained rawhide but on range cows alot of times they will have a brand or two to go around and quite a few wire scars so you have to be real carful when cutting your string if you get a good one they won't have much fat to flesh and will be suitable thickness for a reata . As far as the old skinny jersey old timers like them for ropes because they were usally milkcows with a pretty posh life and were tight grained, usally didn't have to many scars and were kind of pets and were usally pretty old when they died and were fairly big even hides that could make a lenthy reata, but they are alittle tough to get anymore. I like grass fat range cows for working gear and 7 to 900lb yearlings off grass for finer gear but they are sometimes hard to comeby.

You can use white feibings saddle soap if you dont have tallow, you have to render the fat so it doen't get rancid, work it in to the rope real good by hand on a warm day and let it soakin then I use liver to seal it and that helps alot to not pick up alot of dirt in use it is an old method but works good for me, main thing with a reata is not to let it get to dry or it will start to dry rot and that aint a good thing. After it has been braided and streched it should be broke in I run it through some holes or around a post til I get it feelin the way I want it. There is alot more to work making a good usable reata than just braiding 4 or 6 strands. Alot of people think that a reata sould be their first project when really it should be their last. A reata sould have the best of the best hide in it and is like anything else the better the quality of starting materials the better the end product and the longer it sould last with proper care.

[whipit]

Hi! I live on a dairy farm and I tan a lot of my own leather. This includes Raw Hide. I found Jersey cows make the best raw hide as the hide is fairly thin and even. I put the hide in Lime and water until the hair starts to slip (around 3-4 days) then on to a fleshing beam. I use an old concrete cattle trough turned upside down. I'm not overly fussed on getting all the flesh off as when the hide is on the drying rack and is dry I use a sander to take what flesh is left off. After all the hard work is done I then put the hide in water and vinegar for 24hrs. Than I put it on to a drying rack. I veg tan all my own roo hide but that is fairly indeath. I have been doing this for over 7 years now so if anyone has any Q please feel free to ask.

[ClayB]

Whipit,

I would sure be interested in hearing how you do your own veg tanning if you have time to explain it sometime. I am sure there are a few others that might be interested too.

Welcome to leatherworker.net. Glad to have you with us.

[Rod and Denise Nikkel]

Can someone explain why you don't want the hides salted to make rawhide from them. What does salting do to damage the hide for making rawhide? I (Denise) am curious about this fact.

[whipit]

Rod & Denise

The reason you don't use salted hides for raw hide is that salt draws out the natural 'glue' in the hide. This 'glue' is what gives raw hide what I call life (stiffness).

[seveneves]

Hi! I live on a dairy farm and I tan a lot of my own leather. This includes Raw Hide. I found Jersey cows make the best raw hide as the hide is fairly thin and even. I put the hide in Lime and water until the hair starts to slip (around 3-4 days) then on to a fleshing beam. I use an old concrete cattle trough turned upside down. I'm not overly fussed on getting all the flesh off as when the hide is on the drying rack and is dry I use a sander to take what flesh is left off. After all the hard work is done I then put the hide in water and vinegar for 24hrs. Than I put it on to a drying rack. I veg tan all my own roo hide but that is fairly indeath. I have been doing this for over 7 years now so if anyone has any Q please feel free to ask.

I would be interested in hearing how you tan your own leather. I have a book, "tan yur hide" about home tanning solutions. It seems like you need a lot of chemicals that I would not know where to buy them. What do you use?