Re-stiffen rawhide?

[Wenny]

I picked up an old bosalita/pencil bosal at a yard sale. It's a decent piece of braidwork, but it's gotten soft with use. 

Is there anyway I can get some life and spring back into this soft rawhide? Would soaking it in water and letting it dry do the trick? I got it cheap, so I'm willing to experiment.

[bucksnort]

Hi Wenny, A mixture of 1 psrt hide glue to 2 parts water will do wonders as well as being good for the rawhide. If you know any woodworkers they may have it on hand or you can order small amounts off the internet. It’s about the only thing I know ofto replace the life & snap to rawhide that has become raggy. You are replacing the glue which is the main thing that gives rawhide its life. Good luck. Buck

[Wenny]

Sounds good! So do I saturate/soak it, or just brush it on the surface? Thanks for the help.

[Wenny]

I thinned Titebond Hide Glue with water (1:2 like bucksnort recommended) in a shallow dish, then dunked the bosalita in and swished it around to make sure it covered the surface and got in all the books and crannies. I brushed off the extra glue so it wasn't dripping, then hung the bosalita to dry over a chunk of wood to give it the right shape.

Even after drying for only a few hours, there's already a noticeable difference in the feel of it; not floppy at all, and a bit of spring. After it cures for the 24 hours advised on the bottle, I think I'll have a dandy piece that's ready to go back to work! 

Now watch out as I hit all the tack sales buying beat up rawhide gear bargains! 

 

[bucksnort]

Sorry I didn’t get back sooner Wenny. Sounds like you got it figured out though. I’ve used the granulated hide glue, but seems like the titebond worked good.

[bucksnort]

Also on something like that, I would probably bag the piece in plastic overnight to really allow the glue to soak in evenly througout.