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If you want the hair off rather quick and easy, buck it! I don't know how your weather is, but if you can keep a bucket of water from freezing, you can remove the hair really easy (even if just to make a smaller package for storage) by adding lye to a few gallons of water and soaking the skin...

Military service is actually a very good option that I didn't think about. While it might sound awful, think about how "free" you'll be if you get the military to pay for your training instead of busting your hump to earn the cash to pay off a tuition. In America, we do a 20 year tour to earn...

Ron, you can definitely tan it with the hair on, just be ready for hairs everywhere. On a critter like that, there's a lot of hair and it will be constantly shedding even if you just drape it over the back of the couch for a showpiece. The real problem would be getting the hair to remain firm...

You can tan the hide with the hair on, but the hollow hairs will always break off, hence the "shedding" stories you hear about. If you don't use it roughly, it would take decades before the pelt was unsightly. Of course, it's also significantly harder to tan a hide with the hair on rather than...

Very nice work! I'm gonna have to keep my eyes open for some heavy copper piping......

Never seen a wedged hatchet like that. Reminds me of the feathers and wedges used to split stone blocks back in the day. Looks like it's long enough to provide the handle with some protection against missed blows with the poll, too.

An honest critique? You did a disservice to yourself by going with such a fine finish on the handle while short-changing the blade. I understand wanting that "primitive" or "rustic" look on a knife, and I like that look. But, if you're going to go that route, go the whole way and make the...

A bit of deer antler sanded down and stuck on the end of 4" of 1084. Aged with the 'cold blue and bleach' technique. False edge done by hand against a 12" disc sander. Poured pewter pommel and bolster. Pre-pewter - you can see the grooves that the pewter is supposed to stick in...

Barlow folding knife. It's convenient and has both character and tradition.

I was once 17 and everybody told me to follow my heart, find something that I love doing and I'd find happiness. Worst advice ever! Firstly, at that age, the things that look cool/romantic/interesting are pretty neat. But what's the long term on them? Your body will break down, and it's...

Brain tan, antlers, dew claws and bones of assorted variety..... Just say the word, hoss!!!

Nice work!

Thanks, Goat. If you get a chance to play with some rawhide, you won't regret it. Very neat stuff.

All done except the sharpening and then I have to figure out what I want to do for the sheath. 5.5" of cutting edge and 5" of handle capped off with a poured-in-place pewter pommel. A bit heavy towards the back end, but it's a comfortable weight that lets you know you're holding onto...

How can someone not be an LOTR fan? If you've got rawhide, there's not much better way to use it than as a handle treatment. Rawhide is the kydex of ages past and was often used to repair broken rifle stocks and loose knife handles. Different types of animals produce different textures of...

I really like using rawhide to finish the joint between the blade and antler. It gives the whole thing a bit more rustic a look, especially when you use sinew to close it up. In this example, (something of a teaser, I know :D ) I used one piece of rawhide to make a cap and then a second to act...

HHazeldean, the braintan cover is more aesthetic than anything else. It covers the rawhide that might not be pleasing to the eye, and it gives you something to do with the smaller scraps of braintan you might have. When tanned this skin, I smoked the flesh side to a dark chocolate shade, far...

Goat, the haft is fine for long duration, though I wouldn't want to carve a kuksa with her. The handle is a bit short for my hand, but she was designed to be a "poor boy" style of knife meant to be a patch knife and not much else. In the colonial times, a short knife like this was used rather...

It's been a few years since I put her together, but I really enjoy this blade. 1084, if I recall correctly, forged by yours truly. With a bit of southern whitetail deer antler for the handle and a bit of deer rawhide for the wrapping, sewn tight with honest-to-god deer sinew. The sheath is...

That makes me very sad, Dazcon. Should you endeavor to build another, I'll have a braintan deerskin reserved for you.....