Rawhide

[Tengu]

Car boot as per my custom.

came out with a few mystifying but potentialy handy items of junk.

Including the biggest rawhide chew bone you have ever seen....

its a knotted one, over a foot long.

Im sure when flattened it will provide a huge sheet of rawhide.

but how do I work it? and what can I do with it?

(at the moment it would make a great kitten marmeliser...)

If anyone is interested in a piece please PM me, Im sure theres more than enough for my projects.

 

[Seagull]

Tengu, if youre real lucky, that dogchew may be in one whole sheet.

I,ve tried the stuff in the past, and always found em to be packed with small offcuts.

Best of luck with your projects, I didnt do much good with this stuff, when wet it just fell apart at hand pressure.

Better keep it as a cat marmalizer!

Ceeg

 

[Snufkin]

They do tend to be made of off cuts but you might be lucky. Stick it in a bowl of water (not hot, or you'll cook it) and let it soak until it's soft and pliable. Then unwrap it, if you are lucky it'll be in a sheet and you can tack it to a board to dry. You can use it for drum skins or bow backing or parfleches.
Even if you get small pieces they are still useful. You cut them into a circle and then cut out a long spiral thong these can be soaked and used for lashings, and as they shrink when they dry they are very secure. Rawhide makes a very good bowstring too.
Let me know how you get on, I might be interested in a few bits.

 

[Tengu]

thank you Snufkin, ill try that tonight.

let you know how it does.

The only place I have seen rawhide used (aside from a dog pacifier) is on my sailmakers palm.

So one project im going to try is a folding leather thimble for my sewing kit

 

[jon r]

are you literally talking about a dog bone! i never knew you could open then out and use them for stuff like that!

 

[Tengu]

Yes, they are made of rawhide.

either minced and gummed together or sheets.

Just dont let the dog near your projects. They cannot resist them.

 

[Tengu]

Well, got the rawhide soaked and apart

a big rectanguar bit, some smaller sections (some very thick)

and a core of bits...which went to my friends dogs.

Im currently flattening them and getting them dry. then ill take pics ready for you lot

 

[jon r]

when it dries does it go solid or is it nice and flexible?

 

[Tengu]

like a rock

 

[davek]

Make a sheath to just cover a blade, it will dry very hard. Varnish it to protect it from rotting. Then you can wrap thin leather around this and make the rest of the sheath.

I tanned rawhide from a chew toy with old tea bags once. Easy process to tan but very labor intensive to work the leather while drying to get it flexible.

 

[Eric_Methven]

I tanned rawhide from a chew toy with old tea bags once. Easy process to tan but very labor intensive to work the leather while drying to get it flexible.

I did the same with rawhide thonging. I cut strips about half an inch wide and ran it back and forth over an old horse shoe I nailed to the edge of the wall of my shed. That kept it working until it dried and made it nice and soft. It wraps round stuff well now but goes hard again when it gets wet.

Eric

 

[davek]

I did the same with rawhide thonging. I cut strips about half an inch wide and ran it back and forth over an old horse shoe I nailed to the edge of the wall of my shed. That kept it working until it dried and made it nice and soft. It wraps round stuff well now but goes hard again when it gets wet.

Eric

That's what I did, worked it over a board as it dried. I soaked it in a brew made from a bunch of old tea bags first though, for about a month. Rinsed and rinsed it and it stayed nicely brown. Hopefully it gave it a vegetable tan to stop it from rotting eventually. I haven't gotten any wet again to see if it turned hard again.

I made a sloppy little knife pouch out of some (a leather worker I am not). It's a great conversation piece. "What's that?" "A doggy chew toy."


.......


Well, I just found a scrap of it I had and got it wet. I'll let you know what happens. I HAVE rubbed neatsfoot oil into it all though.