Here is my latest creation, a strop made of whitetail rawhide. It's a bit stiff but is very pliable. I haven't decided whether to try and soften it or use it as is as a pasted strop.
Attachment 88162Attachment 88163
Printable View
Here is my latest creation, a strop made of whitetail rawhide. It's a bit stiff but is very pliable. I haven't decided whether to try and soften it or use it as is as a pasted strop.
Attachment 88162Attachment 88163
Cool! Did you harvest the deer from which that strop was made?
no, not this particular deer, though I've been known to take one or two from time to time...
Let us know how it works out, been thinking of trying the same thing. Good luck!
i thought of trying that from the deer i got last yr and the one i got this yr but i never have the ambitio n to tan my own hides just other peoples hides.
Interesting. Let us know how it performs! You're doing some pretty nice work on those strops now. My 'roo is still my favourite and is breaking in nicely with lots of draw and feedback.
I have thought about making a strop from tanned deer hide since it's so soft. I've got some scrap sitting around from my dad's mountain man days. Might have to give it a try.
Interested to see how this works.
Charlie
Looks really great Ed, that is some grade A rawhide you have there. You're getting pretty professional with your strop making and you inspired me to make my own. :)
Any updates on how this drew??
No, I'm still trying to decide how to use it... try to soften it or paste it.
Any updates on this? I'm thinking of having one made from a deer this next fall...
Very cool I would Ike some deer hide to play with.
Here you go Rick. Knock yourself out.Quote:
Originally Posted by rickboone
https://search.yahoo.com/search;_ylt...fr=yfp-t-901-1
Somehow I was under the impression that deer hide did not make for a good strop, but I cannot recall my basis for that. I guess next fall I will have to keep a few hides, try my hand at brain tanning, and find out for myself. Thanks for dredging up this thread.
Do what is considered village tanned. It is not worked as much, it is a touch stiffer when finished. It is what would be used for the soles and insoles of moccasins.Quote:
Originally Posted by Utopian
I did a Google search for village tanning, and other variants, and I suspect that taking my deer hides to a tanning salon is not what you had in mind.
Could you please let me know of some resource I can use to learn about your suggestion?
No brain tanning is what I had in mind...
I got a couple of hides in the freezer. Hmmmm.
Here is a link with a lot of information to get you going.Quote:
Originally Posted by Utopian
www.tn.gov/twra/pdfs/tanninghides.pdf
The more you work a hide the softer it will get, for a strop I would leave it on the stiff side, it will break in with use like any other strop. Village leather is what was used for the buck skin pants and shirts, the natural texture is still prevalent on the hide.
No problem! I was curious about it and started searching before I just started a new thread. To those that are going to try this please post back here your thoughts and results.Quote:
Originally Posted by Utopian
AFAIK Rawhide is just that - hide in a raw form. All the hair, fat, etc has been removed but rawhide is not leather. ie it does not undergo any tanning. Traditionally it is dried on a stretcher and once taken off it is very stiff indeed, as it should be, being a bit of sundried animal hide. It is then worked to make it soft and pliable (if necessary - the stuff used for dog chews, etc, is rawhide and this is very stiff). some methods involve pulling it round a smooth thin diameter stick many times (this works for tanned leather strops too, and was used when russian leather really was russian leather and simply had to be broken in) or putting it in your mouth and chewing it.
When it is very soft, it is too soft for a strop - it stretches and gives a lot. When it is too stiff it is unsuitable for a strop, as it can be harder and stiffer than any tanned leather.
When I watched westerns as a kid, the movie plot often involved indians wrapping wet rawhide around the chests of cowboys and leaving them in the sun. The rawhide hardened and shrank, breaking all their ribs. I thought this was fanciful until I was much older, then learned that it could be used to wrap and bind wood, particularly in the making of saddle trees, but that the wood had to be selected carefully as once dry the rawhide could break it.
As a point of interest, chamois leather ("shammy leather' or "wash leather") is defined in the US as being untanned, thus it is a type of rawhide. However, in the US it is produced infused with oils. The same can be done to rawhide to impart a degree of water-proofing and softening.
Regards,
Neil
