Any ideas what to make with rawhide?

[Scorpmann3518]

Just dug a piece of rawhide out of the closet thats around 3x3 and about 3/8 inch thick. Any ideas what I could or should make with it for muzzle loading?

 

[tg]

Knife sheaths, ball bags, shot bags many shrink fitted or sand packed items can be made with this stuff.

 

[Ken Cormier]

plus 1 on what tg said

 

[rabjr]

Yep, I make a lot of shot and ball bags from rawhide.

 

[Scorpmann3518]

Thanks guys. Never really worked with rawhide before. Thought about larger bags but wasn't sure how that would work out. Have to work out a knife sheath and a ball bag.

 

[Hammerhead]

if a rawhide bag or such gets wet wont it get soggy

 

[rabjr]

Never had that problem, would think it would need a good soak to loose shape and most people aren't going to let their stuff get that wet. Even if it did happen, just reform it.

I just made a rawhide bag the other day.

 

[Scorpmann3518]

Was that done with the sand method. Filling it with it to shape it?

 

[rabjr]

Actually I didn't have any sand on hand so I used rice and it worked like a charm. :thumbsup:

 

[George]

I've worked with rawhide a bit, and it is handy material. I've made knife sheaths and pan brushes, bought some ball bags. My rawhide is a lot thinner than 3/8", though, more like 1/16"-1/8", don't know how the thick stuff would work for such projects.

I've used some of these things for years and gotten them wet a fair bit, but never had any trouble with their losing shape.

Spence

 

[Scorpmann3518]

Great idea. We eat so much rice I have 10 pounds in the pantry. Another use for it and still cook it for lunch.. Well maybe not might have extra flavoring. :grin:

 

[Scorpmann3518]

Looks like it's going to be fun trying to cut pieces out of it at that thickness. Find out tomorrow.

 

[BillinOregon]

Spence, that ball bag looks familiar. Did you get it from Ray Ferree in Wyoming? Ray used to post here. He sells a fine little booklet on making rawhide ball bags that I also bought from him.

 

[George]

Sorry, I don't remember where I got it, but it wasn't from Ray Ferree, at least not directly. I used to have a neat Mom & Pop black powder shop in my area where I bought a lot of such things, I suspect I got it there. Don't know where he would have bought it. It was a long time ago, though, early 1980s, I would guess.

Spence

 

[mazo kid]

Rich, nice looking bag. Have you ever tried stitching using the "baseball stitch?". I have a 1/2 cowhide rawhide that I bought ~1984ish; was always gonna make a parfleche from it but it's one of those round toits. And then there is the bear and deer rawhide that comes in handy too. I made a neck knife sheath liner from a piece of real thin rawhide.

 

[rabjr]

Yeah kinda depends on the day, :haha: on how I stitch em together. That one is Elk rawhide, I got whole hide of it a couple years ago, makes nice shot/ball bags.

 

[Scorpmann3518]

What did you dye it with? Been researching and reading about leather dye,coffee,tea,rit fabric dye.

 

[rabjr]

I've used coffee grinds before but it came out a little on the light brown side, actually heres a pic of a coffee dyed one. But the first one I posted was dyed with Fiebing's medium brown leather dye.

 

[Scorpmann3518]

Thanks Swampy. Still think that one looks good color wise.

 

[shortbow]

I've used rawhide for the above mentioned uses, plus one that was much used by NDNs back in the day, which is to fix broken gun stocks, you may well have seen pictures of this. Most of the pictures or museum specimens I've seen have the rawhide simply wrapped on, but I usually sew it on. I've also used it to attach stone heads to war clubs, large points on lances and in lieu of whipping on grips of one sort or another as well as for drum heads. The stuff you have is pretty darn thick though. With that, I'd use it for a shield or cut it into thin strips for Indian duct tape.