Rawhide questions.

[StevePrice2]

When re-hydrating stiff dry rawhide to use on a project, I assume it expands with the moisture intake.

The question is....does it shrink past the size that it was originally if allowed to dry naturally? :hmm: :redface:

In other words, say I made a pattern then cut the dry very flat rawhide to that pattern and then soaked the working piece in order to wet mold it to the project. Certainly, it will shrink some but do I need to leave much wiggle room or extra hide like a slight overlap in case it shrinks past over lap and also past butt fit?

Just wondering from someone who would rather avoid re- inventing the wheel.

TIA - Steve

 

[rabjr]

I've never had a problem with it shrinking beyond the pattern I cut out. Just remember when you stitch it together and form it, it will grow on you so make sure of the size you want for your project. The shot pouch I made RickD I had to make twice because the first one came out to big after forming it.

 

[RickD]

 

[paulvallandigham]

The faster rawhide dries the more it shrinks, IMHO. There is a limit, and if you have a dried piece of rawhide, you should have a good idea of its final dimension, no matter how fast it dries. Most people working with rawhide sew it in place WET, and let it dry to final shape in place.

Years ago, I saw an antique rifle that had a cracked wrist repaired with rawhide sewn tightly around the wrist. It was holding rather well, even many years later. Then one of the club members cracked a stock on his rifle during a hunt, so he used rawhide and some glue to "fix" the cracked stock. His stock was also tight. I think all of us who saw and tried the gun were simply amazed at how well the rawhide worked. I do not know of course, how much his using glue in the crack helped.

 

[the11]

This way of fixing a gun stock is an old trick, and it works very well indeed.

The thing to remember with rawhide is to soak it in cold water, never hot. And then let it dry out for awhile wrapped in cloth so that you are not working it absolutely saturated. You want it wet enough to take the shape you want it to take, but only just wet enough. That way you minimize shrinkage. If it is too wet is is almost rubbery and slippery, and hard to handle.

 

[T.C.Albert]

When I cover the wooden haft of war clubs, tommahwaks, bows and such,I use raw hide from white tail deer. Its thinner, and will shrink enough to nicely cover the item but it can also shrink so much that it will either pull the stitches or leave bits of the haft between the stitches uncovered as it dries unless you do leave an overlap. About 1/8th of an inch or so works for me.

For sheaths or sheath liners, I just make them a tad oversize and allow them to dry over the actual blade they are made to encase.These are usually made from much heavier raw hide, and dont really seem to shrink as much...maybe because its harder to stretch the heavy stuff, unlike the thin stuff. Less stretching when wet seems to generate less shrinking as it dries? (But I have also found that can vary from hide to hide as well.)

So the answer I think, depends on what you are covering or making with raw hide, and the hide itself. If you are unsure how much your particular hide will shrink, A solution to minimize unwanted shrinking, could be to totally wet the hide first and allow it to dry and shrink all its going to...then make the pattern, cut it resoak and stitch it.
TCA

 

[necchi]

I have experianced the same as TCA.
The thickness of the raw hide, and what animal and where it's from varies. Deer,Elk,Cow,,belly,back,shoulder,? Smoked Doggy Rawhide Chewies?
Best bet is to cut yer pattern a bit big,,it's easier to cut more off with the second try than un-cut it. :wink:

 

[StevePrice2]

Thanks, guys. That gives me enough direction to avoid some pitfalls. Mainly, the cold vs hot water soak is one I did not know. Shrinking to the point of pulling stitches is what I really want to skip. The thought came after reading each of these was to do a sectional test that might clue me in as to the amount of shrinkage possible. The rawhide I have is goat. Yep goat. Haven't ever tried goat hide before so I was a bit apprehensive about how it's going to react.

Again, I am so glad to have this forum with the amount of combined experience that you all possess. It's REALLY gonna come in handy when I do a rifle build!

Steve

 

[LaBonte]

Hot or cold water? depends on how hot - hot out of the tap (not above 140°F or so) works just fine and speeds the process - FWIW I work wirh rawhide just about everyday and have done so for years.

Goat is thin and thus tends to want to tear easier than some others so re-hydrate it fully, but let it get a bit drier than say thicker stuff and don't over stretch it while sewing - you can always re-dampen it while working if need be - wrap a damp rag around the area and let set for 15-20 minutes.
Re-hydrated hides never shrink as much as green hides will and as noted by others it all depends on the source material: ie. the type of critter it came from, thickness, area of the hide (belly hide tends to be stretchier for instance while teh back has less stretch).
Cowhide is the tightest grain of all and seldom will stretch as much as others - my preference is: buffalo, elk, mule deer, and whitetail in that order - I use mostly elk though.
Each piece is different so there are IMO no real hard and fast rules except don't work it too wet or too dry - other than that when I use a new hide I do a practice piece just to see how it works.

 

[rabjr]

Everything I've done so far has been with cow rawhide and I use warm tap water as well. Once it's wet and limber I just pat with paper towels then do what I need to do with it.

 

[Pork Chop]

Smoked Doggy Rawhide Chewies?

I am sure you were kidding, but this is an interesting question. Would dog chewies work?

 

[rabjr]

No he wasn't kidding. A lot of people buy rawhide dog chews and soak them, use them for crafting things out of rawhide.

 

[T.C.Albert]

If you can 'rassle 'em from the dog, yes they most certainly will work.Just be sure the ole pup doesnt 'rassle 'em back once your project is all done. :grin:
TCA

 

[necchi]

Another thing not mentioned is the grain. Rehydrated rawhide, like leather, streches more in one direction than the opposing.
Picture a square of hide, pull the sides, then pull the top and bottom,,you'll see a big differance. Point is, the more it's streched the more it will want to shrink back to it's original size. ya gotta think about that when considering the application you need.

 

[the11]

Yeah, warm tapwater would be okay. The thing you have to be careful of with real hot water is that rawhide will cook. I tried to speed soak some once with water straight from the teakettle .... nuff said :shake:

And yes, the type of hide matters too. Even where the hide comes from on the critter. On a deerhide for instance, there is a lot of difference between the back and the belly. I am an amateur, but I have always had the best luck by not hurrying. Let it soak, and then let it dry for awhile wrapped in dry cloth. I find that then it comes out consistent.

Also, keep in mind that most rawhide chewies (in my experience anyway) are made from the inside split of cowhides, and so you don't get the smooth hair side. Maybe it does not matter, depending on what you are making.

I find a good source for rawhide, is to find a saddle maker somewhere. They always have scrap material, and many pieces are perfectly suitable for smaller projects. If you are into braiding (which is mostly what I used to use rawhide for) you are well advised to buy good lace. Getting set up to cut, split, and properly bevel lace takes a fair bit. But this is also on my wish list of "things to do". Don't tell the wife. :wink: