Rawhide wrap

[Pilgrim]

I built a Traditions 50 Kentucky over winter. While building, I decided to eliminate the brass spacer between the stock halves. This worked fine, and yes, there is a visible glue line. I have noticed guns with a rawhide wrap around the joint of a two-piece stock. Are there any tutorials or experienced smiths' that could help with some direction?

Thanks
Terry

 

[rafterob]

Don't do it! It's downright ugly and will hold moisture against the barrel. The best alternative I have seen to the brass spacer is a well matched spacer of wood that when stained blends in well with the stock.

 

[Phil Coffins]

I don’t think you’ll find an experienced smith that does this. It’s more a field repair. You’ll need wet rawhide and sewing needle and thread. Pull it tight and sew it well, when the hide drys it will be tight and hard.

 

[Flintlock]

I've used natural sausage casings to repair actual breaks in the wrist, worked very well. WASH-rinse them well to remove any salt, wrap tightly and tie off. After completely dry, lacquer or true oil over to prevent and moisture effecting this. Painting a stock may be a better idea or I've used the brass spacer as a template and made wood spacers instead, then try to blend in.

 

[tenngun]

Dog bone rawhide sold in the pet section works well.
step one: put rawhide in warm water
Two: wax the barrel and stock well with a paste wax
Three: cut a rectangle of rawhide
Four: fit and trim. It will stretch as you sew so leave a 1/4 to 3/8 space
Five: sew with a heavy thread, waxed linen saddle thread is good. Use tight stitches. A baseball stitch works real well
Six: boil water in tea pot or use a measuring cup and pour the boiling water over your wrap. This will shrink wrap it
Seven: let dry, atleast a whole day, two is better. You want it dry
Eight: melt beeswax, lard,or mink oil, ( don’t use bacon grease) and paint it on, heavy at the ends where it touches wood or metal.
nine: don’t let your dog near it
Consider the wrist too to give a good match
Raw hide repairs were common. But a copper wire wrap was also known. Thin copper wire can be had at model shops and craft stores.

 

[Brazos John]

But a copper wire wrap was also known. Thin copper wire can be had at model shops and craft stores.

Native Americans were known to repair the broken stocks with wire. They would also use wire for other repairs. They didn't have a hobby shop nearby, so they used the wire hung from those skinny trees that were planted in a line, often alongside train tracks. (Telegraph wires, in case I'm too vague).
At the NRA annual shindig in Houston a few years ago, one display had a bunch of Indian rifles that held me for an hour. With the tacks, wire, missing pieces (they would use Trapdoor butt plates for hide scrapers), and carvings, I was captivated!

 

[Pilgrim]

Don't do it! It's downright ugly and will hold moisture against the barrel. The best alternative I have seen to the brass spacer is a well matched spacer of wood that when stained blends in well with the stock.

Moisture held against the barrel did not occur to me? Duh, this is why I think out loud on forums. Thank you for giving me something else to consider.

 

[Robby]

Its a pretty easy fix with the raw hide, but with the new look I'd want to rough up the rough up the rest of the gun into a hard used, well cared for piece with some miles on it. Making it believable can be difficult.
Robby

 

[tenngun]

Moisture held against the barrel did not occur to me? Duh, this is why I think out loud on forums. Thank you for giving me something else to consider.

I’ve had several guns back in my mountainty man days I had raw hided never had a moisture problem with them. Well greased rawhide is about water proof.
Shrunk on and edges grease are close to a water proof edge

 

[ord sgt]

This is a brass insert between the two parts of the fore end in a CVA rifle

 

[Notchy Bob]

I don't know of any tutorials. I've done a little work with rawhide, including knife sheaths and so forth covered with thin deerskin rawhide, and various projects from very heavy parfleche. I've never applied it to a gunstock, so can't speak from personal experience.

Generally speaking, I would recommend that you get your rawhide from a leather dealer if you don't make it yourself. Some dealers sell it in smaller pieces, so you shouldn't need to buy a whole hide. I know a lot of people have used and like the "dog chew" rawhide, but I've not been favorably impressed with it. Some of these dog chews have been soaked in brine to enhance the flavor for dogs. Salt is not good for guns.

If I were going to wrap the forestock of a rifle, I would probably apply some sort of wax to that part of the barrel that will be covered by the hide, understanding that the rawhide will essentially make the barrel non-removable. Once the hide is on there and dried, I don't think I would treat it with anything else. Just handling the gun will put some grease and blackpowder soot on the rawhide in time.

This old carbine is a Springfield Model 1866 "Trapdoor" breechloader. We aren't supposed to discuss breechloaders on this forum, but we're looking at the rawhide wrap more than the gun, so I hope the moderators will let this one pass:

I wanted to show this one specifically because the fore-end has a rawhide wrap, and that's the part of the gun the OP was wanting to cover. The other reason to show this gun is because there are some really great detail photos of it. Here is the underside of the rawhide wrap, showing the sinew stitching:

It looks like they just used a simple overcast stitch. There are also some tacks to help secure the wrap. There are more photos of the rifle here: Tacked Springfield with Rawhide Wrap

Moving on, Luther "Yellowstone" Kelly famously covered the forearm of his rifle with a bullsnake skin:

It's kind of hard to see in the picture above, but in this enlargement you can see the scale pattern on the skin:

This description of Kelly, from Back-Trailing on the Old Frontiers, mentions the snakeskin cover:

Finally, since the original concern was about the brass "spacer" in the forestock, this is a picture of mountain man Joe Meek's rifle, "Old Sally":

Note the apparent joint in the forestock, just ahead of the entry pipe. I can't say for sure that we are seeing a spacer, but it sure looks like one. Just something to consider.

Best regards,

Notchy Bob

 

[Flintlock]

I have seen these spacers in mid 18th century English take down fowlers so they were used.

 

[duca]

Hey is Kelly’s pinky finger gone?

 

[DuncNZ]

If you are going to use rawhide dog "bones" dont use the brown ones , they are cooked , use the white ones , soak them in warm water until soft . punch any holes for threading as the hide is so soft the threads can pull right through .
Another use for this raw hide is lining knife sheaths to stop the blade cutting threads or soft leather . If you have a knife that is loose in the sheath tighten it by making a rawhide "spring" to take up the slack .

 

[Flintlock]

Hey is Kelly’s pinky finger gone?

Sure looks that way.

 

[Notchy Bob]

Hey is Kelly’s pinky finger gone?

Yes. I don't remember how it happened... Maybe shot off in a battle with Indians? I know he was in a few "scrapes" over the course of his career. I'll need to look it up.

He was a very literate man, and wrote an autobiography that is not only easy to read, but is very informative regarding life on the plains and in the mountains in the last half of the 19th century. I read it about half a century ago. Might be time to pull it out and read it again, as I think the missing digit may be explained in it. Also, if you click that link to Back-Trailing on the Old Frontiers in my previous post, you'll find a chapter devoted to Kelly, whom the author apparently knew.

You have a good eye, @duca

Notchy Bob

 

[Scotts180]

After carrying my favorite hunting rifle for over 50 years I could see the finish starting to wear. I had seen old pictures of guns with a leather wrap in the same location. So I’ve been carrying my flintlock ,for many years now, with a leather wrap where the finish was wearing through. Cleaning and oiling the gun after each hunting season protects the barrel just fine.

 

[edw.marshall]

I built a Traditions 50 Kentucky over winter. While building, I decided to eliminate the brass spacer between the stock halves. This worked fine, and yes, there is a visible glue line. I have noticed guns with a rawhide wrap around the joint of a two-piece stock. Are there any tutorials or experienced smiths' that could help with some direction?

Thanks
Terry

Maybe you could try brass or silver inlays there to hide the glue line?

 

[Jake2454]

Maybe you could try brass or silver inlays there to hide the glue line?

i like that idea

 

[Flintlock]

A alternative to the rawhide might be the dehydrated fruit roll-up. About the same texture and may provide nutrition if lost in the woods.