Rawhide

[robert baccus]

If any of you guys need a supply of white rawhide you might try this. All big stores carry dog toys. The big white knot to chew on is genuine rawhide.. try boiling it jusy before using it---nice and soft yeah. Cheap too yeah.

[Mike Chance in Iowa]

Dropping it in the dog's water bowl does the same thing. :p

[Mike Circo]

Okay... mark me a clueless.

What purpose is rawhide good for other than a dog chew toy?

Inquiring mind.

[curtis rosche]

Used for a hammer head to made it not mar wood surfaces as easy, or tools

[Chris Walls]

You can also use it to lace up a set of snowshoes. After all the snow we've had ( about 240" so far ) I could probably use another set.

Chris

[Ryan Mooney]

All the above are good ideas :cool:

First I wouldn't boil it. You want to soak it in cold water until its just pliable but not soggy, boiling it will break down some of the connective tissue that makes it strong. Ideally you want it about as pliable as a medium grade leather for most uses (this is the easiest texture for cutting it at least - if you get it wetter it will stretch and then re-shrink more).

Rawhide has a nice feature of both being really tough/hard once dried and shrinking substantially as it dries. A classic use of this is that saddle trees (the wooden "heart" of a saddle) is wrapped in rawhide which strengthens it substantially. If you cut it into laces or strands you can use it while wet to tie things together and when it dries it pulls them tight (have to actually be a little careful with this as it really does shrink substantially while drying). This could be used for example to make an interesting laced box (drill holes in the corner and lace together with rawhide) or as a cross bracing on the underside of a chair or chair seat lacing.. etc.. Have also used it as a protective wrap around tool handles (a bit of varnish or similar after its dry will water proof it somewhat, but you still don't want to leave it to get wet). If its used in an area where you will be in contact with it I would suggest beveling the edges of the strands/pieces otherwise they can be quite sharp once dry (there are cutters you can buy made to do this although making your own isn't hard. For strands the easiest way is to draw the strings through a series of smooth holes in a piece of wood which will "burnish" the edges somewhat).

Once you start using it you'll find that its a magical substance that has a million uses.

A small side note for the more adventurous - if you can get to a cow hide in less than 24 hours (maybe up to 36 if you're lucky depends on the animal some) after the animal has died and put the hide into 160F water the hair will slip right off. You don't want to leave it in any longer than it takes the hair to slip though or you start cooking the hide. You can then just scrape the hair right off by throwing it over a log and using a piece of square tubing as a scraper. This is vastly easier than the alternative method of letting the hide dry and then shaving the hair off. You still have the somewhat ickier job of scraping the bits off of the flesh side though (a leather splitter is also nice for being able to get the pieces cut to an even thickness.

For cutting strings a string cutter is probably the most functional (and you'll note it has a bevel cutting feature): http://www.hansenstringcutter.com/ although for coarser work a draw gauge works as well: http://www.tandyleatherfactory.com/en-usd/product/craftool-draw-gauge-3084-00.aspx Anyone who's somewhat handy and has access to the tools could make a version of either themselves. You might note a lack of guards on those; I know someone who split his thumb to the base of the nail using a draw guage like that so.. yeah do be careful

[Harvey M. Taylor]

I use it to cover the rim of my vaccum chucks

[Harvey M. Taylor]

I use it to cover the end of my vacuum chucks. just tape it over the end and cut a v in the center for the vacuum to pass thru. Hope this is cleare. Harvey.

[robert baccus]

Some of the native turners here use it along with bones feathers, quills, antlers to decorate bowls with. Also called "grafitte" by some old purists. In use it can replace plastic and even fiberglass as building materials.

[Michael Mahan]

keeps yer teeth white if you chew for a long time :rolleyes: