Makin rawhides................

[Micanopy]

Often times we need rawhide more than we need tanned skins. Rawhide has so many uses that its best to keep some on hand all the time.
Follow these steps, they have worked for me for many years.
1. Salt down the hide liberaly and fold it in half. Hang it over a clothes line and let it drain over night. (I know salt will set the hair, but your fleshing knife will grab the junk better if it is salted.)

2. The next day shake off the loose salt and flesh down the hide, make sure you get all the meat, fat, and membrane. Some membrane left is ok as we will get that later when we finish it off.

3. Take the hide and soak it in 10 gallons of clean water and 1 pint of lime for about three days, maybe less, maybe more. The hair should sluff off easily by just rubbing your hand down the hair side. Make sure you stir it every day and be sure to sink the hide.

4. Once the hair starts to slip take the hide out of the lime water and start sluffing the hair off. You can grain it out, but the grain will afford extra strength to the rawhide. Once all the hair is off turn it over and finish getting the membrane off, rinse the hide in cool clear water a couple of times and then let it soak in clean water over night to get all the lime out.

5. The next morning you can take the hide out of the water and let it drip to damp over a clothes line in the shade. When it is damp wring it out like you do for brain tanning. This forces all the lime out of the hide. Rinse it once more.

6. Take the hide and lay it on a piece of plywood and stretch it out. Start stapling at the tail, across the rump and back legs. Then stretch it on the neck end as tight as you can with out tearing it loose from the tail end. Now pull and stretch the hide all the way around and staple it good and tight. Prop the plywood up so that it can drain out and dry.  Once it is dry it will start popping the staples, not to worry, its supposed to do that. Pull the rest of the staples or trim them off.

7. You now have a good useable rawhide. Roll it up and tie it with twine until you need it.

[hungryjohn]

Thanks. I don't have aprinter, so I'll write this info down a save it for when I get a chance to use it. 

[FrankG]

Are hides that have been salted and let dry with hair on and stored for several years salvageable for rawhide?

[Razor]

Thanks for posting ...for making it so simple to understand...

[Micanopy]

Are hides that have been salted and let dry with hair on and stored for several years salvageable for rawhide?

They should be, providing the beetles havent gotten to them. Soak them back until they are soft again. Add a splash of bleech or vinegar to the water.

[Micanopy]

Thanks for posting ...for making it so simple to understand...

Yer very welcome.

[FrankG]

Are hides that have been salted and let dry with hair on and stored for several years salvageable for rawhide?

They should be, providing the beetles havent gotten to them. Soak them back until they are soft again. Add a splash of bleech or vinegar to the water.

They been folded and buried in rock salt in a plastic trash can .

[Micanopy]

They should be ok. Granulated salt is better, but a pile of rock salt will work for storing.