making rawhide?

[youngbowyer]

I Have some dried deerskins i want to use for backing bows. How do I remove the fur without using any store bought items. Can i just scrape it off?

[Pat B]

You can dry scrape the hair to remove it. You will have to get the skin wet so it is pliable then stretch it out on a frame or tacked to a piece of plywood. Let it dry then scrape. I've never done it so I'm not sure what to use for scraping.
  Another method is to soak the hide in lye water. You can make it using wood ash and water. You soak the hide until the hair slips. The lye water is very basic and can burn your skin so be sure to waer protective gear, rubber gloves and eye protection. After the hair slips wou will have to neutralize the hide by soaking it in an acid like vinegar. Rince and stretch until dry and you have rawhide.

[Rick Wallace]

I fought with this for weeks till I got a tip from a old timer,,forget that scrapeing,you will work yourself to death,,be careful if you try the lye,one splash in the eye and you are on the way to the doctor,,Go to the home center,in the garden dept get a bag of powdered lime,{about 5$},mix about a dry gallon{big coffee can} to 5 gallons of water in some kind of container,old plastic trash can works great.soak your hide for about 6 or 7 days,until you can just push the hair off with your finger.After all the hair is off rinse in clean water,then take about a cup or so of vinigar,mix with about 5 gallons of water and soak it for a day,this will nueteralize the lime.  then rinse well,tack it up somewhere and make sure you pull it tight,tight,,then while its wet you can do your final scrape,{gently} Works every time!  hope this helps
 

[youngbowyer]

i have it soaking in water with ashes right now and if that doesnt  work ill try the lime. I thought this would be a fun project! Not liking it at all but I need the rawhide.

[Rick Wallace]

I am surprised at the number of people that throw hides away after the kill,,I saved 5 from the trash last year! And I didnt even hunt last year!

[Pappy]

I always rack them up and dry scrape, they have to be fresh or soak them in a bucket of water to do that. Rick it is because it is a lot of work,most don't even want to take the time to process the meat them self much less get all the good stuff left after you get the meat ,hide,sinew, brain,bones and so on. The only thing they seem not have trouble taking is the horns,especially if they are big ones.
   Pappy

[JackCrafty]

Hmmm...no store bought items?  That's a tough one.

If you have access to sticks, flint, and a dry patch of ground, you can stake it down and scrape it with a sharp piece of flint.  The Plains Indians used this method on green buffalo skins: it doesn't require the transporting of chemicals (ash), cordage, water, or drying racks.

[TurtleCreek]

  The Feb/Mar 2011 issue of PA mag has a great "how-to" article on it, check it out.

[youngbowyer]

I got all the hair of by soaking it in water with ashes for a week. It smelled but the hair came of easily. I'll dry scrape next time like Pappy, seems a lot easier