Author Topic: cow hide (Read 3451 times)

trail walker · « **on:** May 01, 2018, 10:53:03 pm »

this thing is brain tanned but was to thick to soften well. At least how we did it.

trail walker · « **Reply #1 on:** May 01, 2018, 10:54:21 pm »

And I can't figure out how to get big pictures for the life of me!

bjrogg · « **Reply #2 on:** May 02, 2018, 05:33:08 am »

That's a real nice picture trailwalker. That's quite a project you and your helpers took on there. A lot of people might even consider it messy. I've never done more than rawhide for bovine. I've done enough other animals to appreciate your efforts.
Thanks for the update
Bjrogg
PS I don't think it's so much the size of the picture as that it needs to be formatted in a IMG if I remember right then sometimes I still have to crop it down. I think it's the number of pixels it uses that needs to be limited.

BowEd · « **Reply #3 on:** May 02, 2018, 08:20:15 am »

Good enough picture to get the comparison in size.Lot of effort there I know.Most times a beef I will just dehair and make rawhide.I do like a horse hide hair on that I use over the couch so that robins' dogs can't destroy the couch.That was chemically tanned.
Could use the brain tan buffalo hide too but the shorter hair of the horse is nicer.
If you ever get ahold of a cow buffalo hide under 2 years old you'll find that leather to not be near as thick to brain tan.

trail walker · « **Reply #4 on:** May 02, 2018, 08:49:52 am »

Ya, it is pretty much just brained rawhide.

, we laced it up on a big old 2*12 board frame and at the last brain application we walked all over it and kept wetting it down until it was pretty much soft as fresh off the cow. Then me and my brother jumped on it like a trampoline for like 7 hours and it just got stiffer and stiffer. It would work awesome for sandals or moccasin soles though, Possibly a quiver or something.
we have been walking on it and working it and it has been getting softer.My little brother decided it was his new bed.

I can fold it into fourths pretty easy now.

bjrogg · « **Reply #5 on:** May 02, 2018, 09:30:53 am »

Ah youth. I tried jumping on a trampoline a few years back. I'm not sure I could last seven minutes anymore.lol. Great family effort there trailwalker. Tell your dad I said hi.
Bjrogg

Zuma · « **Reply #6 on:** May 03, 2018, 02:59:06 pm »

Can appreciate what you have accomplished. Thanks for posting.
Zuma

Hawkdancer · « **Reply #7 on:** May 03, 2018, 10:53:41 pm »

Let me know when you're ready to tackle another one - hair off, and I'll ship it :'

, or deliver it! I did an elk many years ago using an 8 lb sledge hammer as a stretcher, commercial tan though, and not properly stirred in the solution. Lots of fun working by my self! Lol! You did a great job on that!
Hawkdancer

trail walker · « **Reply #8 on:** May 04, 2018, 10:21:35 am »

Thanks guys!
Hawkdancer, I think a project like that tackles you more than you do it.

how old was the cow you got your hide from?

Hawkdancer · « **Reply #9 on:** May 04, 2018, 12:39:50 pm »

Probably 6-8 years old, a huge black Angus brood cow. It took 4 of us to move her for skinning, didn't help that she was frozen to the ground. 2 of us got the hide loaded into a pickup. A bit easier to handle with the hair off. I put the hide in the freezer about 1995, and left it there. Probably only good for rawhide now!

Hawkdancer

Primitive Archer