gluing wet rewhide w/o hide glue

[aaron]

howdy folks,
i'm a relatively new member, so ill introduce myself quickly- i'm from the coast of WA and loyal attendee of the glass buttes knap in. I'm interested in flintknapping, tanning, and other primitive skills . I've made about a dozen bows- my hunting bow is boo backed boo and with it and a stone pointed arrow i took my first deer this year. I have rawhide and sinew backed a couple bows  with hide glue, but my question is about a new bow i'd like to back with waterproof glue of some kind- it's terribly foggy and rainy here where i am. The bow is from a piece of osage i got at the knap in this year- 57x1 1/2 bendy handle ( not narrowed) pyramid. the stave is really straight and without knots, but has a small "tear out" where the back ring is damaged . so i'm backing it cos it's kinda short and has this "tear out" . so, getting to the question.... i want to apply thin goat  rawhide wet/damp so i can stretch it , but dont know what kind of waterproof glue will work on damp rawhide.
other options include working down another ring, past the tear out and going backless
...or ignore the tearout and hope- it's about 1/16 wide, 1 inch long and 1/2 as deep as the back ring
i'v never worked osage before- what an amazing wood. most of my bows are vinemaple.

[Jmilbrandt]

I have never done this but I think you can use titebond on wet rawhide and still have the water resistance when it's dry.

[El Destructo]

Titebond 3 will work fine...soften your Rawhide...Size it with Glue....do the Same with the Bow....let this soak in and then coat both pieces again....lay the Rawhide on and wrap it in place with either Inner Tube strips or Ace Bandages...when Dry coat with either Tru Oil or Polyurethane to seal it....I have done three Bows so far with TB3 and it works great....

[Pat B]

I agree with Mike's technique but would like to add...put a thin coat of TBIII on the bow first, say the day before so it has plenty of time to cure. This will help prevent the moisture from the rawhide from entering the wood. Add more glue to the bow and the rawhide and put them together. I prefer to use 2 pieces and overlap at the handle. It makes it easier for me to deal with doing one limb at a time. Give your bow a week of drying time before you add the finish or stressing to ensure the wood has had time to dry again.

[El Destructo]

Yep....I left that part out....I always size the Glue on the Bow...let dry then wet both with Glue and put together...I too cut my Rawhide into two pieces....ask everyone I send it to....... Makes it a lot easier to just tackle one Limb at a Time...Thanks Pat....

[aaron]

thanks guys!

[Bear]

TB3. Easy and effective.

[bigcountry]

Titebond 3 will work fine...soften your Rawhide...Size it with Glue....do the Same with the Bow....let this soak in and then coat both pieces again....lay the Rawhide on and wrap it in place with either Inner Tube strips or Ace Bandages...when Dry coat with either Tru Oil or Polyurethane to seal it....I have done three Bows so far with TB3 and it works great....

So you actually size the rawhide?    Meaning coat with some TBIII before gluing up?  I thought you want to make the rawhide wet so you can stretch it one the bow, I figured TBIII would make it stiff when dried.

[El Destructo]

I don't size it in the normal meaning of the Word....I size the Bow the night before....let it totally dry...and after soaking the Rawhide to soften it....I towel it off....add the Glue...let it soak in for 10 minutes or so....then coat the Limb and the Rawhide again with glue before setting it in place and wrapping it....then it's on to the next limb....

[bigcountry]

I don't size it in the normal meaning of the Word....I size the Bow the night before....let it totally dry...and after soaking the Rawhide to soften it....I towel it off....add the Glue...let it soak in for 10 minutes or so....then coat the Limb and the Rawhide again with glue before setting it in place and wrapping it....then it's on to the next limb....

Ok, makes sense.  Thanks,

[aaron]

do you guys have a method for stretching the rawhide- like , do you clamp one end and pull on the other while applying?

[El Destructo]

I lay the Rawhide down....clamp an Inner Tube Strip on the Tip....and start wrapping nice and tight....till you get to the Handle....and clamp it again....and do the same to the other Limb.....No Stretching....it will dry and shrink anyways...

[majsnuff]

Just like El Destructo said, except that I use electricians tape (sticky side out) instead of inner tube.

[aaron]

ok i glued one limbs worth- using TBIII and wrapping it with electrical tape- I wraped it completely- leaving no exposed rawhide. I let it sit for a few hours while i wondered if the glue would dry with the whole limb encased in plastic tape... so i unwrapped an inch at a time and rewrapped with gauze- this is what i had used for my previous backing jobs with rawhide and hide glue. Question- would it have been OK to leave the damp rawhide and TBIII all wrapped up in electrical tape, and if so how long should it stay wrapped at reasonable temp and humidity? when you guys wrap with inner tube or elec tape, do you leave gaps between wraps?

[mullet]

 I've never tried the tape, but if it is wraped like that it seems like it would take longer to glue and leave grooves in the rawhide. I've always liked Ace Bandage, it is wide, and lets it breath.