where to get rawhide

[NTProf]

Can anyone tell me of a fairly inexpensive place to get rawhide for backing? Thanks.

[HoBow]

The rawhide dog bones usually work.

[Pat B]

Try posting on the "Trading Post"! 

[JW_Halverson]

Dog rawhide is thick stuff generally from the shoulders of old breeding bulls and the like.  If you are looking for something to back a bow you are going to need powertools to thin that stuff.  I have been using antelope rawhide from a guy that advertises in the classifieds in PA magazine.  His name is Michael Foltmer and he's out of Colorado. 

He only takes the largest antelope and the hide I got was the size of a fairly decent whitetail!!! Blew my mind.  Thin as paper and strong as steel.  You should get backing for 5-6 bows from one hide.

[bigcountry]

I am in the process of making a batch.  Maybe we can trade something if it turns out.

[woodstick]

i get mine from 3 rivers its good.

[wodpow]

I bought from 3 rivers till I started doing my own,I went and bought a 50 # bag of lime now when I get a hide I soak it in measured lime water and churn it daily to keep it evenly limed with no air bubbles when the hair falls loose with in five days in warm weather you just push it off the hide or some use a pressure washer  but that's a big mess unless you would do it in the garden area and be adding lime and what ever from the hair  nitrogen then soak it in a measured amount of vinegar to stop the liming effect then make a frame of 2x4s and tie out the longest sides I use a knife and make two very small pricks and run a wire brad threw then loop on my string and pull it tight to the 2x4 frame and just keep on doing it til the hide is pretty tight all along the edges of the hide and you can sometimes pull the string and drive a brad in the 2x4 frame and loop the nail over it to make the extended string shorter and pull the hide tighter then you can scrape the hide free of all  tissue then it dries in about say overnight. All I use on my bows is mostly yearling on my better bow backs. But I did use some heavy buck hide on a bow with lots of knots twists and turns and a little ring violations.   but dog chews are like putting on a limb slowing  shoe sole when all you want is a thin layer of rawhide just about as thick as a brown paper bag compare to a chew toy leather, might as well use a old leather belt

[JW_Halverson]

Dog rawhide is thick stuff generally from the shoulders of old breeding bulls and the like.  If you are looking for something to back a bow you are going to need powertools to thin that stuff.  I have been using antelope rawhide from a guy that advertises in the classifieds in PA magazine.  His name is Michael Foltmer and he's out of Colorado. 

He only takes the largest antelope and the hide I got was the size of a fairly decent whitetail!!! Blew my mind.  Thin as paper and strong as steel.  You should get backing for 5-6 bows from one hide.

I went back and checked my records....Michael charged me $39 including shipping for the whole hide.  Compare that to the usual $20 for two rawhide backing strips from the catalogs and it's a pretty good deal.

[IrishMonk]

Check out Tandy leather factory  http://www. tandyleatherfactory.com/
I'm fortunate to live down the street from one of these stores... but when I didn't, I ordered many products from them via mail for many years.
Rawhide, leathers and skins of all kinds...etc  I recomend them

[adb]

I also buy full rawhides from Tandy Leather. They have whitetail, calf, and goat... all good for backings (the goat hides are a bit small, better for drum heads). A whole WT hide usually costs $80-$100, but you can get about 8-10 matched pairs of 2" wide backing strips, usually up to 40" long. And it's nice thin stuff, not those thick yucky dog chew things.

[Bevan R.]

I found a place online that sells a full goat hide right now for $20 plus shipping. Most places I fould charged in the mid to high 30's. They do not advertise in PA so I will have to IM the link to anyone interested.