Life is good

[Pappy]

Got the hide I was working on last week dry and finish smoked, trimmed and ready to use when needed. Turned out really soft.
 Pappy

[Pappy]

Then spent about 8 hours on the bush hog, while I was doing that put another hide in the brains, I always save the old brains and add some fresh to them, they already have some creosote in them from the smoked hide and it seems to help. My girls looking for arrow heads in the napping pit I guess.
 Pappy

[Pappy]

Putting another coat of tru oil on the bow I am building, got another stave down to a growth ring about have way, it was full of worms and had to go down 12 or 13 rings to get past them, makes it tough to finely get in a single one but I am getting there. Dan with some more of his pretty arrows and a good fire going for coals for my next hide.  Plus a man always needs a fire.
 Pappy

[Pappy]

Next hide getting pre smoked.Don's IW bow on the form for some tweaking, it was one of the most twisted pieces of I wood I have seen in a while but came off his farm and determined to make a bow from it. so I am all in. Julia's bow all finished up, hope she like it and shoots it well.
 Pappy

[Pappy]

Jon showing off some of his knives and heat treating 4 more blades. The new forge works great when we have no wind.
 Pappy

[Pappy]

Then some shooting and hanging out.
 Pappy

[Pappy]

Then some shop work, Allen with his new Osage and Mark2 with his hole in the limb bow, big hole, both looking good at this point. My next hide pre smoked and stretched some, all it needs in drying and stretching out now, then final smoke . looking pretty good so far. I am pretty sure this is the last for this year, I have said that before so we will see.   Of course some back strap to top off the day.Yum!! Great time spent with good friends, hard to beat. Hope yall had a good one also. Life is Good.
 Pappy

[chamookman]

Everybody has to try atleast one of those "BIG" Hole in the Limb bows  ! Thanks Pappy ! Bob

[wooddamon1]

One of the absolute best threads on any forum, love seeing all the activities that go on down there. One of these years I'd like to make it to a Classic. Long haul from here in MI, but could make a fun road trip. I'm with Bob, thanks for all the pics and posts, I've enjoyed them all.

[BowEd]

I can see life is good there Pappy.Thanks for showing.
I'll speak about this pre smoking process onto rawhide.I don't do it myself but I feel like whatever works is great.As far as I can tell the creasote will just get on the outside layer.It will prevent the fibers from sticking to each other from being wet and drying.Just as the brain oil does.Do you think it [creasote] goes farther into the rawhide after it gets wet and twisted?

[Pappy]

Thanks guys glad you enjoy, I do Ed, if I don't pre smoke I really need to pull/stretch and rope until it is dry or put it in the freezer or fridge in a bag, but when I pre smoke I can pull and rope a while and then just hang it up for 15 or 20 minutes in the air to dry some also, I always give it a really good twisting in the tight doughnut on my beam after the pre smoke, like you said I have done it others way but this is how I was taught and even though it is a little more trouble it seems to work for me. But of course the way you do sure works for you, no doubt about that, I am no expert by any means , I have done probably 60 or 70 hides over the years but still learn something on most every one, just like bows.
 Pappy

[BowEd]

Thanks for the reply Pappy.It's good brain tanners talk about these things.I find my routine for roping dry is an intermittent rope a while let it set rope awhile let it set like you anyway without smoking it.The thing is to pay attention to areas that need attention mostly when they get at the critical stage of just before getting dry.
The thicker the longer it takes depending on the weather.I'd rather it be too cool than too hot.I usually find myself pulling and stretching walking around the yard in between roping it.I've left them lay a while too with no harm done.I get by while taking a break by just putting it into a plastic bag twisted shut too but not into the freezer.Not for days though.I do find that freezing it while wet does help soften or stress the fibers enough to be sretched farther.The thing I see happen in that bag then is that the thicker wet parts transfer their moisture to the thinner parts.Then that moisture gets gone quickly when reroping or stretching starts again.Kind of majical really.
Anyway with the hide I'm doing now roping it is a lot more work than softening it in a frame and easier on the body.The hands get callused up and are always good to go but the weight and size of a hide like mine roping it is quite a hill to climb.
People are doing it though so it can be done.

[Digital Caveman]

Calloused?  When I did that one deer hide the solution almost softened my hands!

[BowEd]

You bet callused.You did'nt do enough of them then.If you do multiple number of hides in a row of a half dozen to a dozen there is a raw wear on the backside of the knuckles.While gripping and pulling while roping a hide with a damp hide the skin on the outside knuckles will wear raw.So much so the scab can crack and bleed putting blood spots on the white brain tan.Taping over them while doing more hides to prevent blood spots stops that.They eventually heal and calluse over.
On the palm side no problem.They are already callused.
I guess some people enjoy the process more and have more projects in mind with leather and some don't.

[Digital Caveman]

Matt Richard's book warned me against gripping that way, but you're right, I've only done one.