Making rawhide

[Stoker]

As per Jackcrafty's link I bought that kind of lime to treat the soil under my spruce trees. Check Co-op or UFA ifin I remember correctly it was about $12 for 20lbs.
Pappy..I've seen you and the guys doing this at twin oaks. Could it be possible for you to post a pic of your scraper? I'd rather not use chemicals it's the disposal of the stuff that bothers me.
Thanks Leroy

[Cameroo]

Well that's good to know guys.  I've already got this one soaking, but I might try to dry scrape the next one that I do.  Pappy, I don't suppose you could post a picture of the tool that you use to scrape with?

[Cameroo]

Just FYI - Last night I mixed about 5.5 oz of drain cleaner (AKA sodium hydroxide, or lye) into 15 gallons of warm water in a large plastic garbage can.  There was a bit of green stuff floating on the surface of the water, probably from other ingredients in the drain cleaner (Draino brand).  It looked like green soap scum.  Anyway, I dropped the hide in and let it sit overnight.  I gave it a stir this morning, and again at lunch.  I just went out and checked it (after soaking now for about 24 hours) and the hair is already starting to slip.  It seems that the cold temperature (there's snow on the ground now) did not slow down the reaction with the lye.

So, now I'm going to gently scrape the hide, rinse it, soak it twice it a baking soda solution (double handful per 5 gallons of water), and then a 3rd time in a vinegar solution (1/2 cup per 5 gallons water) to get the pH close to neutral.  Then I guess I have to quick throw together a 2x4 frame to stretch and dry the hide.

Wish me luck!

[Pappy]

Good luck and wear gloves. I will try and post some pictures of the tool
as so as I get to the cabing and take some. 
   Pappy

[Stoker]

So, now I'm going to gently scrape the hide, rinse it, soak it twice it a baking soda solution (double handful per 5 gallons of water), and then a 3rd time in a vinegar solution (1/2 cup per 5 gallons water) to get the pH close to neutral.  Then I guess I have to quick throw together a 2x4 frame to stretch and dry the hide.

Wish me luck!

Just asking...Never used this method...It's been over 30 years since chem class. What would the reason for the baking soda? Ifin I remember baking soda is the cautic and vineger is the acid and they neutralize each other. Wouldn't just adding vineger to the solution be just as good. Being a former raiser of african cicilades I used to test the water with litnous paper to find my ph. Good luck hope it turns out well.
Thanks Leroy

[Cameroo]

Hey Leroy.  It's been a while since I've hit the chemistry books too   I'm just basing this on a thread I read a while ago on paleoplanet.  A gentleman on there who makes rawhide on a regular basis went into a good amount of detail on his process.  You are right, baking soda is slightly caustic, but it's very close to neutral (with a pH of 8 ), and way less caustic than drain cleaner (lye is about as caustic as it gets, with a pH of 14).  I guess the idea is to use the baking soda to bring the pH closer to 7 (neutral), and then a quick rinse in the weak vinegar solution to get it even closer to neutral. Why you can't just use a stronger vinegar solution is a mystery to me.  All I know is this guy has a lot more experience than I do, so I'm just taking his word for it.

My thinking is a lot like yours - I'd like to stay away from chemicals as well.  I think I'll try dry scraping next time.

Just a quick update - I started scraping the hide around 9:00 last night.  My intention was to just go out and give it a stir, but I noticed that the hair was slipping so I went to work because I didn't know how long was too long to be in the lye solution.  After about 90 minutes of scraping I was not even half done.  I couldn't finish and had already dumped the lye mixture, so I just put some water in the garbage can and returned the unfinished hide.  I'm hoping that the hide stays swollen until this evening when I can get back to finish the job.  Since some guys just soak the hide in plain water until the hair slips, I'm assuming it will be ok.  My understanding is the swelling of the hide won't go down until the pH gets back to neutral, so in theory, the hair should still slip just as well tonight.  I'll let you guys know how that goes.

[Stoker]

Interesting on the baking soda maybe a buffering agent. Your hide will survive. I've done the water soak in a garbage can changing the water everyday. That's the way I was taught to do it. I like the dry scrape method less chance of lossing the hide and faster.
To do this right we might have to go to twin oaks for a hands on lesson. Purely research and developement we'll promise not to have any fun while we're there
Leroy

[Cameroo]

Sounds good, we'll split the gas next spring

[mullet]

I left a hide in water for three days and found a bucket of jello and hair. But then, it's warmer down here.

[JW_Halverson]

I left a hide in water for three days and found a bucket of jello and hair. But then, it's warmer down here.

Warm hair flavored jello.  You southerners eat some straaaaaange foods.  I'll stick to my lutefisk.

[BowEd]

Diddo what turtle and pappy said.Dry scraping stretched in the frame taking the epidermis off too makes for the best rawhide backing especially if it's a yearling deer.It might seem like a little bit of an undertaking I guess if you've never done it before but once you do it a few times it's nothing really.Then you're left with a nice flat sheet of rawhide.If you fool with that red devil lye you better wear some rubber gloves.It'll eat the skin right off your hand.Stir the hide with a wooden paddle or stick too.

[BowEd]

Oh sorry you've got it done already.Nevermind......LOL.

[Pappy]

Like I said I never tried the soaking method but it was my understanding that when it was ready you could almost wipe the hair off or spray it off with a water hose, It it take that long to get the hair off after soaking ,I am sure I will stay with the dry scrape method.We will be getting started as soon as the weather cools a bit, I have 8 hides to rack and scrape and 5 or 6 that are rolled up and ready for the brain tanning,we only keep the best and biggest for tanning and the others are just left as rawhide. Yours should be fine,I have heard of folks just soaking them in water or a creek till the hair slips,just really curious as to why yours is so much trouble to get the hair off. I thought it was supposed to be easier,a little messier but easier.
   Pappy

[Cameroo]

Pappy - could be I didn't leave it in the lye quite long enough.  I thought it would be better to go too little than too long, because I didn't want the hide to start breaking down.  I guess there's a bit of a learning curve to this.  When I started, the hair would come out if I pinched it and pulled with a bit of pressure.  It didn't just wipe of, so maybe it needed more time.

Life got in the way and I wasn't able to work on it last night, so maybe the extra 2 days soaking in plain water will help loosen it up some more.

[Stoker]

I left a hide in water for three days and found a bucket of jello and hair. But then, it's warmer down here.

I've lost a few hides doing this in the early season when it's warm out. Gets me thinking dry is the way to go.
Thanks Leroy