Cow hide

[comanche 2,799]

Well i may have taken-on more than I can deal with but flushed by success of the bark-tanned knife sheath and brain-tanned deer skin(I'll forget the lurcher vs squirrel skin debacle) I'v e agreed to have a go at a Dexter cow hide for a friend . Luckily there is no pressure but if it works I'll get brownie points.

Wheely-bin alum bath.

 

 

[EDDIE B 3,118]

What you using as a fleshing tool comanche? Hope it goes well for you.

[comanche 2,799]

3 minutes ago, EDDIE B said:

What you using as a fleshing tool comanche? Hope it goes well for you.

It's an old draw knife. Thanks for the good wishes.

[foxdropper 17,092]

Good luck with the project mate 

[Guest Navek]

Good luck mate I was thinking doing one with one them big old fuzzy highland cattle but couldn’t sorce one 

[comanche 2,799]

Well I managed the cow-hide. Its come out OK enough for me and with a bit of trimming-up has made a reasonable rug.

          The woman I did it for is pleased .Though I did warn her that the real test will come in winter when her under-floor heating kicks -in.

 

At the same time I also did a sheep-skin from a rather hairy thing that I'd swapped last year for a ewe lamb that was too good to chop up for the freezer. My mate had her for breeding and I got "Slash" ,named for his resemblance to the Guns & Roses bloke, in exchange. Turned-out he couldn't play the guitar though .So he's in the freezer now.

I'm really pleased with the result apart from the fact I have a lot of blxxdy combing to do before he's finished!

Cow-hide =never again ,ever!

Sheep      = I could be tempted,possibly.

 

 

 

 

Edited June 22, 2018 by comanche

[EDDIE B 3,118]

They came out well comanche. What method did you use?

Sorry, i see it was Alum. Are you happy with this method? Would you recommend it?

Edited June 23, 2018 by EDDIE B

[comanche 2,799]

7 hours ago, EDDIE B said:

They came out well comanche. What method did you use?

Sorry, i see it was Alum. Are you happy with this method? Would you recommend it?

Eek ,I'm no expert. having attempted brain tanning,the proper (ish)bark tanning and alum bath methods  I guess the alum&salt bath involved less "seat of the pants" experimentation.

 

I had real trouble stretching the fibres in the cow -hide to soften it after it had been in the alum bath because of the sheer weigh,size  and thickness. In the end I used the native American thing of beating it with a rock from the centre outwards to stretch the fibres. It's a bit stiffer than the professionally tanned skins.I don't know if that's down to my weedyness or the method.

The sheep was a pig(!!!)to handle wet due to the weight of the fleece but as it dried the skin was  easy to stretch and is lovely and pliable.

I'm wondering if starting with a well dried skin would be easier. Perhaps strip the worst of the  flesh and membrane off when its wet then put it in a rack to dry like parchment. Then use rough sand-paper to get more of the membrane off before the pickling bath.

Whatever,its the cleaning up and preparation where 75% of the work is.

 

Short answer EDDIE,is the alum& salt worked well and is cheap.

Hark at me! I'm no expert just cursed with a child-like  enthusiasm. The skins could start to smell like box of dead moles in a few months time!

[forest of dean redneck 11,183]

Always liked a longhorn or a mottled cow hide but they are really expensive.

[Qbgrey 3,965]

Went to the south of england show a few months back,a guy was selling cowhides,very nice too,he was covering furniture with em,he wanted from 200 to 400 per hide if i recall,furniture looked great,but bloody dear.

[The one 8,391]

Nice going if they work out ive seen the price of them in the shops