Source for Rawhide

[elkshooter]

Hey guys,

Can you guys point me to a source for rawhide backing.

I've got a stave that I want to back and need some "hide" to do it.

Thx

[broketooth]

i went to 3 rivers archery to get some. its moderately priced and is of good quality. just remember to soak it in cold water. i guess hot water will "cook it". also from what ive seen from ferrets web pages you also need an ace bandage to hold it in place during glue up and allow for ample drying time

[c'ville]

ive gotten all of my rawhide from the dog bones they sell in pet stores.  They are shorter pieces so you will have to splice them on the backing but it is much cheaper to do it this way.  Just sand it to the desired thickness (thinner generally glues better) and put them on the bow and wrap with a couple ace bandages (usually takes me 3 to cover the bow) and allow plenty of drying time.

[Pat B]

3Rivers and Pine Hollow sell rawhide for backing. Tandy Leather Co sells sides or whole hides as does Fur and Feathers and Crazy Crow.
  Another source is deer hides from hunters. With a little work and drying time you can have good, thin but strong rawhide for backing.

[Walt Francis]

When I used rawhide for my bows I got it from Moscow Hide & Fur in Moscow Idaho.  I bought antelope rawhide that is extremely thin so it wouldn't add much weight to the limbs; you can see through antelope rawhide.  You have to insist they send you a large hide and it did three or four  60-62” bows without splicing mid limb.  If you do not mind splicing mid limb then you can do eight to ten bows with one hide.

[Pat B]

I prefer to splice rawhide at the handle. Makes it easier to work with and control.
Deer and goat rawhide are both pretty thin and strong and I'd bet antelope hide is too, like Walt said.  I bought a hide of cow rawhide a few years ago and it was way too thick for backings.

[elkshooter]

Originally posted by c'ville:
ive gotten all of my rawhide from the dog bones they sell in pet stores.  They are shorter pieces so you will have to splice them on the backing but it is much cheaper to do it this way.  Just sand it to the desired thickness (thinner generally glues better) and put them on the bow and wrap with a couple ace bandages (usually takes me 3 to cover the bow) and allow plenty of drying time.

Sanding the dog bones...sounds like a pain in the arse, but I can see the economics.  How do you sand them and how thin do you make them.

[c'ville]

it can be a pain, but i use a pad sander with coarse sandpaper, but a belt sander would work much better.  take it down to where you can almost see through it.  The rawhide bone usually has at least two pieces, the outside one is pretty think but the piece on the inside is usually much thinner.  I generally get the 18 in bones if i can find them.

[c'ville]

if you dont mind the extra $$ the rawhide from 3rivers would be a good option because then you only have to splice it at the handle, instead of on the limbs as well.

[ChristopherO]

The first osage selfbow I had the opportunity to handle and shoot was a fella's last year at Cloverdale.  He kindly let me give it a try on the condition I didn't pull it past my chin.  He had taken two years to whittle it and was concerned about it's ability to handle a full draw.
For the life of me I couldn't figure out what that big, thick white patch around one limb was until just recently.  It had to have been a rawhide bone.  It didn't appear to have been thinned any, just glued and wrapped over a spot he thought was questionable.  
I had already dried out two of my deer hides for that purpose and have them ready incase the need for them arises.  
Since then I've made a couple of osage self bows of my own.  His bow inspired me but, personally, I would rather have deer hide or the like for this purpose than a thick white dog chew.