Rawhide backing, did I do it right?

[ffdiggs]

So I ordered some rawhide from Pine Hollow and decided today was the day to put it on. I put the rawhide in warm water to soak and while it was soaking I roughed up the back of the bow and applied TB III to size it while soaking backing. after about an hour I pulled the rawhide out and it felt rubbery and thicker than before. I was not able to stretch it like i've seen done in videos, so I soaked it some more. In all it probably soaked almost two hours. It just felt very rubbery and thick. I applied more glue to the bow and the some to the rawhide and applied to limb of bow from center of handle out. It seemed as though it did not really want to form to the back of the bow all that well. So I wrapped it as tight as possible with ace bandages working it flat as possible the whole time.. It is now mummified and leaning in the corner to dry for a couple of days. Should I have worked the rawhide down thinner before I put it on or does it sound like I did it right? I guess worse case I can take it off and try again.

[Pat B]

Do you know what kind of raw hide it is? It sounds thicker than deer or goat rawhide hich are thin and strong.
 You shouldn't need to soak the rawhide that long. I usually soak the deer rawhide I use for about 15 minutes. When I take it out of the water I roll it up in a towel to remove the excess water. I then size the bow back and let it set until it skins over then add more glue to the bow and the rawhide, lay the rawhide down and work out the excess glue pockets and air bubbles. Depending on the rawhide sometime I'll wrap, sometimes not. If I do wrap the rawhide I will remove the wrap after about an hour. By then the rawhide is stuck but the glue is not cured out. If any glue or air pockets are under the rawhide I'll cut a 1/8" slit, lengthwise with a sharp razor and squeeze the air or glue out. You will never see the slit once dry.
 I also trim the excess rawhide off with  sharp razor before it has time to get hard again. After the rawhide backing has completely cured out I'll use a file to trim the edges smooth.

[ffdiggs]

Not sure what kind of raw hide it was, Got it from Pine Hollow Long Bows. Followed his instructions on soaking (1 hour) I just thought it should have been more pliable than it was. So I soaked it longer. I un-wrapped it after about two hours to work out air bubbles, one tip was still a little loose so I put a little more glue under it and re-wrapped. I have to work a 24 hr. shift tomorrow, so I won't un-wrap until friday.

[macbow]

Like Pat I remove the wrap after an hour or two.
If you let it on too long bad things can happen.
Maybe it will stick to the rawhide or it may not dry because of the wrap.
If you take it off and there are some loose area you could use a short wrap.

[Bowjunkie]

Way, WAAAAY overhydrated. Soaking and bloating them is not the best way..

If it is thin and relatively degreased, it can literally be dipped for seconds and removed.... it can even be misted with a squirt bottle to sufficiently soften it. You want it flexible, not swollen full of water. It's just unnecessary, and counterproductive... the more water it absorbs and swells, the more it will shrink when it dries.... which is what causes problems with coverage and adhesion. And as you found out, extreme boating will actually make it stiffen and less workable.

Also, without the unnecessary shrinkage, curling up on the sides, and adhesion issues, there is no need to wrap. I have never wrapped one.

Dean Torges wrote an article about rawhide application several years ago. This is basically the process I have folllwed with excellent results. I hope this link works. If you have any questions, fire at will.

 http://WWW.STICKBOW.COM/FEATURES/SELFBOWS/gluing_backing.CFM

Go to the right side of the page for the link to part two.

[BenM]

No clue on rawhide backing but Hello from a fellow gold shifter in IL.  Be safe tomorrow.

[ffdiggs]

thanks for all the advice, gonna go in right after this and remove the wrap and just use the short wrap if needed.. Thanks all.

BenM... Good to meet you, Hoping for a quiet shift.. hope you have the same, Be safe.

Stay tuned for updates

[ffdiggs]

got the rawhide on Wednesday, got say after filing off extra and sanding the sides it looks pretty good. gonna let it dry another day or two beforeI string it back up.. As soon as I do will post pics