Backing materials question...

[Alan Johnson]

Hey folks.... I was wondering if it's ok to use tanned hides for backing material or if it's a waste of time.

[SportHunter]

No, use rawhide. Echo archery has some nice backing material.

[monterey]

I once used some goat rawhide from Tandy.  Thin and light.  It was kinda pricey, but cheaper than keeping a goat herd  

[Pat B]

Tanned leather has been used to back bows but it is not a good idea IMO. It is very absorbent and will soak up moisture even when sealed in my experience.
 Rawhide is an excellent bow backing. Deer and goat are my favorites. There is a place in the Miami area that sells goat rawhide but I don't know the name. Try to Google it.

[Alan Johnson]

Wellllll.... what I was thinking was that I might like to try using stingray.... the tanned form is still very thin, but I wasn't sure about the overall advisability of using tanned skin. The rawhide form, referred to as "crust" could be used I suppose, but I don't know whether or not that sort of thing should be pieced together (a large crust is about 20-24 inches, bow is 68). There IS a variety called a rowstone that can be had in the 34+/- inches tanned, but I cannot find it in crust form.

[fujimo]

i have used fishskin in raw form.
it is just a lot tougher- and not prone to stretching like tanned leather is.
easy to glue on with hide glue, or even titebond 3.
and you can overlap them and hide the splice with a nice light silk thread wrap and ca glue.
one join in the handle- hidden by the handle wrap, and one join per limb, get them spaced nicely- and choose a silk thread that matches your handle wrap or tips, and it will all look good together.
pictures!!!!!!!!!!sounds cool    :D