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Moose hides to raw hides

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nclonghunter:
Moose hides are large so I think you can work one quarter to see if your results give you what you want. I also suspect the quarters will vary in thickness from on each to the other, so for drums you want to try and cut from an equal thickness as much as possible. Not sure what you plan on using for the drum body, but that can be a challenge also if you plan on bending wood into a hoop. The quarter you choose will need the salt removed. Soaking it in many changes of water will work for that, but having a moving water source is good, such as the creek you mentioned. As Bob said, if you leave the hide in water long enough the hair will slip and it will not require neutraling the wood ash or agricultural lime after the hair is removed. When using ash or lime it changes the ph in the hide and makes it swell and can get a soft cheese like texture and the hair is easily scraped off. If you use that method you can also scrape the hair side epidermis layer off, which will make the hide thinner. This method is used for brain tanning hides. Again, if you use ash or lime you will need to bring the ph back to normal and you can use a vinegar and water solution to neutralize it. Your hide should be really clean now, having the hair and meat tissues cleaned off leaving you with raw hide. You can stretch it and let it dry, then sand it to thin and smooth it more or if you have your hoop ready you can put it onto the drum then. It is a process that sounds harder than it is so give it a try. Just make sure you check the hide often once it is in the water or lime to see when the hair slips. If you let it go too long the hide can actually fall apart or decompose. Good Luck!

Wolf Watcher:
Thanks NC for the information.  I have been making drums and flutes for a long time just only from raw hide I bought.  Am hoping to make a large two faced drum so if I can get two different thicknesses the drum will have two different tones.  The neck area on this bull is very thick skin so will probably need to thin it some.  The quarters are large so am planning on just trying one to learn how!  We have some old juniper fence posts around this country and that is what I will use for the drum barrel. We are having a snow storm today and the temperature has dropped, but the creek is still open.  There is no heat in the shop where I have the hides so maybe should wait for warmer weather!  I am too dumb to be able to post pictures witch my PA brothers and sisters should be thankful for or I would show you just how big these hide pieces really are!  Thanks again!  Joe

Outbackbob48:
Joe, Nc got it covered could not of said it better than that. -14 here today an a nasty breeze so I can understand waiting for a warm up :o ;D  Joe, the wind died down for a moment an I thought I could hear the drums. Stay warm . Bob

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