Egg Tanning Buck skins: Have a few questions

[JW_Halverson]

I've never tried any lime of any stripe to make rawhide.  This will be my first run at it, been buying the hides from a friend, but he's outa the tanning business now.  Got a basic recipe?  How much lime to how much water and how many lbs of hides?  These antelope hides got a lot of hair and mighty thin skin.  I've even thought of leaving the hair on and backing a bow with it just for laughs. 

[jackcrafty]

JW, you bring up a good point.  What's wrong with making a "furry" bow?  I think it would be quieter to shoot and it would be camouflaged. I might just try it myself.

[JW_Halverson]

The smell of the antelope hide with the hair on will also be "olfactory camo"!!!

[jackcrafty]

 

[jamie]

normal lime from a hardware store that is used for lawns cant be overused. the water will only obsorb what it can and the rest will sink. its very important to check and stir the hide a couple times a day, especially with thin skinned animals. as soon as the hair slips remove it dehair it and put it in an acid bath or running stream to neutralise the hide. running streams are the best because you dont have to be so cruicial as with the acid bath. peace