Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => HowTo's and Build-a-longs => Topic started by: Boro on July 24, 2008, 04:58:02 am
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Ok. I am about to get some fresh cow legs tendons. I will need to dry them and I have never done it before. My question is about temperature, light, time involved, odours possibly and stuff I can't think of now.
I will appriciate any information on how to dry and prepare them properly.
Thank You
Boro
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Never done cow sinew, I would clean all meat and fat off them put them somewhere dry and where animals can't reach them.
You will know when they are dry as they will be stiff, then you can just store them in a zip lock. I've also used a electric dehydrator.
The wife don't know about it though :)
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I have heard mixed reviews about cow leg sinews. The negatives are they are hard to separate and they are quite greasy. I have never used them. You might experiment with drying like Dana said and also try stripping the fibers while they are fresh before drying.
You will have to remove the sheath that covers the tendon before you can strip out the individual fibers(tendons). Keep us posted. Pat
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I'm sure cow legs are the same as deer, and I've done a lot of deer. I'd keep them out of direct sunlight, and away from direct heat when they start to turn hard, which is a matter of about 12-24 hours depending on size, air flow, etc.
When they are fresh cut they are white, wet, flimsy, and feel slimy to the touch. Clean them well like Dana just said, then lay them out on a cookie sheet or tablecloth (something they won't stick to, NOT newspaper or iluminum foil) seperate them with a small space between each one so that air can get through. Lay them out in the form that you want them in when they are dry (if you want them straight, lay straight, if you want them coiled for easier storage, lay them coiled). Then just put them up somewhere dry, and away from flies, dogs, children, etc. As they dry and harden they will shrink and get crooked somewhat. If you want to hurry the process a little, you can expose them to warm airflow, ONLY UNTIL they start to turn from white to tan colored and the surface feels dry and begins to harden. Exposing thrm to warm or hot air at this point will make them sweat their natural oils and lose strength. It's easiest to just lay them up, go to sleep and forget about them until the next day. When wet they may have a very slight odor, but as they dry will completely lose it and when hard will not smell at all.
Let me know if I didn't explain something or if you have more questions.
~~Papa Matt
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In warm weather, I use one of the little five inch fans from the dollar store to keep the air moving and keep flies away. As sson as they are dry, bag them up. I left some out too long and dermastid beetles got on them and and had one heck of a picnic. That reminds me, I need to go see mr. butcher about some cow leg bones.
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Like Pat said, mixed reviews on cow sinew. Greasy, weaker and no wild game mojo. ;) I have been warned so much against it that I have never tried it. If its what you can get, try it. I like to cut sinew from roadkill deer instead. ::)
I like to process leg sinew a little more before I let it dry. Cut the sheath that is on the outside and you will find several smaller strands inside. Pull them out and dry them separately. If you dry it as one big piece it will be extremely hard to process later. Justin
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Very good advise.....also, I do as Madcrow does...a fan makes a big difference and helps a lot.
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Whoa :) thanks people that is a lot of info, I have to do cow becaouse it is only thing I can get here. About cleaning the greasy and meat of them, only scraping with knife or some chemicals could be used?
I will keep You posted about this, although those are my first tendons so I don't have any reference point from the past.
Boro
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NO CHEMICALS!!! Not even hot water!! If you ever expose tendons, fresh or dry--to chemicals or even very warm water you will ruin them. Tendons demand all things natural, so just scrape and you should be ok. Are you cutting them out of the leg yourself? If so, try to cut with precision and patience, so as to get as much tendon out whole (not cut in half) as possible. Don't let your knife slip and cut your hand, or the tendon, as it can be slippery work.
~~Papa Matt
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I am not cutting them off by myself :(
After being laught at ;D by various butchers, I have finaly found one that is willing to participate. So I told him to cut them as long as he can. Since I am getting them quite cheap (about 10 $ for 20 kg=40 pounds) I have to take all 20 kg. Well, if they prove to be bad at least my dog will enjoy them for some time ;D
I have to try horns also from the same butcher. Cow's horns any good?
Boro
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Ya cows are worth getting, tip overlays, knife handles even maybe a horn composite bow and also make good trade goods.
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Couldn't tell you about horns, brother, but like Dana said they should be good for quite a few things. 40lbs is a boat-load of sinew, brother :o Hope you find good use for it, but if you do--then the $10 is a very cheap price for 40 lbs of useful sinew. Let us know how it turns out. I don't think it should be too bad, because some of the american indians used horse sinew when available. Let us know how it turns out.
Don't feel alone, when I used to call around asking for butchers to help me out with some sinew, I actually had a couple hang up on me.
~~Papa Matt
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The horns are good for lots of things. Tip over lays and underlays, target tips for bamboo or cane arrows. I have sawed a few down the middle, heated them and very slowly flattened them out to use for scales on knives. Looks good with some scrimshaw added. While you are there, ask about the leg bones (femur) they make some nice target tips and arrow heads for necklaces and handmade beads.
(http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o281/maillemaker1/Arrows/Lookin023.jpg)
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I guess I took too long looking up the pic. Y'all were quick on the draw.
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I like cow horn, look at the color in it.
(http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l253/justinsnyder_2006/archery/IMG_1599.jpg)
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Here is a old howto I did on horn points.
http://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index.php/topic,5342.0.html (http://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index.php/topic,5342.0.html)
(http://images.yuku.com/image/jpeg/8033676e196e018b34c812f13795617b5de07402.jpg)
Using cow horn for horn bows is hard to do with most types of cows because the horn tends to delaminate into very thin layers.
Ralph
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Shouldn't that make it easier, Ralph? Do you mean that the horn falls apart into thin layers when you soak it? ???
~~Matt
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Thanks everyone, I will keep You posted how it turned out. The horn looks great when polished.
And keep it going with the hornbow stuff. I like ;D
Boro
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When you soak it ,or boil it to straighten ,flatten it , most types of cow horn delaminate into paper thin layers .The horn grows in a spiral ,corksrewing up the length .Each year the horn gets bigger and the slope of the spiral changes .And it tears apart between these layers.
I have had success once ,by cutting the horn into two inch lengths .This was short enough so that layers didn't deviate in slope but just a little .
I then glued the flattened two inch pieces of horn on the belly of the core ,so that if the first piece sloped right ,the second piece of horn sloped left etc. . It was a huge pain in the ----- . But it does look good.
There are a few types of cow that are used regularly for bows. They are the older breeds with straighter horns I think. I heard of a Hungarian cow , for one. I want to try the Scottish Highland cow or maybe a Brahma . You can see the spiralled growth in the horn so you don't have to cut to have an idea if it will work or not. Just compare the 'grain' on the outside and inside of the horn ,and look for delamination of the base.
I'm not really an expert ,but I have tried to use cow horn and failed many many times .Before I figured this much out.Sorry for being so long winded.
Ralph
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Not at all, Ralph. We appreciate you taking the time to explain!
-Matt
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How abut freezing tendons? Do they change if frozen?
Boro
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Never have tried to freeze them, but I think it would probably be best to do that after letting them dry first in air. I don't think the refrigerator would hurt them if you wanted to stick 'em in there for some reason.
~~Matt
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I get raw backstrap sinew from the processor and he freezes it for me, it doesn't cause any problems unless it freezer burns.
Once its dry there is no need to freeze it.
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Ehem, cows are fat. At first, cleaning was a bit difficult but after a few I got a hang of it and went fine. It is drying slow and I got the middle still wet while edge areas became dry, translucent with a pinkish tone. Haven't tried to pound it yet, I will get back with that too...
Boro
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Sounds like they're coming ok. Don't pound them until they are completely hard and dry.
~~Matt
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Ok, pounding time...
I didn't really pound it, I bought grip pliers (will send some photos), set it to hard and voila, I got some tendon fibers. It seems quite gentle this material. Can it be that wildlife tendons are not so gentle as these?
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This grip plyers test was bad. They were still wet so it was somewhat easier to separate them, but as they were getting dryer they were also harder. I am having problems with pounding becaouse I live in apartment and neighbours are not very happy with that. Anyway, I did use some for backing a bow (witch broke) and they seem quite hard. Wood broke but sinew is holding. Then again, I have never seen any other sinew backed bow but this one.