Primitive Archer

Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: walkabout on September 05, 2010, 06:53:38 pm

Title: degreasing rawhide
Post by: walkabout on September 05, 2010, 06:53:38 pm

working on my short bow, which i want to back with some rawhide i have. my question is how can i degrease the rawhide before i glue it? ive read using wood ash, however i dont have any. i have access to acetone if that will work, although im not sure how well it will. any suggestions?

Title: Re: degreasing rawhide
Post by: El Destructo on September 05, 2010, 07:36:04 pm

What do you plan on using for Glue? I always just use Dawn detergent to degrease Rawhide...works fine fior TiteBond...and especially Hide Glues...I stay away from Chemicals like Acetone and Toluene...and go for either Dawn or Lye...if it's really greasy like Carp and other Fish Skins....JMO

Title: Re: degreasing rawhide
Post by: NTD on September 05, 2010, 07:44:45 pm

Yep Dawn is good stuff.  I rinse all my snake skins in a diluted dawn solution prior to tacking out.  If it's good enough for cleaning oiled wildlife it's good enough for my rawhide/skins ;D

Title: Re: degreasing rawhide
Post by: walkabout on September 05, 2010, 07:56:30 pm

i plan on using titebond to glue it. thanks for the replies ill give it a try.

Title: Re: degreasing rawhide
Post by: Pat B on September 05, 2010, 09:15:17 pm

I use Dawn also. I wash the rawhide as I'm soaking it to glue down. Rinse well and remove the excess moisture then glue down.
  When putting down skins or rawhide with TBIII I put a sizing coat on first and let it cure completely. Then add the skin/rawhide with a thin coat on the skin and on the bow back. The first sizing acts as a vapor barrier to keep the moisture from the glue and rawhide/skin out of the wood. I sometimes add a thin coat of TBIII over the skin/rawhide as well then Tru-Oil over that.

Title: Re: degreasing rawhide
Post by: randman on September 11, 2010, 03:27:24 am

Will Dawn work to degrease sinew as well? I get cow leg sinew from from the local "All the Best" pet store for $1.99 a shank. Pretty cheap and I can readily get lots of it. It has a pleasant smokey smell to it (unlike some of the rank smelling stuff I've seen before) but it has some of the fatty remnants left on it (I scrape them off) which make it a little greasy when pulled apart and I am concerned about trying to adhere it to a bow back with any grease on it.
I was also concerned about using acetone to degrease it and having the acetone affect the quality of the sinew somehow.