Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Around the Campfire => Topic started by: osage outlaw on March 03, 2017, 12:53:40 pm
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I'm getting 2 frozen Scottish Highland cattle hides tomorrow. I'm giving one to Greg Sulfridge and going to tan the other one with the hair on. I don't know what I'm going to do with it. Anybody have a suggestion? A shaggy fur coat would be interesting. I'll probably need some advice on tanning it.
These aren't the hides I'm getting, just a picture I got from google. The woman said they are the tan color
(http://img03.deviantart.net/7ae7/i/2014/230/9/0/scottish_highland_cow_hides_by_minotaur_queen-d7vqux0.jpg)
(https://retrieverman.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/highland-cow-and-calf.jpg)
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That reminds me of the 60's lol. It'll be a lot of work Clint. I have never done more than rawhide with cattle hides. Trailwalker and his dad are working on one they have scrapped and stretched. They where going to brain tan but Ed said how much work it would be and I believe they were going to try chemical which will still be a lot of work. They planned on making a pair of chaps which would be kinda cool if you needed them. Good Luck don't want to discourage you. I think Ed would be the man to talk to.
Bjrogg
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Shaggy fur coat with a hood and you'll look like a sasquatch! :o
Kevin
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I would get a bottle of tanning solution and just tan it that way, i havedeer hunters & trappers hide tanning formula for a cow it would take 3-6 bottles, says it produces a soft supple indian style tan in 5-7 days
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mmountain man coat or a nice wall hangng, some of my family have done that with cow hides
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I'm too short to make chaps look cool Bubby. I was planning on chemical tanning it. I have used that tanning solution you mentioned. It worked good on the deer fawn and chipmunk hides. Going from a fawn to a full size cattle will be a leap.
Kevin, maybe I'll tell people its a bigfoot hide coat ;D
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I'm going to guess the wife won't even entertain the idea of covering a wall in the house with a cow hide.
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Bubby if I'm right I think you would have to thin it a considerable amount to get a soft tan. Read through the thread on tanning advice in primitive section. We had 2 Holstein cows and a calf my brother and I cleaned up scrapped and nail to wall inside the barn. They were just hair on rawhide. They stayed there for many years. They are very heavy especially when wet. I believe Ed said he had a buddy who mechanically thinned his when they where still green. Whatever you make Clint I'm sure will be way cool.
Bjrogg maybe a rug then
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It would make a nice blanket for the camper. I bet it would be warm. I could return the heater I got for it.
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Make a nice rug in the camper, though.
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Make a real cool rug for outside your camper door might be a little heavy and hard to clean though.
Bjrogg
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It would be to big for a rug in the camper unless I cut it in half. It would make a soft nappin' rug for outside the camper though.
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Maybe time for some shaggy shorts? ;D
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Maybe time for some shaggy shorts? ;D
Yes!
(https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0228/8535/products/df5a48c3-9507-43d0-bfa9-bc04621bc02a-2_7ae69100-cf3e-4c75-8bd6-ab50a8f09485_1024x1024.jpeg?v=1464897059)
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Dang Clint your a regular fashion designer
Bjrogg
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Hair is too long for a rug. All it would do is collect "stuff" and get all matted up. A vest would work. Neat hide. Never seen hide with hair that long. Kind of reminds me of the 60's hippie era.
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Maybe a groovy awning for the camper?
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I was thinking awning too. I agree with Jeb. It would really be a cool rug but to hard to keep clean. It would really look cool as a awning on RR2
Bjrogg
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I've only fleshed three Hides in my life and if you remember from the pictures I sent you the pressure washer works great. Just be careful what's Downstream of where your spray because there will be fat and flesh everywhere.
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Clint that's gonna be a lot of work. I would personally use it for my bed in the camper. Last thing you want is for it to get wet outside and tun hard. Good luck can't wait to see the finished product.
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Clint that's gonna be a lot of work. I would personally use it for my bed in the camper. Last thing you want is for it to get wet outside and tun hard. Good luck can't wait to see the finished product.
The getting it thined will be what's really hard. It'll probably be 1/2" thick in places and you'll probably want it down to 1/8 which is really hard to do evenly. It might be worth seeing what it costs to have it professionally done.
Bjrogg
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How about a awning for the camper
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BJ, It would be over $800 to have it tanned by moscow
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Hahah
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I guess that's not in the budget.🤔 Good Luck buddy if anyone can get it done it'd be you. I know you'll make something awesome out of it
Bjrogg
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I would flesh it with a pressure washer, stretch it and when it is dry sand it with a oscillating sander till you get it thinned up
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Clint, first I think your going to need to pack a lunch :o Bob
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I could stand to go a day or two without a lunch Bob.
BJ, $800 to tan a cow hide is definitely not in the budget.
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A couple of pairs of winter shorts and or a bedspread for the camper would do it for me....
DBar
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A blanket in the camper would look good.
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I could stand to go a day or two without a lunch Bob.
BJ, $800 to tan a cow hide is definitely not in the budget.
It would be out of my budget to Clint. $150 would be out of mine although I'm sure it would take more elbow grease than that.Maybe one of those floor sanders would work. I'd go the power washer route stretch it on a good strong frame let it dry then sand it.
Bjrogg
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A couple of pairs of winter shorts and or a bedspread for the camper would do it for me....
DBar
Winter shorts for some...for Clint they'd be long pants! Heck, Daisy Dukes come down to his knees!
Good luck with the hide, looks like a big ol' project!
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I think a hammock would be cool. :)
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I've seen chairs, small refrigerators and other furniture made with cattle hides and horns before that looked cool. Think it was the pickers show that had really cool chair made from all horns and hide. They also had a really cool fridge wrapped and accented with hides. I'd love those for my man cave.
Bjrogg
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I picked them up today. This has to be my strangest craigslist find ever. I was hoping for the reddish color but they are tan. They aren't as big as I thought they would be. They were 2 year old bulls when they were butchered. I was able to fit the smaller one in my parts freezer in the garage. My sister let me put the other one in her big deep freezer. The hair on the hides is very long. When I first opened the bags it looked like the top of a blond womans head :o The people that have the cattle are into reenactments and rendezvous. We talked for a good while about that stuff and primitive archery. I told them to let me know if they every had any more hides that they wanted to get rid of.
(http://i666.photobucket.com/albums/vv22/Outlawstaves/20170304_102607_zpsemhkuhaz.jpg) (http://s666.photobucket.com/user/Outlawstaves/media/20170304_102607_zpsemhkuhaz.jpg.html)
(http://i666.photobucket.com/albums/vv22/Outlawstaves/20170304_102615_zpspu90loor.jpg) (http://s666.photobucket.com/user/Outlawstaves/media/20170304_102615_zpspu90loor.jpg.html)
(http://i666.photobucket.com/albums/vv22/Outlawstaves/20170304_102622_zpsi3yyr2ai.jpg) (http://s666.photobucket.com/user/Outlawstaves/media/20170304_102622_zpsi3yyr2ai.jpg.html)
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Clint, I'm thinking maybe 2 lunchs, a lot of work in 2 bags ;D, I understand that cattle and horse hides have a different fiber structure and don't break as easy as deer and other non domestics type animals, I have only messed with braintan deer so what do I know. Keep us updated an let us know how it's going.Bob
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I'm only doing one hide Bob. I'm giving the other one to Greg Sulfridge. I think he wants to make furry loin cloths out of it ;D I'm going to put some thought into ways of breaking the hide.
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Would make a cool wig. 8)
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You interested in trading for a about a 6" circle of hide Pat? ;D
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You interested in trading for a about a 6" circle of hide Pat? ;D
Lmao that was a gooder Clint
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Being the medieval reenactor I am I'm seeing a very nice cloak!
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I was in an antique store yesterday and they had a huge tanned steer hide for $130. It was professionally tanned and very soft.
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Isn't it true that blonds have more fun? 8)
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Just remember Pat, the carpet has to match the curtains :)
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That's what Rit dye is for. :OK
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Clint....Nice score.Hope you got em cheap enough.I use my buffalo hides to sleep on rendezvousing.Sleep under them too.A tannery north of me does them for $10.00 a sq.ft.They'll shave them to before of course.
You can go ahead and try to thin that hide with a sander of any kind...Good luck!!Go ahead and try. Even 60 grit on an area the size of a foot square will take you hours and many many many sheets of sandpaper.More then you've ever bought in your life.Dried rawhide is tough tough tough.It needs to be shaved thinner when it's green.Gotta get it fleshed first though.Never used a power wash to flesh before because it does'nt do a good job.That wo'nt get the membrane off.I'll garauntee ya.If your gonna tan it yourself.You've gotta get the membrane off for your chemical to penetrate.It needs to be pickled first too.Powerwash might get flesh and fat some though.Did use one to clean it up good first before lacing it into a frame though on the hair side.That's why getting it shaved to an overall same thickness does the whole shooting match at once.Fleshing and thinning.You can but a flesher shaver from a taxidermy supply center but that'll cost too.A lot.Talking from at least a half dozen experiences working with hides of this size and nature.If you chemically tan it yourself with out thinning you'll get it cured most likely but soft.No.You'll have to work that hide softening to get it soft somewhat.That's fun too.It'll weigh a bit I tell ya.A rug would be the best it can do for usefullness.
Good score though.
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Clint knowing you one of those century old fleshing machines will follow you home someday. I agree with Ed. Even thinning and chemical tanning a beaver takes a lot of sanding and repeated applications of softening oil and breaking hide. I've got mine pretty soft now but really it should be rehydrated put oil on and stretch and break again. If you try it though I would try at least a belt sander. It would work better sanding it when it was stretched tight. You can thin them a quite a bit. If you can see the hair roots that's to thin.
Bjrogg
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One thing if possible is to have a taxidermist friend or family member with a flesher shaver machine that could do it for a nominal fee or otherwise knowing someone in a cattle kill plant that saves and salts their own hides.That's what I've done before.They have their own fleshing and shaving machine to get hides ready for the tannery too.It helps to know people and to do favors for them in return.Using your imagination with the hide for uses will come around eventually.
I did my buffalo hides in the frame flesh/brain /roped dry/and smoke in my younger days.It's a lot of work.30 square foot hides.Got sucked into doing a hide for a free hide for myself.Had another chemicaly tanned later.