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Post by silentnight on Mar 27, 2014 15:00:14 GMT -5
sense i dont have enough beaver tails to really make it worth selling, i want to try a few projects with them, but i need to know what to do to them to keep them pliable (sp) besides "skinning and fleshing" them. do they need to be tanned somehow? looking for any advice. thanks
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Post by Adirondack-Jim on Mar 28, 2014 13:27:11 GMT -5
Tanning beaver tails reported to be difficult from the research I've done and people I've talked to. I've been quoted prices of up to $40 to have them tanned.
Once you have them skinned, use your beaver knife to get rid of as much fat as you can. The tip leather is thinner than the bases so you need to be a bit careful when fleshing. You can get pretty aggressive near the tail base when fleshing and this area seems to take longest to dry.
After they are dry you can basically use them the same as rawhide. They'll need to be soaked for a fair amount of time to soften them up and make them pliable again. As they start to dry again they'll reach a point where you can trim, sew and fit them to a project for your use. Once the leather is dry it will be stiff again like rawhide. So depending on your project, they may or may not work.
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Post by silentnight on Mar 28, 2014 14:33:12 GMT -5
thanks for the tips, i was thinking about trying to make a holster for my pistol and a case to put my necker in, just wasnt sure what i needed to do so they woudlnt just be dry and completely stiff. what would they need to be soaked in? just water to soften them up enough to work with?
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Post by dinorocks on Mar 30, 2014 19:22:58 GMT -5
I use a fillet knife to remove the grizzle, etc then pin to a board (so they don't curl), salt, and dry. When I'm ready to use them (and I use them to wrap the handles of the selfbows I make), I hydrate them so they can be worked. I stitch them to the bow with sinew, etc while they are moist and let them dry (shrink) on the handle. No problems with them yet while on the bow.
Good luck!
Dino
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tmc
#2 Newhouse
Posts: 2,447
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Post by tmc on Mar 30, 2014 19:36:06 GMT -5
Only problem with salting is that they always ever after have an affinity for water. But, Dino, I'm sure you'll always be using something like osage or the like that doesn't mind a bit of humidity. lol.
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Post by dinorocks on Mar 30, 2014 19:48:40 GMT -5
Good call Tim. Hickory is the worst of the local bow woods for taking up moisture...I only work on my hickory bows when its dry out and following my final tiller, I get the moisture down to a few percent and then seal it quickly.
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tmc
#2 Newhouse
Posts: 2,447
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Post by tmc on Mar 31, 2014 8:58:01 GMT -5
Off topic, sorry, but - I agree with the hickory and humidity. BUT -- I like bitternut hickory for bows. Although it's looked down upon by a lot of bowyers as being "not a TRUE hickory" because it's more readily classified as a pecan-hickory, I personally prefer it because it's NOT a "true" hickory and is far, far less affected by moisture/humidity than it's "true" cousins. Even so, you're right - sealing asap is important.
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Post by dinorocks on Mar 31, 2014 11:10:29 GMT -5
I have not tried Bitternut yet...I'm told Mockernut hickory is the best of hickory for bow wood...not sure how it compairs with the moisture issue though...I need to get a moisture meter although that's not very primitve :-) I typically use Mockernut hickory and Shagbark.
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tmc
#2 Newhouse
Posts: 2,447
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Post by tmc on Apr 1, 2014 0:18:22 GMT -5
I think I smell a trade coming soon.
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