The Armour Archive

Hello all, I was just wondering what your opinions would be on the use of doggie rawhide chews as a source of material for japanese kozane plates. I would like to be able to buy a complete hide, but have been unable to find a site that sells complete bull or buffalo rawhide. Comments, suggestions, etc. would be welcome.

M.S.

Weaver Leather has bleached or natural rawhide, 4-6 oz. full side (20sqft) $76.
Part Number 12-1310S

G--

Most of the big leather places have rawhide. It's just harder to find, since it's not in such demand. I used rawhide to make lamellar armor back in the 80s, and painted it with varathane to simulate laquer. It's still going strong, though it could use repainting and relacing in some of the more abused spots. You have to be careful not to let up on holding it in the proper shape when it's only half dry, because it will seem dry but then warp and wrinkle given it's head, but that's tha main tricky thing.

C clamps, and particle board are your friends if you're going to do this
and if you have a saddlery near your house, ya might try there too (the one by my house has lots of strange things that don't belong)
they could order it for you if you can't find it on your own

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-Let cry the skies to cleanse my soul, let weep the heavens to make me whole.

The problem with dog chews is that the rawhide is so inconsistant. It can be thick, thin, or both and full of holes. There's a reason they feed that stuff to the dogs.

However, you can usually get enough to edge an early period shield.

In high school I had a friend who made himself a scale hauberk of those little rectangular rawhide dogchews one could buy at Wal-mart (the regular ones, not the ugly lumpy ones...).

He left it laying on his couch one weekend...

..when he returned, he discovered that his great dane had found it...

[This message has been edited by Joaquin (edited 11-21-2001).]

The Leather Factory sells rawhides. Call em up and tell them what you want. I was thinking of gettign a sheet to make my own hammers with.

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Pheylin Quinn
Hammered Steel by Pheylin
Shire of Ravenslake, Midrealm

I also found that Tandy Leather had a lot rawhide in stock. You can get a piece that's a good size to work with for about $20.

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Michael AKA Nomad
Barony of Starkhafn, Caid

I've been thinking about raw hide armour for some time now. The thing I what to know is can you dye it with leather dye and can it be waxed?

Just be carefull if you have a dog. I just whipped up a rawhide hammer from some pipe fittings, old hammer handle and a rawhide chew toy. I set it by the back door to take out to my shed and my beagle spent a couple of hours trying to get at it through the pile of shoes, bookbags and coats that my kids tossed on top before I figured out what he was up to. Not his fault, he just thought it was another chew for him.

Yes rawhide can be dyed. However, it does not take the dye as easily as leather. Sand it first to make it more porous and then soak it for a while. Test it by timing how long you leave it in the dye to see if its the color you want after it dries. It mat take a while for the color to settle. You should know if its dark enough only after it has completely dried.