07-28-2006, 03:14 PM
I was thinking about the wet rawhide/glue idea. Seems to me, that if you use a water based glue, it would penetrate the wet rawhide, as well as stick to the wood, and as the rawhide shrank, would slide across the surface of the wood, the rawhide and glue both evaporating at the same time. . .
In the end, you would have an incredibly strong bond between the two. Probably to the point of wrecking the wood if you wanted to get the rawhide off. On thing I've learned about shield covers (I generally use cloth, though) is that if you thin the glue about 30% with water, the glue actually tends to penetrate the surface of the wood. The second coat sticks to the first very well, and in the case of the rawhide, would also penetrate the rawhide, imho.
If you wet and stretched the rawhide very much, then firmly attached it wet to the edges, you would probably put a "negative bend" on your curved shield, and that would not be good...also, it will tend to stretch out the holes you use to fasten it down, if you did it that way--look at an aboriginal drum to see perfect proof of that.
Rawhide is the absolutely simplest leather to make, and dries very hard and stiff. Many ancient and prehistoric cultures, up through modern times have used rawhide's unique characteristics. Plains Indian buffalo hump shields were strong enough to turn a lance, and deflect even a bullet, if it didn't hit straight on. Natch, though, they were about a half inch thick at the center, but still. that's tough!
Handles water based paints pretty well, too, if you'll dampen the surface a and wait ten minutes before the first coat.
In the end, you would have an incredibly strong bond between the two. Probably to the point of wrecking the wood if you wanted to get the rawhide off. On thing I've learned about shield covers (I generally use cloth, though) is that if you thin the glue about 30% with water, the glue actually tends to penetrate the surface of the wood. The second coat sticks to the first very well, and in the case of the rawhide, would also penetrate the rawhide, imho.
If you wet and stretched the rawhide very much, then firmly attached it wet to the edges, you would probably put a "negative bend" on your curved shield, and that would not be good...also, it will tend to stretch out the holes you use to fasten it down, if you did it that way--look at an aboriginal drum to see perfect proof of that.
Rawhide is the absolutely simplest leather to make, and dries very hard and stiff. Many ancient and prehistoric cultures, up through modern times have used rawhide's unique characteristics. Plains Indian buffalo hump shields were strong enough to turn a lance, and deflect even a bullet, if it didn't hit straight on. Natch, though, they were about a half inch thick at the center, but still. that's tough!
Handles water based paints pretty well, too, if you'll dampen the surface a and wait ten minutes before the first coat.
M. Demetrius Abicio
(David Wills)
Saepe veritas est dura.
(David Wills)
Saepe veritas est dura.
