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Do hides have a shelf life?

PostPosted: Sat Aug 13, 2011 4:11 pm
by Chupacabra
I am going through a bunch of stuff that I won't be using any more and have found some cowhide rounds that I have had for years and have never used them. I know someone who can use them but before I give them to him I would like to find out if they are still useful for putting on a drum after being stored for at least 6 years. Of course I could just hand them over to him and not be concerned but I am not like that. If they are no good for drums they could always be turned into dog-chews!

Re: Do hides have a shelf life?

PostPosted: Sat Aug 13, 2011 9:57 pm
by Anonimo
POST REMOVED BY THE AUTHOR

Re: Do hides have a shelf life?

PostPosted: Sat Aug 13, 2011 11:41 pm
by windhorse
leedy2 wrote:No will last for ever if not wet and cut


or Molded (goes with wet) or infested by parasites.

Re: Do hides have a shelf life?

PostPosted: Sun Aug 14, 2011 2:25 am
by Chupacabra
They were kept in a dry storage locker for most of the time and no chance of contact with moisture or insects so I guess they should be O.K. Just thought I would check...

Sorry puppy dog! (He has a beagle) No rawhide for you!

Re: Do hides have a shelf life?

PostPosted: Sun Aug 14, 2011 3:28 am
by windhorse
Every skin is different.. One of the big factors of how they act is their thickness. What's yours? If it's big, it might have a fair range of thickness from the side to the middle.

Re: Do hides have a shelf life?

PostPosted: Sun Aug 14, 2011 3:59 am
by Chupacabra
windhorse wrote:Every skin is different.. One of the big factors of how they act is their thickness. What's yours? If it's big, it might have a fair range of thickness from the side to the middle.

I have three rounds all from the same hide and they are centre cut (spine in the middle of each round) and I am too lazy to go and measure them right now but I think the smallest one is about 50 cm, or 20 inches and the biggest one is at least 62 cm, or 25 inches in diameter. They're unprocessed so they still have the hair on them but the underside has been scoured and there is no fat or membrane left on them and the rounds look really good from that side. They smell O.K - as far as rawhides go. As far as thickness goes, they are pretty darn thick. The largest round is the thickest and it is about 4 mm at the spine, maybe more, and the smallest is about 2 or 3 mm at the spine. It's impossible to tell if there is any rot with the hair on, which is the case even with newer hides.

If there is one thing I have learned about buying rawhides, try to get them with the hair removed whenever possible, and if not, make sure you get them from a trusted source! 8)

Re: Do hides have a shelf life?

PostPosted: Sun Apr 22, 2012 1:55 am
by helhan
i guess its best to have it brought in a store that sells those near your place to check if it is still in usable condition. i am sure they know how to check for signs of any rot or compromise in the quality of you rawhides although if you are confident enough to use it and judging from how you described it then it must still be in a good condition, just be extra careful though cause it might not have the same durability as it had when you bought it so it might be easier to break i this time.