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Old 03-21-2017, 12:10 PM
Oldan Grumpi Oldan Grumpi is offline
 
Join Date: Oct 2015
Posts: 304
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It's really easy to make willow hoops, especially in the spring when the sap comes up. (and its free) I used to lace hides into them with cotton clothesline cord, and later on with synthetic baler twine.

You need good thick willows, at least as thick as your thumb, or a bit thicker. If they don't bend right, soak them for a couple of days. Take two good willows and haywire one end together, then put your foot on the haywired connection and bend them around to haywire the other ends together. Make sure the ends overlap by a good foot or more. They cure good and hard, and by the second time you use them they're way better.

They last a long time if you hang them up out of the weather when they're not in use, and I always felt the hides dry nicer because the air gets at both sides.

Last edited by Oldan Grumpi; 03-21-2017 at 12:16 PM.
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