Deer sinew questions

[Dabberty]

Hi there

I'm planning to create a couple of different kind of knives, just for the fun of it and to see and feel the differences.
For example:
- one will be with a handle from old jeans,
- one with a leather stacked handle
- one with a birch bark stacked handle
- one from a very old piece of metal (at least 600 years old, i found it in the ruins of a castle) and the handle from a piece of wood which is dated to be around 3000 years old (was found in a swamp, and tested, and i got a piece from the guy who bought a large piece)
- one will be with olive wood handle, taken by myself from the olive gardens from Mount Olives in Jerusalem, Israel.
- one will have the handle from a piece of black locust
This is all long term plans, one by one, slowly, nor rushing it as all.

Back on topic, one knife I want to incorporate some wrapping of deer sinew, and since this is mostly a USA thingy, I have not found a place in Europe yet where they sell it.
After some online search, I found some different kinds, and would like to have your (experienced) feedback on it.

- deer leg sinew
- deer back sinew
- elk leg sinew
- elk back sinew
- simulated sinew

Whats the functional difference between leg and back sinew ?
What is better, elk or deer ? (i noticed that elk is mostly available in longer pieces)
How well is the simulated sinew compared to the real sinew ?

Your feedback is highly appreciated !

Thanks,
D.

[wsdstan]

Here is a forum that talks about leg and back sinew.  From an archery standpoint they prefer back.  It is longer and easier to work with.  Elk would be longer yet.

http://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index.php?topic=29445.0



Artificial sinew is all I have worked with and it mostly for clothing and sheaths, a long time ago.  Nothing wrong with it.

[wolfy]

I have had no luck with deer leg sinew.  It is just too short for anything that I tried to use it for.  It's harder to process into usable strands than the back sinew, too.  You have to dry and pound the leg sinew to separate the fibers, but that's unnecessary when utilizing back sinew.  It comes in a thin translucent sheet that is much easier to pull fibers from.   The pieces I have are around a foot or a little more in length and dried for future use. 

I'll look when I'm out at the farm tomorrow to see what kind of shape it's in.  The last time I looked it was OK, except for a couple of pieces that the bugs had gotten to.  Once it's dried, it lasts nearly forever.  Tough stuff, too.   If you think it will work for you, I'll send it to you.......and I hope the package gets to you faster than yours did to me!

[MnSportsman]

 I have some real deer sinew I can send you that I have from a couple of years ago. It is not "processed",  in any way, except for being dried. It is from when I harvested it to use someday into the future if it was needed. I can get more.


 You want some , PM me & If I find where I put it,( I think I know where it is) I will send it to you.
ok?
 


Edit - I will go look for it tonite or tomorrow.

[Dabberty]

On that forum I could also not find anything about quality differences.
So the preferable one would be the back sinew due to it's length i see.

Thanks for the feedback, I will send you an PM :-)

[wolfy]

You have a PM, as well.

[wolfy]

I finally got to the Post Office today and mailed a package with 3 nice pieces of back-strap deer sinew with a good portion of artificial sinew wrapped around the bundle to Dabberty in Prague, Czech Republic.

If the mail works as good from my end as it did from his, he should have it by September!

[Moe M.]

I finally got to the Post Office today and mailed a package with 3 nice pieces of back-strap deer sinew with a good portion of artificial sinew wrapped around the bundle to Dabberty in Prague, Czech Republic.

If the mail works as good from my end as it did from his, he should have it by September!

  I hear USPS is using horses again in a bid to speed things up a bit.       

[MnSportsman]

  Through PM, a couple of days ago... I just told Dabberty I would send some to him this week. I have rain tomorrow & plan to send a bit to him myself. I do not have as much to send as Wolfy, but I will send as I said I would.


  He should have plenty for his projects then, I would guess.

[Dabberty]

Thank you both for your generosity, it will indeed come in handy.
The artificial part will be used for a big sheath, the real sinew for the knife handle.
All exists already in my mind now....  But now the execution and with that the lady of the house who believes doing the dirty crockery or mowing the grass is more important..

[Dabberty]

Hello Wolfy and MnSportsman, I never got around showing the result of the sinew project, and I wont be able to for the next 15 years.

I tried to stretch one piece after soaking in water, which did not go well.
With the others I simulated a wrapped knife handle, and axe handle, but somehow I did not like the looks of it on the axe.
On the knife it looked good, perhaps due to the contrasting wood color.
I also tried to sew a knife sheath of it, but no luck in there as well.

The knife lays as we speak in the ground, in a time capsule sort of thing, together with a news paper, some axe heads, letters from the grandmothers and us, and a bottle of whisky, all for my sons 18th birthday. He will get the coordinates once he turns 18.
I oiled it all up, and wrapped it in waxed paper, hopefully it will stay all good.

No pics sadly enough, but in 15 years from now I will post some :-)
Still a big @ss thank you for sending me the sinew !!

[wsdstan]

Interesting.  When you dig it up I will be 88 years old if I am still around.  Most likely I will be ashes somewhere, hopefully not in the septic tank or drainfield.   

[crashdive123]

Interesting.  When you dig it up I will be 88 years old if I am still around.  Most likely I will be ashes somewhere, hopefully not in the septic tank or drainfield.   

I wonder if wraping you in sinew would help preserve you?

[wsdstan]

That is a superb idea to try out.  That stuff has to be good for something.

[Unknown]

I don?t care much for artificial sinew as a thread for sewing leather goods. It?s a fiber for those who have yet to discover linen cable I suppose.
As to how to use the animal sinew- you could use it whole like a twisted gut. Or, pound it to a mat, to lay on like a fiberglass fabric. Or, tease out the individual fibers as thread or twist those into a more substantial multi ply cordage aka a cable as referenced above.

It is a wonderous material to work, affording one a true sense of the strength of the animal from which it came.