How durable is tanned rabbit?

[SMR]

I'm wondering, how durable rabbit with and with out fur is? Is it strong enough to stand some pull and not rip easily or ? I'm going to start tanning some hides soon...and I have this 'idea' floating around but if the hides aren't close to being as durable as cow then it probably won't work.

 

[akane]

Nowhere near cow. I rip them all the time stretching them to soften them.

 

[skysthelimit]

I second that. Quite easily. I recall rabbit leather mostly being used for ladies gloves.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

I believe the thickest portion of cowhide is on the back- it is probably the same for rabbits as well. Maybe you could cut the thinner edges off and measure the thickness. It wont be anywhere near as thick as cowhide in any case though. Older rabbits will have a thicker hide than juniors.

 

[ohiogoatgirl]

yes, rabbit is the thinnest of all leathers i think. mostly used as furs for lining mittens and things.

if you want thin and strong then you are probably wanting goat hide. goat hide is known to be on the thin side and strong. is used alot for natural drum tops.

the stronger stuff from thinner to thicker would probably be... deer, cow, elk, buffalo. those may not be in exactly the right order though as i have not worked with those all myself.

mind if i ask what you were hoping to make?

and the thickest part of a hide is the neck. as that is where predators go for.

 

[SMR]

Thanks, maybe kinda strange but myself and another person had thought about rabbit hair/leather halters and headstalls. Cleaning wouldn't be all that easy or great BUT they wouldn't be intended for absolutely much yuck work every day use either.

 

[arachyd]

They would not be strong enough to hold a horse but would look nice as a part that does not bear much weight such as the browband or chin strap, extra strings for decoration, etc. They might be strong enough for smaller animals like goats if you use hide from mature rabbits.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

Thanks, maybe kinda strange but myself and another person had thought about rabbit hair/leather halters and headstalls.

You could make the fur parts detachable like the fleece nosebands, or sew them onto plain leather or nylon tack. Accent pieces on chaps or chinks would be cute too.

 

[SMR]

Yeah, that was the original plan. But I like the braided look and was wondering on that lol.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

Well, you could just make the browband and noseband out of braided rabbit hide, as long as the crown, cheek pieces, and throatlatch are sturdy leather or nylon.

 

[akane]

You can back rabbit with a fabric before using it. That's often how it's done for blankets. You get the look and softness of rabbit hide but the pull ends up being on the other item. I was actually looking for a fabric to make a bridle with a rope bit and nothing metal on it for a very sensitive mare who has a beautiful head as well. Only one place makes a rope bit besides the native american war bridles with no noseband or browband but I'm not sure what they use. I was thinking of braiding fleece. It's stretchy though and while durable I find even with my 80lb dog pulling on her braided fleece agility slip lead she can make an extra foot or so of distance before the stretch starts to run out. I might have to run a line of leather or denim down the middle. You could throw rabbit in to something like that and have an interesting piece of tack with the fabric taking the pull instead.