Making a hide scraper quickly.
Find or cut a rectangle of steel. I cut a 5 x 1.5 inch piece from a large ceramic cutting disc (high speed steel, un tempered). Find a stick made of hard wood with a bend in the center. Cut two deep slits on both sides of the stick and hammer the steel into the slit. I cut small grooves on each side of the steel to wrap some wire around the stick and steel for extra security, but the groove in the ash is tight and holds the steel snug.
Dont cut through the wood as the more cutting you do, the weaker your wood becomes, and the scaper will fail on a good hard scrape stroke.
Grind a sharp bevel but dull edge on the scraper steel. I had a drawknife for scraping hides until I needed it for wood; while scaping I never sharpened after a thousand hides.
