Synthetic Anklet Material

[FredFogg]

Here's my first set of biothane anklets for this season. I used the forming kit supplied by western sporting and I am very pleased with what I received. I primarily squirrel hawk so I added studs and lined the interior with leather as I typically do

Lee, just thinking out loud here but did you consider using a wider piece of biothane for the inside piece instead of leather? I haven't made a pair yet but I have 3/4, 5/8, and 1/2 inch size biothane. I was thinking the whole reason to use biothane was it wouldn't wear out where the leather on the inside would wear out way before the biothane and you would have to replace it probably after a season. I know you fringed it at the top and bottom but my understanding is you don't have to fringe the biothane. Again, just thinking out loud because I have no experience with biothane yet.

[REYNALDO]

thanks Lee for the tip

[bellerophon]

Lee, just thinking out loud here but did you consider using a wider piece of biothane for the inside piece instead of leather? I haven't made a pair yet but I have 3/4, 5/8, and 1/2 inch size biothane. I was thinking the whole reason to use biothane was it wouldn't wear out where the leather on the inside would wear out way before the biothane and you would have to replace it probably after a season. I know you fringed it at the top and bottom but my understanding is you don't have to fringe the biothane. Again, just thinking out loud because I have no experience with biothane yet.

I used the 1" biothane since it was closest to what I was taught to use and i would think spreads any forces over a larger area. I actually prefer to keep the leather inner for now. Since they're removable anklets and don't need to be destroyed to remove them, I can still pop them off during any downtime to recondition or peel/replace the leather pad and make sure there's no leg problems being hidden from view. I would also argue the leather molds better to any abnormalities and helps relieve pressure spots. I didn't worry about that as much with all leather anklets sine I knew they would stretch a bit.

As a side note I am toying with the idea of biothane jesses. Those I'm sick of stretching out over time.

[Steve Skinner]

Thanks Geoff / Rey!

After doing some research I found that flexible outdoor contact adhesive would do the trick.

Cheers Lee.

[wesleyc6]

I have it on a male hh now for two years. Last year I tethered him as I dropped weight and instant scale problems. This year same thing. Otherwise I love it.

[goshawkr]

Thanks Geoff / Rey!

After doing some research I found that flexible outdoor contact adhesive would do the trick.

Several years before Biothane came on the market, Steve Layman experimented with making braided ankelts. I tried it a bit myself. Before we discovered a round braided spectra that worked, we both glued leather to the inside of the braided anklets. I used these leather lined braided anklets for 7 years or so.

What I found is that it does not take much adhesive strength to hold the leather in place. Actually, I found hot glue worked well enough even with the very weak adhesive bond that it provides.

In Lee's anklets, the Biothane will provide all the structural strength to the anklet, the leather is just padding and to keep the metal bits from the sparklies that are on the inside edge of the anklet from causing trouble with the leg. So there is very little stress on the leather to begin with.

[goshawkr]

I used the 1" biothane since it was closest to what I was taught to use and i would think spreads any forces over a larger area. I actually prefer to keep the leather inner for now. Since they're removable anklets and don't need to be destroyed to remove them, I can still pop them off during any downtime to recondition or peel/replace the leather pad and make sure there's no leg problems being hidden from view. I would also argue the leather molds better to any abnormalities and helps relieve pressure spots. I didn't worry about that as much with all leather anklets sine I knew they would stretch a bit.

As a side note I am toying with the idea of biothane jesses. Those I'm sick of stretching out over time.

I would expect you will find the leather lasts a VERY long time. It is really doing nothing more than padding your anklet, and that puts very minimal strain on the leather.

I live 3 miles away from a bonifide rainforest. As famous as Seattle is for constant rain, I get a lot more at my house.

I used leather lined braided anklets and the leather lasted as long as I used the anklets. I didn't actually replace the leather, or replace worn out anklets - I switched to another design that I liked better after 4 years of use. Those anklets are still fully functional, and sitting in a box in case they are needed.

[talonslair]

Anybody have any updates in using biothane?? I am concerned about using biothane on RT as some tend to bate a lot.

althou it's supple in flat form once you fold it on its self to make anklets unlike leather it Does not compress ,bend or fold easily(try standing on the end of a cardboard tube) it leaves although radiused a hard edge and the risk of contact sores forming

I wont be using it regardless of the temperature , well greased / oiled leather is the safest method

[Tyme2fly]

Got it and love em!! Thanks western sporting. My wife's RT and mine both are sporting em. We picked up the forming kit too it makes so easy to fit them to the bird !!!!

[rkumetz]

althou it's supple in flat form once you fold it on its self to make anklets unlike leather it Does not compress ,bend or fold easily(try standing on the end of a cardboard tube) it leaves although radiused a hard edge and the risk of contact sores forming

I wont be using it regardless of the temperature , well greased / oiled leather is the safest method

What other methods have you tried that didn't work out?

[ParabuteoJOC]

In our book we had recommended using biothane for the Y-swivel hook-up. We had only used it on a few Harris's Hawks at that time. When I jessed out my female, Ramona, this season, she tore threw it in a matter of seconds. It was O.K. because our weathering yard is enclosed, but I was pretty surprised. She's not normally the type to pick either. So perhaps only the thick, heavy-duty biothane should be used for this application, at least for females.

[rkumetz]

A bird able to take apart a Biothane anklet is a first but clearly all birds are individuals and nothing works in every situation. That being said, I recommend trying ANY new tethering equipment in a controlled situation (indoors, etc) before you park your prized bird out on the lawn and go inside for a beer.

For those who are looking for super heavy duty thickness Biothane for "problem birds" you can just grab a dog collar from a pet store made of the same material as the Marshall tracking collars. Unfortunately the thicker material is much less flexible so you really would need to "heat form" it around something to avoid having it be very large to make the bend around the leg.
I am not sure if Marshall or their dealers sell replacement collars which might be a convenient source.

[ParabuteoJOC]

My male Harris's Hawk, Hannibal, ate the entire biothane strap off of his Y-swivel hook-up yesterday morning. I hope he is going to cast it up tonight...waiting anxiously. I gave him some tiring (a lot of rat skin) and a lot of water. He is digesting normally...

We have tethered 8 Harris's Hawks out this season with biothane for the "short leash" portion of the Y-swivel hook-up and two of them have eaten right through it (1 male, 1 female). While biothane probably does have its uses in falconry, we are not recommending it for tethering Harris's Hawks.

[ParabuteoJOC]

And I also meant to say that I do realize the title of this thread is "Synthetic Anklet Material." We were trying to use the biothane for applications it was not recommended for.