How to Condition a Rawhide Mallet
A brand new rawhide mallet has an extremely hard shellac or resin coating on it that needs to be removed before being used. Sanding the ends on a 60-80 grit belt grinder/power sander is one way. Another is to lock the mallet in a vise and use a steel file or a rasp to remove the hardened coating. Once the shell is removed, soak the rawhide in water for about an hour, then dry it off with an absorbent shop towel and file, sand or rasp the mallet again.
A rawhide mallet that is ready for use in the shop will not have any discernible spiral of the leather that is wrapped up to form the head of the mallet. The end of a rawhide mallet should resemble the fuzzy side of a piece of leather. There should be fibers of the leather visible on the striking surface.
Please do NOT beat a new rawhide mallet on a concrete sidewalk or curb. The risk is embedding a small pebble that will then scratch a leather surface, dent or scratch soft metals, and eventually damage the rawhide itself.