Fish skin

[Robson Valley]

Thank you very much for stopping so often to take progress pictures.
If there was no easy ice, I've been told over and over that Inuit used fish skin for light windows replacing a snow block in an Igloolik (snow house).
Otherwise pretty dark but for the light from the kudlik.
Question = How transparent is your finished fish leather?

 

[John Fenna]

The little bit I made had been steeped in strong tea - my job was working in masses of baby oil ...a stinking, exhausting boring task that lasted a good working day and produced about 6"x3" of usable leather!
Very nice leather - but not something I will be making again in a hurry...

 

[Macaroon]

Extremely interesting reading; I, and I suspect many of us here, know nothing at all of this fascinating skill so thanks very much for this

 

[Janne]

Conger eel skin must be fantastic!

 

[Wayne]

Salmon skins where often used to back bows. Not done so myself yet but it might be worth a play.

 

[Mang]

Thank you very much for stopping so often to take progress pictures.
If there was no easy ice, I've been told over and over that Inuit used fish skin for light windows replacing a snow block in an Igloolik (snow house).
Otherwise pretty dark but for the light from the kudlik.
Question = How transparent is your finished fish leather?

Glad you liked it, I decided to take copious pictures so that I have a future reference guide and if it's helps anyone else then all's good. You can see diamond shapes of brown coloured light if you hold it up but perhaps they scraped it a little thinner and I'd guess they didn't bark tan?

 

[Robson Valley]

Ah. Thank you. Vast empty countryside of tundra and polar desert. No trees. No shrubs.
The only bark they get is from the dogs.

Might it also depend on the species of fish, I suppose?

 

[Janne]

Skin from Skates, rays and such were used to cover sabre ( + swords and daggers?) handles to prevent slipping.
Has a knobbly surface.

I think they used urine in tree poor areas? Plus brains?

 

[Robson Valley]

I suppose there's no reason not to brain tan a fish skin as is done with seakskins.
I don't know any Inuit people so have nobody to ask.
My cousins live in Dawson City, YT. They might know.

 

[Mang]

I took a picture of the sunlight through the fish leather I've made.

 

[Mang]

As a follow up to the fish skin leather blog I posted earlier in the thread I decided to film my latest salmon skin leather 'adventure'-All the hits and misses, poops and giggles.

 

[Mang]

Just as a ps, I had a crack at using some salmon skin leather to make some bowdrill cordage.

 

[Galemys]

While searching for fire piston information, I came across this data on the Hezhe, a Chinese tribe that uses fish skins. It might be of interest in this thread










Cheers,

Tom

 

[matarius777]

You could stick an 'eel on each of 'em too.

Talking of eels, I met a chap who made bowstrings from eel skin.
Dogfish, or any of the sharky types, has very tough skin and has been used in the past as sandpaper.

Not sure about the leather thing. As said previously, there was a thread about salmon skin or something or other last year.

I have a little glass whiskey flask that’s covered in sharkskin leather, it’s called Shagreen. It’s actually rawhide, untanned leather. I believe the Japanese used to use it on their sword scabbards and hilts.