I remember reading about someone who used salmon skin like leather to make a sheath for a folding knife. I think it was for a Fallkniven TK3. It came out looking really nice.
salmon skin as a possible material
- Thread starter 1234
- Start date
Given the exellent information here, there is no need to repeat it. I'll just add the following from the book:
Unless being tanned immediatly the skins are preferrably to be put in the freezer rather than salting or drying. It helps make the skin softer in the end.
Scrape and take the scales off if it has not been done before. She use a scraper made from bottlecaps. If the scales are small they can be left for now because they will fall off during the tanning, but be aware that scales left on will cause discolouration.
Urine based tanning:
"The urine must come from a baby boy, who is only breastfed"
The author claims that no smell of urine can be detected if baby urine is used. The longer the skin is in the urine bath the softer the skin becomes. Half a day or more - over night.1 litre baby urine ( ½litre adult + ½ litre water)
½ dl olive oil
1 teaspoon soft soap
put the skin in for 12-18 hrs, stir often and keep around 20 degrees C
wash several times in soft soaped water (1/10 soft soap/water).
take them out and let dry to a "dripping free" state.
refatten the skins (sorry for crappy english, can't really translate in real time) for 5-10 mins in no warmer than 25 C, in this solution.
½ litre water
1 dl olive (or raps) oil
2 egg yolks
1 tea spoon soft soap
Hang the skin to dry or put it with the outside towards a glass sheath for a shinier surface.
before it is totally dry begin with the softening. Fishskin is less elastic than mammals hides. Rub it between the hands both lengthwise and crosswise. It seems any means of working the skin can be used, pullingback and forth over the back of a chairLet it rest when the surface is dry so that the moist inside creep to the surfce and then workj it again. Do this until it is dry. If it dries to fast it can be remoisted with a spray of water. If this process is stopped to soon the skin will become hard again.
In the end the author use moistiuriser.
To make the skins smoother they can be slightly dampened and attached to a flat surface.
Clean and descale...
The fat tanning.
for 4-5 skins of salmon.
1 dl olive oil or raps)
1 egg yolk
1 tea spoon soft soap
Put the skins in the solution which should be around 20 C, and work them with your hands. Let lie in the solution for 10-15 mins. hang them to dry - rub them every now and then the more the better. soften as above without the moisteriser. UV is good but it can be too hot on a summer day. let hang for a few days and then wash in
1 dl soft soap
10 litres water
wash and clense in clean water.
refatten as above
dry and moisterise
Again sorry for my sloppy writing but hopefully you will get it. ANd also note that all I did was read in a book and repeat it here. I have never done this myself.
The fat tanning.
for 4-5 skins of salmon.
1 dl olive oil or raps)
1 egg yolk
1 tea spoon soft soap
Put the skins in the solution which should be around 20 C, and work them with your hands. Let lie in the solution for 10-15 mins. hang them to dry - rub them every now and then the more the better. soften as above without the moisteriser. UV is good but it can be too hot on a summer day. let hang for a few days and then wash in
1 dl soft soap
10 litres water
wash and clense in clean water.
refatten as above
dry and moisterise
Again sorry for my sloppy writing but hopefully you will get it. ANd also note that all I did was read in a book and repeat it here. I have never done this myself.
just got an email for the place in sweden which i linked above
i thought i would ask about the tanning process, this is the reply i got
HI Dean!
One way of tanning fish skin is with a mixture of 1 dl olive oil or rap oil, 1 egg yolk and teaspoon soap.
After scraping a removing scales a put hem in the mixture 20 min and then hang them in the sun until they have dried. During the drying I go there and work them with my hands.
When they are dry and a little soft a wash them in soap and water, hang them up again and soften them now and then during drying. Just be careful that the sun are not to warm. The UV-light helps the tanning process.
I have written a book about tanning fish skin and I am looking for a publicher interested in translating it to English.
Best regards Lotta
Lottas Garfveri
Långgatan 9
19330 Sigtuna
08/59255000
070/3127846
www.lottasgarveri.se
this is the recipe i will follow if i get around to doing it, so many things on the to do/try list
i thought i would ask about the tanning process, this is the reply i got
HI Dean!
One way of tanning fish skin is with a mixture of 1 dl olive oil or rap oil, 1 egg yolk and teaspoon soap.
After scraping a removing scales a put hem in the mixture 20 min and then hang them in the sun until they have dried. During the drying I go there and work them with my hands.
When they are dry and a little soft a wash them in soap and water, hang them up again and soften them now and then during drying. Just be careful that the sun are not to warm. The UV-light helps the tanning process.
I have written a book about tanning fish skin and I am looking for a publicher interested in translating it to English.
Best regards Lotta
Lottas Garfveri
Långgatan 9
19330 Sigtuna
08/59255000
070/3127846
www.lottasgarveri.se
this is the recipe i will follow if i get around to doing it, so many things on the to do/try list
Cheers PSY & 1234 Very informative.
One Mullet, a pair of Skates & a Cod piece...soooo Brighton darling.
One Mullet, a pair of Skates & a Cod piece...soooo Brighton darling.
I have just recently caught a northern pike icefishing in iowa [america]. I thought the skin was much too pretty to go to waste. So now with all of the info provided I plan on making a wallet or maybe something more exotic. Any ideas?
The main use I used to put it to was cut into strips, tied and dried (oven or sunshine) and they made great dog treats. But going by the consistency of the finished product it could've been pressed into other uses as it was very durable for the thickness of it.
Isn't Sharkskin leather called Chagrin (sp?) seen on antique decrative items?
Edit, its "Shagreen"
Paul
Edit, its "Shagreen"
Paul
Last edited:
Pacific Northwest coastal native communities have been dependant on the annual salmon harvest for thousands of years.
The University of British Columbia Museum of Anthropology should be a good resource.
Inuit use fish skin for "skylights" in igloos. 12" wind-drifted snow blocks makes for a really gloomy home.
The University of British Columbia Museum of Anthropology should be a good resource.
Inuit use fish skin for "skylights" in igloos. 12" wind-drifted snow blocks makes for a really gloomy home.
I tanned a Cod skin at the Moot last year - incredibly, stomach churningly smelly and hard work...
You can buy Salmon leather....
You can buy Salmon leather....
I do remember an Irish firm sold salmon skin for use as 'leather' I always meant to get some but I couldn't find the site anymore.
I know there's this guy, sells finished wallets made of the stuff.. http://www.dccoi.ie/directory/clients/member/22904
(No affilliation etc)
Rudolf dick,a german tool/craft company sell fish leather and a few other more normal ones http://www.mehr-als-werkzeug.de/category/Leder-3624_3629.htm
I spread wood glue all over a damp salmon skin and wrapped it around a tomahawk handle. It was like armor, and quite the conversation piece. Had it through most of my twenties with never a problem. I take a nephew to a large gathering and tell him to go to the tomahawk throw, handing him my tomahawk. Within fifteen minutes he's back with my tomahawk....and both pieces of the handle. Teenagers.
That was many years ago, and come to think of it, hardly relevant to the thread.
That was many years ago, and come to think of it, hardly relevant to the thread.
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