Unusual leathers

[firecrest]

I fancied trying a dabble in a bit of leather work - just a small purse or a knife sheath. Upon googling for pelts, I bid on, and won, a peice of ostrich leg leather from an ostrich farm.Im an ebay nut and Im always buying stuff on it! (just this morning my glow in the dark powder arrived lol!) The leg is fully tanned and dyed already, but I realize now I have no idea what different kind of qualities leather have. Has anyone worked with ostrich skin?

Also, I think snake skin looks beautiful, but my primary concern is animal conservation and welfare and Im wary of buying anything I know to be unusual incase Im doing damage, or it is illegal to buy and ship to the uk. Ive thought of asking friends to donate any dead pet snakes but I have a feeling there is laws governing this kind of thing. I promise I googled first but I don't know where to look!

 

[cheapeats]

In the past I have purchased cowhide that has been embossed to look lik eexotics like snake skin.

 

[leon-1]

I have worked with a few different ones, Bison hide, elk, deer, snakeskin and water buffalo at some stage I will look at sharkskin or rayskin.

Snakeskin was mounted on normal leather so to be fair in that sort of set up it's pretty much the same as working cowhide, but to be really honest I find that the various different types of tanning makes a lot of difference as to how hide can be treated. Oak bark tanned, raw hide, brain tanned, commercial brain tan, veg tan, chrome tan and oil tan all have different qualities that you'll notice when you work with them.

All the different types of tanning can also be used for different things, chrome tan and brain tan being soft and pliable, veg tan and bark tan having more rigidity, these make them suitable for different items.

 

[firecrest]

So its the tanning that makes more of a difference? I just asked because I know when skinning animals, some have skin thats thin and tears easily, I wondered if the same traits are transferred to the leathers. Id like to make a sheath with the ostrich leg, but I dont want to do that if it isnt thick enough. But youve given me a good idea of mounting it on another leather if it isnt, so cheers for that

 

[baggins]

Different animal leathers do have different properties, for example, my biking leathers are made from kangaroo, very light, and very abbrasion resistant, cow hide of the same thickness wouldn't last nearly as long. as already mentioned, how the leather is tanned also plays a big part as does the health o the animal before it was dispatched. Your best bet is to contact either one of the big leather retailers like LePrevo and ask them about different properties or find a leather workers forum on the net (i don't know any off hand but i'm sure there is someone here who does)
Good luck
Baggins

 

[Buckshot]

I've made a pair of moccs from kangaroo
Very thin for the strength and fit like a glove once I'd given them the wet and wear till dry routine.
Brill.

Hellishly expensive over here though

Mark

 

[firecrest]

Ebay Learn to type kangaroo leather in several different languages.

 

[Buckshot]

Or even better, get a cousin to live in Sydney and bring some back when he comes over to visit