Unusual Leathers To Work With

[@elaynecesaro7262]

I have been using chrome tanned kangaroo leather for a while now and love the softness. Not long ago I ordered some veg tanned kangaroo leather and am looking forward to using it too. I'm originally from Adelaide, South Australia and can remember the smell from the tannery in Mount Barker as we drove through. We always knew where we were with that smell. Enjoy your holiday.

[@LeathercraftMasterclass]

Very cool! I haven't seen veg tan kangaroo here yet.

[@edwilliams2603]

Hi Phil, I've used beaver tail, which is vegetable tanned. The pieces are small but I love the texture of it. Also used moose hide that was split to 2mm, it was home tanned and the color was spotty and inconsistent. It was very similar to chrome tanned leather of that thickness. I'm also learning how to tan fish skins. The ones I've seen done are incredible, they take on the color of the red rose tea bags (brownish) but keep some of the color patterns of the particular fish skin used. The ones I've done are about 1.0 mm thick, some people can get them to about 2.5 mm thick, that is my goal!!

[@LeathercraftMasterclass]

Nice! I've always loved the unique look of beaver tail. Almost reptilian looking. Well done tanning your own skins, I've always wanted to try that. Interesting you're using rose tea, as I've often wondered how leather tanned with regular black tea would turn out with it's high tannin content.

[@gregorysullivan7796]

Fish skin. Trigger fish has a very think skin with an interesting slightly abrasive texture that I like, I’ve heard of people using salmon but have yet to try it.

[@LeathercraftMasterclass]

Sounds like it would be difficult to cut!

[@tiagopardete545]

The most unique leather I've tried was Deer. It was veg-tanned, thin and strong. Other than that, I've tried Horse, Buffalo and rabbit with fur.

[@LeathercraftMasterclass]

Deer skin is wonderful to work with. I agree, very strong

[@OmniCasper]

It's really cool that you are speaking about Camel leather, I have heard tales about the softest slippers in the world from Morocco, made with camel leather. (If they are true or not I do not know hehe)

[@LeathercraftMasterclass]

It was very soft from what I remember, so I wouldn't be surprised.

[@kyuubinokitsune4270]

But.. I know that the oldest and largest tanney in the world is in Marocco, if I right remember... an open air tannery. 😊 Maybe it could be interesting. 😊

[@Mr.JohnnyVLD]

I used camel, ostrich, goat, calf, neonatto calf, horse, bison, buffalo, gator, lizard, croc, snake.. At least these I remember it now. 😁

[@LeathercraftMasterclass]

Haha, I think you may have used every species!

[@Mr.JohnnyVLD]

@@LeathercraftMasterclass nah. I still have some teju in stock but it is just as the lizard, plus I still need to find and use some fish, elephant and shark+chicken 😂

[@EduardoSilva-mr1lp]

Te most unusual leather I have worked with is shark leather , soft , easy to skive , little stretchy , good looking.

[@LeathercraftMasterclass]

Yeah, that's a really unique skin!

[@EduardoSilva-mr1lp]

@@LeathercraftMasterclass Hey Phillip, do you have a preferred non toxic glue for bonding the metal and leather the plastic and leather?, I'm sick of using the yellow smelly glue , but as alternative the kenda farben water based do not work on such surfaces.

[@LeathercraftMasterclass]

@@EduardoSilva-mr1lp Difficult. You could try 2 part epoxy, but you won't get the benefit of instant bonding on contact. Plastics are notoriously hard to stick to, depending on what it's made of. I would go with the solvent adhesive and make sure you have a fan to blow the vapours away in a well ventilated area. Or wear a mask specifically for use with such solvents.

[@EduardoSilva-mr1lp]

@@LeathercraftMasterclass thanks for the answer.

[@aditiverma1539]

Al khaznah tannery,Abu Dhabi makes camel leather.I saw then at the APLF, Dubai.I haven't yet used it myself.

[@LeathercraftMasterclass]

Ah that's interesting. I hadn't heard of them before.

[@armaniamin]

Have you ever use Ostrich leg leather 😂. We have it here

[@LeathercraftMasterclass]

That's cool

[@DCportraits]

Enjoy your holiday!! I've used ostrich leg before on a front wallet and one thing I noticed was how bony and stiff parts of the articulating section were in comparison to other parts of the leg. I wondered if wetting it could make it more malleable or pliable to mold for a handle or curved objects.

[@LeathercraftMasterclass]

Thank you for sharing! I imagine ostrich leg is chrome tanned, so it may not soften enough for moulding purposes. But that shouldn't stop you from trying!

[@kyuubinokitsune4270]

I tried and I loved sturgeon leather! But it's not so easy by hand to work with, because the bony plaques present and are really hard that could ruin tools. 😅

[@LeathercraftMasterclass]

That's really cool. Sturgeon grow to be huge so I imagine you could get a large skin from it.

[@kyuubinokitsune4270]

@@LeathercraftMasterclass Well for the price I buy a smaller one. 😂

[@LeathercraftMasterclass]

@@kyuubinokitsune4270 Sounds expensive!

[@kyuubinokitsune4270]

@@LeathercraftMasterclass well not so so much, but I'm still learning and make mistakes. 😂

[@user-a33kixd2wq44]

I tried combi-tanned horse leather. It is soft and feel like cowhide, but not that clean 😂

[@LeathercraftMasterclass]

😳😂

[@gingerinthedesertcreations]

I would wonder if the leather that smells gamy is brain tanned

[@LeathercraftMasterclass]

If someone used my brain to tan leather, I'd lose my mind! 😁 In all seriousness, I'm not too sure. Could be a lot of wacky stuff.

[@user-a33kixd2wq44]

I think the 99% of the smell depends on the recipes of the tanneries . Not sure if the raw hide plays a role.

[@LeathercraftMasterclass]

Agreed