Club Obi Wan

What other hide would you like to see used in the making of a jacket? :

Sting Ray. Reputedly the world's most durable leather. Soft, yet tough. Water, fire, and tear resistant. Used in medieval Japan for sword handle wraps and armor coverings.

Bushman

Very cool and an interesting peice of history!

Salt Water Crocodile or ostrich skin if I could afford them.

I would love a starling-hide jacket, only because one would have to shoot about 400 starlings to make a size 40 jacket.

(My birdfeeders are being overrun with starlings and I hate the ###### things.)

Bring back some heavy ### bull / steer hide - How about horsehide?

I J

Schwammy, that's just scarey man. Sorry if I am posting to much today, just on a role.

Gorilla-hide anyone?

Chupakabra. That's the ultimate hide.

I would really like a vendor or two to make some Indy jackets with the quality deerskin that the FS Expeditions were made of. Quality, durable, and the drape is great too.

Chamorro wrote:Chupakabra. That's the ultimate hide.

Sounds coo, but, what exactly is it?

Chamorro wrote:Chupakabra. That's the ultimate hide.

Sounds coo, but, what exactly is it?[/quote]

It's a mexican Urban Legend. They did an x-files episode about it. It's a guy who turns into a beast if my memory is correct
Janice

P.S Chamorro, please correct me if i'm wrong

If, if it's the one reportedly in Puerto Rico, count me out. I'll watch from the porch while YOU round one up, Smith and Wesson in hand. (grins) Heck, it will bite so many holes in itself trying to get away, your jacket would leak like a sieve. Regards. Michaelson

That's pretty close. It's not just an Urban Legend in Mexico and Puerto Rice...El Chupakabra is pretty deeply rooted in Meso-American Mythology. It's a mythical "goat eater"....and the X-Files episode is dead on the money concerning its origins and habits. A beast that steals in and eats goats (primary to Meso-American culture)....supposedly very ugly and mean. Michaelson's right....I'd be on the porch with him....not a creature I'd want to tangle with.

Later!
Indydawg

It's the Mexican Bogeyman. Or would that be El Hombre Bogey?

the stingray they make boots friom isn't soft. It is flexible but covered in hard bumbs. it bends between the bumps. The stuff the make boots from looks like sand paper. about 0 grit.

I vote for shark. Very tuff. good grain. I have a pair of chocolate brown sharkskin boots that I love. Some of the most comfortable I have ever owned.

Imagine the items we could have made out of Jaws?

Forgive my ignorance ... but are shark skin suits really made from shark skin? I've never seen one before but I've heard about them.

Nope, most of the time the were a cotton(or wool)/synthetic blend. Real sharkskin is a leather that is next in line behind elephant which is behind stingray. They are the three toughest leathers in boot manufacturing.

Hey JP,

Those "bumps" are called pearls. You are right that some stingray leather is very tough. However, there is some particulary nice stuff that they make into belts, wallets, and ladies' handbags. (The natural colour range is quite remarkable, everything from steel grey to light grey to yellow brown and on to russet.)

Yes, sharkskin is great. I'd like to get my hands on a tobacco pouch made of sharkskin.

Bushman

I'll ask around about scraps

Yeah, I've only seen boots. We used to demonstrate their toughness by sand the edge of the counter wit them.