What's the weirdest exotic hide you've ever worked with?

[TheHogRing]

I just finished blogging about an interesting article about exotic hides - basically a what you need to know guide about working with them. I had no idea that people are actually upholstering with hippo, shark, etc...

It got me thinking, what's the weirdest exotic hide you've ever worked with? I'd be interested to know.

If you want to read the blog posting, check it out here: http://www.thehogring.com/2011/04/12/working-with-exotic-hides/

[Mojo]

Leather from an Ostrich leg and leather from a Kangaroo. That is about as exotic as I have ever gotten.

I would like to try some gator or croc sometime but the prices are insane. That is what keeps me from working with exotic leathers. :)

Kangaroo hide by the way makes excellent wallets. It is very durable and easy to work with. Ostrich leather from the legs can be a real challenge as some hides contain a lot of wrinkles in the center portions.

BTW, I have eaten both Kangaroo and ostrich and their meat is awesome. I have also had black bear, wild boar, elk, mule deer, antelope, rocky mountain oysters ( delicious ), raccoon, squirrel, gator, goat and yes, I have had horse meat in Europe ( very lean ).

OK, off the food stuff and back to the leather stuff. :) I typically work with cowhide. I just finished off a purse a few months ago for my wife and am making another for my daughter. The leather is cowhide but is brown and croc embossed. Nice and shiny and looks awesome.

Chris

[SHHR]

Bull field mice hides, an it takes alot of them to do a seat. Ok, I'm full of it, mostly just standard leather and ostrich here. I get alot of ads from Tandy and they occasionally run some good deals on stingray hides. I think I'm going to order some to play with in my spare time. Anybody have an idea on how well they wear in seating areas?
Kyle

[kodydog]

When I was working In a furniture factory in NC one of the other upholsterers sold me an elephant hide. He bought it from the place we worked and the plant manager verified it was real. It was thick and heavy and gray in color. It easily covered the top of our king size bed. I sold it to a customer and upholstered her husbands recliner. One hide did the whole piece.

[Chill]

The other lady in our shop makes rugs for a taxidermist. Tonight I picked up a grizzly, 4 black bears and a zebra. We have done mountain lion, puma, hyena, giraffe, and wolf as well as several zebra and bears including a Kodiak. Someone had us make table runners out of moose, weird. we have made pillows from the butt end of several little deer-like animals, they leave the tail on. We have covered a small chair seat and back in a hair-on deer hide. We have used hair-on cow hide for western furniture. The most unusual was a musk ox. It has very long hair, it was made into a rug leaving the head on. I hope the rug will hang on a wall, it has very sharp upturned horns, looks dangerous to me.
Carol

[RandyOnR3]

  Had a guy bring in a pair of worn out boots made of "water buffalo" and had me make him a steering wheel cover for his truck from the hide.. It actually came out pretty nice..  I scavange old material from time to time from old furniture or from boots..  surprising the piece of old fabric gained from a sofa back of chrushed velvet..

[ncydmn]

I used a Rattle snake down the center of a custom chopper seat.  The customer wanted the rattles left on hanging off the end of the seat.  Looked pretty good when done.  Bullfrog is another neat one for highlights.  They don't go far.  Roy.

[gene]

My butt after I sat on some decorative tacks.

Unfortunately, all the exotic hides I've ever worked with had the first name of Faux.

You had me going there with the bull field mice.

I bet that snakes skin seat was awesome looking.

I'm still waiting for a source for new born baby panda pelts.

gene

[Darren Henry]

We have covered a small chair seat and back in a hair-on deer hide

How did you manage that? Any hair on deer hides I've run across shed like a panicked porcupine. Even as wall mounts (as apposed to floor rugs) , they look like road kill in only a few years. Rabbit is bad for that as well. Is there something you do to treat the hide to prevent shedding?

I would like to try some gator or croc sometime but the prices are insane

Cut out the middle man Col. There had to have been a Colt 1911 in your USMC severance package, your in Florida, DUH!!!. Make your own.  :P

[Mojo]

I would like to try some gator or croc sometime but the prices are insane

Cut out the middle man Col. There had to have been a Colt 1911 in your USMC severance package, your in Florida, DUH!!!. Make your own.  :P

I do have a couple 9 mm's. Did you know the kill spot for a gator is only the size of a quarter right on top of its head ? If you hit him anywhere else, it just pisses them off.

Gators are plentiful down here. Heck they are everywhere even in peoples back yards. A lady in Tampa last week had one get into her screen room and jump in her pool.  But........how would I tan that hide ? I know nothing about that process. In as far as eating it, no worries. Gator is really good eating. Battered, deep fried and then add a little hot sauce.....you got yourself some good eating my friend.

Chris

[Chill]

How did you manage that? Any hair on deer hides I've run across shed like a panicked porcupine

It looked pretty good when it left the shop and it was exactly what the client wanted. Maybe it was just a conversation piece.

[kodydog]

We made a toss pillow from these two cheetah hides.

[Darren Henry]

Did you know the kill spot for a gator is only the size of a quarter right on top of its head ? If you hit him anywhere else, it just pisses them off

:o I did not know that. Certainly adds a little to the challenge of hunting one. I probably won't get a chance to taste one up here but I did come into some kangaroo jerky and some eel jerky once. I'll grab more if I come across it again.

[kodydog]

BTW, I have eaten both Kangaroo and ostrich and their meat is awesome. I have also had black bear, wild boar, elk, mule deer, antelope, rocky mountain oysters ( delicious ), raccoon, squirrel, gator, goat and yes, I have had horse meat in Europe ( very lean ).
Chris

Went to some friends house for Easter dinner. Roast Caribou was the main course. 1st time for me. Dark red meat, very good. Their friends smuggled it home from Alaska in their luggage.
Sara Palin would be proud.

[TheHogRing]

"My butt after I sat on some decorative tacks." -- haha Gene!

Wow, so many great opportunities to work with exotic hides. You all are so incredibly lucky. I would love to work with elephant, cheetah and sting ray.

I wonder if it's possible to work with the hide of an endangered species (probably not for obvious reasons). But, you know, after it dies of natural causes.

Eh... they probably mount and stuff it.