EXOTIC Leathers and How to Use Them in Leathercraft 

I am so glad you found it helpful!

That's a good idea but I have already started on a sting ray wallet 😂

@@TeranAtelier whose to say you can’t do both? (I’m very optimistic when it comes to making things).

I am so glad you found it helpful. Thank you for your support!

I second the sentiment. I'm heading into the unknown of leather craft and really appreciate the information I'm getting from Teran's videos.

Thank you! I have a crocodile project coming up so stay tuned.

Glad it was helpful!

Glad it was helpful!

Awesome! Thank you!

You are most welcome! Good luck with your ostrich project!

Thanks! Great suggestion.

Lol can you say, "careful what you wish for!" Good job at Teran Atelier! Getting it done for the leathercraft community!

Yes the stingray nodules give unmatched durability, it is still going very strong on my watch strap. I think when leathercrafters use good materials they can easily rival high end brands.

@@TeranAtelier Easily outdo many of them imo

It would destroy Louis Vuitton

You're welcome. When I make a video with this stingray I will be sure to add some stitching. For now, using a round punch chisel is most likely to give you good results compared to a diamond chisel or pricking iron.

Yes, it is best to have a project in mind when you buy leather.

Red is one of my favorite leather colors too, I find it works really well with black accents.

Thanks! They are a bit small so that is why they might be less popular than salmon.

I have not had a chance to work with those leathers but they sound interesting.

Thank you for the support!

You're welcome!

Thank you for the suggestion. A zippered wallet with stingray would be interesting. You would likely have to stitch the zipper to the lining and then glue the stingray to the lining after.

You're Welcome

You are most welcome! Of the ones in the video it would be stingray but because the hard nodules can actually make it scratch resistant. For a flexible leather, then shell cordovan (horse) would be the most durable if it can be considered exotic.

I have made most of those already, check out my more recent videos.

You have a very keen eye

Thank you! It is called a dial thickness gauge (0-10 mm model). I use a cheap generic model which works fine, you can find them for around 5-10 dollars on any online marketplace.

That sounds like an interesting project and stingray would be very suitable. My only tip would be to use a baseball stitch on the seam which is good for wrapping handles.

Thanks! I do have plans for stingray wallet very soon.

@@TeranAtelier thanks, looking forward to it!

You can find patterns for those iconic handbags online. They will not be too expensive compared to your crocodile skins.

A bit of glue under the scale may help. The prime section of the ostrich leg is the middle section where the scales are completely adhered and the scale pattern is most regular. Exotic skins are all very unique which makes it good and bad, you just need to use and make the most out of the good sections.

I have not done anything like that before but it does sound interesting.

Yes I have some successful projects with stingray held together only by glue. Stitching should be kept to a minimum as it does not look that great over the stingray nodules.

Thanks! I got these from facebook.com/thaiandswat

I got these exotic leathers from a shop when I was in Bangkok: facebook.com/thaiandswat/. I am not sure whether they can ship internationally.

That would be an interesting project, but I am not a cigar person.

@@TeranAtelier you don’t have to be, it’s just a case of following a simple design. How much would you charge me for one?

@@CARDGAMBIT Unfortunately I do not make products for sale, I currently only make RU-vid videos. I am sure there are other leather workers that would be interested in taking up your commission.

I get my exotics from facebook.com/thaiandswat just note that exotics cannot be imported to some countries.

It depends where you are based. Try having a look at Rojé Exotics, they sell all sorts of exotic leathers.

😂😂 I think people do eat stingray but I haven't seen it available.

Sorry I am not familiar with any suppliers of coyote related products.

Or crocodile. Same question.

You are most welcome! Conditioners works best for exotic leathers as waxes generally don't penetrate well into the skins. Angelus make a conditioner specific to exotic leathers which I use.

I have never heard of seal skin before but definitely sound interesting. Try it out.

@@TeranAtelier Seal leather is gorgeous! I would be great if managed to buy some! Seals are more known for their beautiful fur but they give unique leather too. (And here is another reason why I hate animal protectors...)

@@lukasbejcek8841 Seal sounds really interesting but it would be difficult get hold of some.

@@lukasbejcek8841 Seal products are banned in the EU, USA, and many other countries due to the leather with fur are best when they are several days old and seal hunters hacked to death the animal and take their hide, why it is banned, but only allow to the northern native people to harvest and sell seal products.

@@bazlur-Vancouver Yes it is because of the animal activists’ pressure. But realize it is completely emotional. "Several days old" babies sounds horribly but we kill chickens and many other animal babies. We are on the top of the food chain and I think killing babies is acceptable if it is reasonable from the human perspective (because of the meat quality, the skin quality etc). We may admit killing several days old seals is ethically questionable but at least harvesting older seals should be permitted without restrictions. As a leather and fur lover, I am a little sad that such an excellent skin is getting out of the sortiment. Seals have been hunted for thousands years and they are not endangered. Inuits are allowed to hunt them but they are meeting low demand for the seal products because of the anti-sealing madness. It is a clear example what consequences absurd animal protection can have.

I find a light leather conditioner such as Fiebing's '4 Way Care' is the best. Thicker wax type conditioners do not work well for exotic leathers.

@@TeranAtelier Thank you already, so Fiebing's carnauba creme should not be used. Are you familiar with Sedgwick & Co. original Leather Care?

@TheGizmoGremlin Carnauba Cream should not be used, the website says it is only for smooth leather. I haven't tried any Sedgwick products, Fiebing's has always been more accessible for me.

@@TeranAtelier thanks!

No, the natural colour is beige with dark brown stripes. That snake skin has been dyed red.

It is easy to see if you have the full skin in front of you but might be more difficult if it is already part of a product. For the exotic hides with scales you should be able to see the 3D shape of each individual scale around their edges. Printed scales look flat under close inspection and it will be clear that the scale pattern is simply pressed into originally flat leather.

Thank you! The best way is to source your leather from ethical farms and tanneries so there will be no ethical issues of using animal skins. Leather is still a great material to be used and very sustainable and long lasting. If you are looking for a very eco-friendly leather then try experimenting with fish leathers.

@@TeranAtelier Thank you for the tip! I like shark leather for example (though it is no fish, I think :)). In my opinion, any leather is more eco-friendly than synthetics! Crying over a dead animal is ridiculous since we realize that. Btw do you personally wear leather strapped watches (exotic or common leather)? I am just curious because watch strap is one of places where I love leather...

@@lukasbejcek8841 Yes right now I am using a navy leather watch strap I made, you can see it some of the video thumbnails. I am also a huge fan of leather watch straps and I am planning to craft one for the channel soon. Just don't let the leather get wet!

@@TeranAtelier WOW! Yes I saw the thumbnails but I haven’t seen your watch on your wrist during the videos, so I doubted whether the hand with watch is yours:)! That’s great it is your own work - and maybe it’s a shame you dont wear it during the work! Seems nice but thumbails dont say much... :) And make a video of making a watch strap sure! In fact, watch strap is a piece of leather we touch most of the daytime - the most of all leather items! Yes leather is a bit impractical since we have to unstrap our waches before having a bath :). That’s leather... I hate raining because I usually wear my leather bag and sometimes my leather jacket... :( But I dont mind I have to change my leather straps from time to time - I always look forward to my new piece... Of course, I hope my alligator won’t get wet soon ;) (he had enough bath during his lifetime :D)

@@lukasbejcek8841 Haha yes! Thank you, that's an excellent idea, I will wear my watch in my next video :)

Sorry, I do not sell any products or materials.

You could use a non-leather backing such as a textile to support the fish leather. I think it depends what type of exotic skin you are working with as some exotics can be thick enough. You can choose whether you want to show the flesh side of your exotic skin or line it for aesthetic reasons.

It really depends on the grade and width, can be 200-1000 USD for a skin.

Thanks for the suggestion!

I have not heard of that before, I only work with tanned skins.

😂😂

It is natural. Since we are on the top of food chain, we eat meat from animals and we wear their skins as leather. Animal lives are not "lost" if they serve human needs well. I can’t see anything bad if an animal is not eaten by a predator but used for a beautiful watch strap, for example. Anyway, I don’t know why you comment a video about leathercraft if you disagree with using animals for leather.