What is Mycelium Leather? Does it exist?

[tsunkasapa]

45 minutes ago, RobertoDR69 said:

but if you had the opportunity to work with a piece of mycelium leather, would you?

No, absolutely not. But then I do not use nylon or polyester threads or put acrylic finishes or aints on leather. Nor do I use a sewing machine. Oddly, my life is not diminished because of that. And yes, There is fish leather.

[chuck123wapati]

1 hour ago, RobertoDR69 said:

Hi #Chuck123wapati

Yep, I get your comment above, but if you had the opportunity to work with a piece of mycelium leather, would you? Wouldn't you like to compare both animal leather and mycelium leather and test their strengths and weaknesses?

Hopefully the beginning of 2024, I will have the opportunity to try to develop mycelium leather. That is why I started this Topic to get some sort of reaction from this great community. 

I also hope to resolve some of our climates problems by reducing farmers bio-gas waist and turning it into substrate. I hope this will reduce or stop them from burning it as well as cleaning up our environment. 

Don't worry, i'm no echo worrier, but I do want to experiment with this alternative method to produce this material.

Full respect for you Chuck, your a really interesting person and have looked through your recent posts. :-)

Thank you for the kind words, I truly appreciate them. I think you have gotten some interesting feed back but probably not what you were expecting lol. Myself i have no interest in testing this new product  but I wish you all the luck in your endeavors and hope you do succeed. It may have the ability to replace some leather products adequately but not all of them. I'm sure there would be a market for it someplace if you find the right products to produce with it and of course the right niche to fill in the market. Just realize the world has plenty of fake leather products but most aren't sold in high end stores or as a better replacement product to the equivalent leather item. As most folks here I value my time and when I build my handmade products I want to use the materials ( real leather) that will sell for more I mean why waste your time making subpar.

Farmers should not have waste if they do then  that waste needs to be tilled under and called organic fertilizer as it used to be used and called. That's what happens to mine. 

Last day of elk hunting , beautiful black and white day no noise at all just cold crisp air. 

Good luck my friend!!!!! 

 

[Gezzer]

3 hours ago, RobertoDR69 said:

Ah; #Gezzer

Does a banana, apple, orange, trees, flowers and just about everything on the planet have a 'skin'/leather; as you call it? including fish. So can't you make leather out of fish skin? 

So when you say the above statement; any 'skin' are both leather regardless of what 'skin' they are made of.

Not according to Webster .

leather

1 of 2

noun

leath·er ˈle-t͟hər 

 

: animal skin dressed for use

 

I don't doubt it might be the greatest thing since sliced bread but it as NOT leather ! 

Have a nice life .

[Handstitched]

14 hours ago, tsunkasapa said:

No, absolutely not

Mmmmmnah! Neither would I TBH . 

I had to remake some "leather" belts that were marketed  and sold   by a large Oz company as ' vegan leather' , needless to say they fell apart , and the majority of the material was synthetic  .  The customer wanted me to reuse the twin prong buckles . I remade them with actual  leather . Customer was happy . 

There is a company in the lower south of West Oz that specialises in fish skin leather, damn fine products too , long lasting and durable . I also have some fish skin leather in my collection of 'stuff'.

I've always had a saying , if it breeds and bleeds you can turn it into leather 

13 hours ago, chuck123wapati said:

Last day of elk hunting , beautiful black and white day no noise at all just cold crisp air. 

Man, thats just beautiful, so serene  *sigh*  

HS

[Klara]

15 hours ago, RobertoDR69 said:

if you had the opportunity to work with a piece of mycelium leather, would you?

I actually might use it - IF it is NOT called anything leather! (Incidentally, in parts of the world it would be illegal to call the stuff leather.) There's a good use for most materials, natural or man-made, but I hate attempted fraud. Nothing against deep-fried veggies in batter - everything against vegan chicken nuggets (if that exists).

I've seen bags made out of cork sheets. No idea about their characteristics, but I might be willing to buy one if I needed one and liked the design. As long as the material is not called oak leather...

Another thing: Which biogas waste? Where I live, farmers build biogas plants to catch the volatile parts of muck and sell or use it. Which sounds perfect  - up to the point where they decide to skip the cow and throw the "fodder" directly into the fermenter because it's a lot less work. So what exactly are you planning to work on? Pure curiosity...

 

 

[chrisash]

On 11/22/2023 at 1:33 PM, Dwight said:

 

There is more carbon problem emitted by our "not too active" volcanoes than done by the entire rest of all the world put together . . . and as for population "explosion" . . . every man, woman, and child in this total world could be stood side by side in the state of Florida . . . and we would still have room for a huge and momumental Super Bowl parade and party.

The only true climate problem . . . is that there is none.  The true "scientists" who have long tossed out rhetoric for facts . . . for observable, documentable, solid facts . . . have long concluded that our Earth is doing it's usual thing . . . swinging from one small extreme to another small extreme.

Nothing man can do short of thermonuclear sillyness will make any lasting effect on the world, the weather,  or much of anything here on terra firma.

Get used to it.

May God bless,

Dwight

Do we really need this crap on the forum, yes everyone is entitled to their views but this is way over the top. makes you wonder what warped point of view he states in his sermons 

Edited November 24, 2023 by Northmount
Remove slanderous material from quoted post

[RobertoDR69]

On 11/23/2023 at 8:51 AM, Klara said:

I actually might use it - IF it is NOT called anything leather! (Incidentally, in parts of the world it would be illegal to call the stuff leather.) There's a good use for most materials, natural or man-made, but I hate attempted fraud. Nothing against deep-fried veggies in batter - everything against vegan chicken nuggets (if that exists).

I've seen bags made out of cork sheets. No idea about their characteristics, but I might be willing to buy one if I needed one and liked the design. As long as the material is not called oak leather...

Another thing: Which biogas waste? Where I live, farmers build biogas plants to catch the volatile parts of muck and sell or use it. Which sounds perfect  - up to the point where they decide to skip the cow and throw the "fodder" directly into the fermenter because it's a lot less work. So what exactly are you planning to work on? Pure curiosity...

 

 

Hi #Klara

Great reply

I would be looking to work with a mycelium base and then mix different substrates with it like banana leaves, rice husks etc or whatever waste the local farmers have available. 

[RobertoDR69]

On 11/22/2023 at 9:04 PM, Gezzer said:

Not according to Webster .

leather

1 of 2

noun

leath·er ˈle-t͟hər 

 

: animal skin dressed for use

 

I don't doubt it might be the greatest thing since sliced bread but it as NOT leather ! 

Have a nice life .

Oh #Gezzer 

You need to go find out what skin is and what you are able to do with it. Skin does not only grow on animals, it grows on bananas, oranges, potatoes etc.

'Leather' does not exist until you treat it(tanning process), then buff it up = 'leather'.

You can make leather with any skin based items, including veg, fish, cow, pig, crocodile etc; including mycelium.

As I've mentioned previously; it's not about being an echo worrier; it's about what other types of plant based materials we are able/can use to produce this finished product called 'leather'. 

It's great to have all your feedback on this topic; very interesting on everyone's opinion. 

[AlZilla]

2 hours ago, RobertoDR69 said:

Hi #Klara

Great reply

I would be looking to work with a mycelium base and then mix different substrates with it like banana leaves, rice husks etc or whatever waste the local farmers have available. 

So it sounds to me like you're looking to start manufacturing a new product and promoting it here.  Might have bee easier to start there.

Probably get less opposition if you don't call it leather, since it's not.  Kind of like plant based chi'kn - on it's own merits, some of it is passable, but it's not meat.

Edited November 25, 2023 by AlZilla

[AlZilla]

Actually, a quick search for mycelium "leather" turns up a ton of links like this one:

https://mylo-unleather.com/

It's "leather", not leather.

[chuck123wapati]

17 minutes ago, AlZilla said:

Actually, a quick search for mycelium "leather" turns up a ton of links like this one:

https://mylo-unleather.com/

It's "leather", not leather.

200,000 in Ireland alone the first go around it will get stricter.  https://humanevents.com/2023/06/03/ireland-moves-to-slaughter-200000-cows-over-climate-concerns

Last year, Ireland Agriculture Minister Charlie McConalogue introduced a proposal to begin a voluntary dairy reduction scheme next year as the country tries to reduce its emissions by 25% before 2030. 

[AlZilla]

29 minutes ago, chuck123wapati said:

200,000 in Ireland alone the first go around it will get stricter.  https://humanevents.com/2023/06/03/ireland-moves-to-slaughter-200000-cows-over-climate-concerns

Last year, Ireland Agriculture Minister Charlie McConalogue introduced a proposal to begin a voluntary dairy reduction scheme next year as the country tries to reduce its emissions by 25% before 2030. 

"but without the devastating environmental impact of cattle" ...

Oh, and the sky is falling, too.  Just saying ...

CowFarts - Public Enemy #1!!

[chuck123wapati]

3 minutes ago, AlZilla said:

"but without the devastating environmental impact of cattle" ...

Oh, and the sky is falling, too.  Just saying ...

CowFarts - Public Enemy #1!!

it will only be voluntary unless they disagree lol, conspiracy theories seem to be the law now whoda thunk.  https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/BRIE/2020/649385/EPRS_BRI(2020)649385_EN.pdf

[Klara]

On 11/25/2023 at 6:37 PM, AlZilla said:

CowFarts - Public Enemy #1!!

Cow's don't fart! 

[Handstitched]

3 hours ago, Klara said:

Cow's don't fart! 

But I do , a lot , which might explain why I can't get a date  

A bit of  deal breaker don't you think? 

HS

[Bert03241]

On 11/13/2023 at 1:15 PM, SUP said:

@grep  You are probably right about that. I don't personally care about killing fungi for their mycelia but I do care about killing animals for food and then discarding other parts, unused. 

If its made from mushrooms can we eat our rejects 

[Handstitched]

6 hours ago, Bert03241 said:

If its made from mushrooms can we eat our rejects

A Beef Stroganoff springs to mind 

HS

[bladegrinder]

7 hours ago, Bert03241 said:

If its made from mushrooms can we eat our rejects 

That's what I'm wandering, sounds like fruit roll ups which are also called fruit leather. personally I don't get this whole thing, i mean I get the question but none of it makes any sense to me.

I'll just be sticking with time proven cow hide and not entertain the idea of mushroom roll ups.

[SUP]

@Bert03241 LOL. With all the scraps we accumulate, who would not want a leather, the scraps of which we can throw into a pot for dinner?

[Aventurine]

It does exist.  It is expensive and almost impossible to obtain unless you are a design house buying it wholesale.  It is naturally weak but strengthened by treating it with lactic acid derivatives or impregnating it with polyurethane, so in the end it is a rather highly processed product, and depending on how it is dyed it is not necessarily environmentally friendly. 
https://www.mycoworks.com/products.
https://mylo-unleather.com/impact/

Another kind of "leather" is amadou, an entirely natural and lusciously suede-like mycelial material traditionally made from horse hoof fungus.  I got a piece large enough to bind a book with, and I mean to use the other piece to line a jewelry box.  Fly fishers use tiny bits of amadou to wrap their flies because it dries the fly and hook rapidly and imparts a natural odor that won't alarm the trout. Black powder aficionados and traditional survivalists use it as a tinder.

Unfortunately, amadou is not tough enough for anything that must bear weight, like a tote bag, or resist stretching, like a belt, or withstand friction, damp, and pressure, like shoes.  I am pretty sure it could be made tougher through treatment with natural or lightly processed chemicals, and I mean to fool with it some time to see if I can improve it.  But because it takes 100 years to get a fungus big enough to provide enough leather to make a shoe, it isn't environmentally sustainable by any stretch of the imagination.
https://medium.com/@istvan.daraban/the-worlds-last-amadou-makers-korond-iii-9694114ffa4a
https://www.slowtours.travel/shop/amadou/amadou-hat/

Amadou makes a nice hat.  Mycologist Paul Stammets wears one (pictured below).

Final note, I love and respect everyone who wishes the world contained less suffering than it has and apparently must have. Leather is an innately brutal thing. We use it out of concession to the innately brutal business of living in this world and seek to make the best of it.   Some people take comfort in the idea that this is what their god intends (as if any scripture laid out modern corporate agriculture and industrial slaughter?) or what Nature intends (as if Nature were a sentient thing with intentions, toward us in particular?) but not everyone shares those sentiments, or ought to.  

If there are better alternatives some day -- truly better, more ethical, more environmentally sustainable, scalable to human population, and involving less animal suffering -- not just more comfortable for squeamish or frivolously sentimental people -- we ought to embrace them.  And I admire people who, however imperfectly or immaturely, struggle toward doing less harm in this life.  I certainly admire them more than I admire people who  simply equate the conventional with the good. 

  

Edited July 17 by Aventurine

[SUP]

 

On 7/17/2024 at 2:33 PM, Aventurine said:

It is naturally weak but strengthened by treating it with lactic acid derivatives or impregnating it with polyurethane, so in the end it is a rather highly processed product, and depending on how it is dyed it is not necessarily environmentally friendly. 

@alfordjennifer producing raw mycelium leather might be environmentally friendly but if the process of making it ready for the market requires treatments that utilize synthetics like PU, it is hardly remains environmentally friendly, isn't it?.

Besides,  sustainable choices, are sustainable only when there actually are useful alternatives uses for what they are replacing, is it not? What would be the alternative use of the animal skins produced by the beef industry?  

Instead of people the world over trying to come up with replacements for leather, if they worked to come up with ways of being more humane when slaughtering animals for food, it would be so much better. Ways to decrease their fear, for example. It is so sad, you can actually smell the fear.  I have passed areas where there are abattoirs close by and passed trucks carrying animals for slaughter and you can smell that fear. 

I can't help feeling that mycelium leather fits into the same category as google glasses, self driving cars and other 'nice to have' items that are actually not practical at all. A waste of money that could have been used for things that are actually useful!

 Sorry! that is the pre-coffee me, so grumpy. @alfordjennifer no offense intended.

 

Edited July 27 by SUP

[Mablung]

God gave us animals for food and their skins for clothing (and, of course, other uses, like knife sheaths and shoes). Animals should be slaughtered humanely, although it is always a messy process, unavoidably so, but there’s also no ethical need to replace animal skins with something else. Mycelium “leather” strikes me as an interesting experiment at best, a needless and discourteous attempt to replace what God has given at worst. Personally, I see no need to wear a mushroom cap on my head. More power to those who want to try, but it is ironic (not to mention a touch hypocritical) if it requires ecologically unfriendly means and methods to produce. 

Edited July 27 by Mablung

[AlZilla]

2 hours ago, alfordjennifer said:

Absolutely! Mycelium leather is an innovative and sustainable alternative to traditional animal leather. It's made from the root structure of mushrooms and offers several benefits. It's eco-friendly, as it requires fewer resources to produce and is biodegradable. Mycelium leather is also surprisingly durable, lightweight, and flexible, making it a great choice for a variety of applications. While it may not have the same long history as animal leather, it holds up well in terms of quality and performance, and its environmental benefits make it a compelling option for those looking to make more sustainable choices.

Maybe in your 2nd post, you'll share with us some pictures of the projects you've made with this mushroom leather.

[Aventurine]

God didn't give us mushrooms  ?

I look at mycelial leather like the first attempts at any other commercial material -- like rubber, or light bulb filaments, or rayon.  Bound to fall short at first, but that doesn't mean they won't be great in the long run.  The way the current marketing of mycelial leather far exceeds its real virtues makes me roll my eyes though.

 

Edited July 28 by Aventurine

[Mablung]

18 hours ago, Aventurine said:

God didn't give us mushrooms  ?

I look at mycelial leather like the first attempts at any other commercial material -- like rubber, or light bulb filaments, or rayon.  Bound to fall short at first, but that doesn't mean they won't be great in the long run.  The way the current marketing of mycelial leather far exceeds its real virtues makes me roll my eyes though.

 

Course He did. But the objection to leather is, generally, an ethical one that lacks basis. The fact God also gave us mushrooms is a red herring in that respect.