Vegan (sort of) Leather

[NoahL]

Hey everybody!

I recently began working with leather (knife sheath, key fob, practice pieces, etc) and I have really enjoyed it. I will soon be making a fancy knife sheath with a kydex liner and a belt pouch, and maybe a bracer or two. The problem with this interest is that my girlfriend is vegan, and as such is quite against the use of any animal products. She made an agreement with me that if a free-range animal died of natural causes and had its hide tanned (rather than being raised and killed for meat or leather specifically), that leather would be acceptable with her for me to use (she won't wear it, most likely, but she wouldn't be morally against me using it, at least). Have any of you very talented people out there ever found a place/person to purchase it from? I know it is probably an odd request, but I really enjoy leatherwork and I also really enjoy spending my life with my girlfriend, so I don't want to get rid of either one . Thanks everybody!

~Noah

[Johanna]

Animals are not killed for their hides. Leather is a byproduct of the meat industry. There is no incentive for ranchers to wait until a cow drops dead, then skin it and sell the hide, so I don't know if her request is practical. Maybe if she had some more education about how the chain works, she'd be more understanding. Will one of you ranchers jump in here and explain the process?

Johanna

[NoahL]

Animals are not killed for their hides. Leather is a byproduct of the meat industry. There is no incentive for ranchers to wait until a cow drops dead, then skin it and sell the hide, so I don't know if her request is practical. Maybe if she had some more education about how the chain works, she'd be more understanding. Will one of you ranchers jump in here and explain the process?

Johanna

Hi Johanna,

Thanks for the quick response! I'm aware that animals aren't killed for their hides specifically, but for meat and then the hide is taken so it doesn't go to waste. The problem with that is the fact that's she is vegan, therefore she doesn't want them taken for the meat in the first place, hence the "free-range" and "dying of natural causes" portions of my post. I somehow doubt that she would simply accept the fact that they are a biproduct of the meat industry, unfortunately. My grandparents own a farm and some cattle (they raise the cattle for enjoyment and sell them when they need extra cash), and they do die from time to time, of course, but I don't know anyone that could tan the hides from that situation--if I did, though, then I'd be set . Thanks again!

~Noah

[Tkleather1]

I have never understood the whole vegan thing but to each his own. but the thing I dont get is they dont like the killing of living things right? But they eat vegatables right? Last time I looked those are living organisms too. they grow and use oxygen or produce oxygen but either way it is alive. So does she wear plastic shoes or what. Well no because that would kill an animal too in order to get oil and what not to make the plastic. so personally I think that the vegan thing is a little strange and makes zero sense. but please feel free to tell me how wrong I am and My ears are wide open if you can explain the thought process in a logical way.

by the way I am not trying to shake the cage here I just dont understand.

Edited March 26, 2009 by Tkleather1

[HorsehairBraider]

Would dog or cat hides be acceptable to her? Those often die without being killed for meat. You might even be able to find some along the road. The hide is small, but so are the hides of rabbits and those are often tanned. I know Tandy sells a home tanning kit.

Usually though, when one wants leather, the best thing to do is get a hide from a place that actually kills animals for meat. Those hides are generally bigger. And for various reasons some hides are deemed more "acceptable" than others, depending on the animal it came from. To me, dead is dead, but I realize not everyone sees it that way. I do hope you are able to overcome this issue.

[NoahL]

I have never understood the whole vegan thing but to each his own. but the thing I dont get is they dont like the killing of living things right? But they eat vegatables right? Last time I looked those are living organisms too. they grow and use oxygen or produce oxygen but either way it is alive. So does she wear plastic shoes or what. Well no because that would kill an animal too in order to get oil and what not to make the plastic. so personally I think that the vegan thing is a little strange and makes zero sense. but please feel free to tell me how wrong I am and My ears are wide open if you can explain the thought process in a logical way.

by the way I am not trying to shake the cage here I just dont understand.

Well, I just had a vague explanation written up (I'm not vegan/vegetarian, afterall) but then my work Internet decided to complain about my passwords and wiped it all out, so I'll write up an even more brief one. It isn't so much "killing of living things" as the fact that thinking, feeling creatures are being raised (often in very poor conditions) and killed (often inhumanely, from what I hear from the people working in meat processing plants) to provide food when (in today's world, at least) humans don't actually NEED to eat meat, with a few exceptions regarding allergies and digestive disabilities. In her mind, the desire for leather is just one more reason these animals are being raised in horrible conditions and killed inhumanely. She does have to wear normal shoes because we can't afford the vegan alternatives (except really crappy plastic shoes, and she's on her feet all day, so that won't work), but those are something she has to accept for the time being. My sheathmaking/pouchmaking desires are a hobby, not a necessity, and they can be done with cheap alternatives like Kydex and canvas, so she doesn't see any reason why I should need to use leather. That's the best I can explain it, being quite non-vegan myself. Thanks!

[Hilly]

I can't quite wrap my flesh chewing mind around veganism, either!

Here's what I'd do: I'd pick up car killed deer, and send the hides in to have them tanned. A taxidermist could probably tell you where to send them, or send them in for you. You can make some neat stuff out of deer hide. OR, if you think your girlfriend couldn't tell the difference between a piece of deer hide and a piece of veg tan cow hide, I'd "send a deer hide in to be tanned" and sneak off to Tandy to buy a piece of leather of my choice, and just tell her it's the one you "scraped off the pavement and sent to the tannery". OR you can learn to make rawhide and do some braiding with deer skins and other tasty things that just happen to "jump in front" of your car.

Just sayin'

[NoahL]

I can't quite wrap my flesh chewing mind around veganism, either!

Here's what I'd do: I'd pick up car killed deer, and send the hides in to have them tanned. A taxidermist could probably tell you where to send them, or send them in for you. You can make some neat stuff out of deer hide. OR, if you think your girlfriend couldn't tell the difference between a piece of deer hide and a piece of veg tan cow hide, I'd "send a deer hide in to be tanned" and sneak off to Tandy to buy a piece of leather of my choice, and just tell her it's the one you "scraped off the pavement and sent to the tannery". OR you can learn to make rawhide and do some braiding with deer skins and other tasty things that just happen to "jump in front" of your car.

Just sayin'

That would've been an option back in Illinois, but now I live in Phoenix, AZ and I actually haven't seen ANY roadkill here, which I think is odd. My girlfriend definitely doesn't know the difference between deer and cow hides, but I do have this terrible habit of being honest

[rawhide1]

This is almost to funny!!!!!! I say get rid of the girlfriend.There's more girls out there than ya can shake a stick at that love eating meat!!LOL

Mike

[Timd]

that's the thought that crossed my mind, Mike.