swivelsphinx Report post Posted July 6, 2009 Hey All: I recently bought a "genuine" 14 foot snake skin from Ebay. When it arrived, I took it out of the bag, and unrolled it.... Beautiful... soft.... pliable... medium grey... about 2-3 oz... Oh-Oh... I couldn't believe it. The skin was actually cut in a "snake shape". The scales were so deeply embossed, they had depth. They were bar shaped in the center, and became very small at the sides of the hide. Then I realized what was bothering me so much. Softness: I could crumple the leather without breaking, folding, or otherwise damaging the scales. Odor: Definitely the smell of a garment leather chrome tan. Color: Consistantly mutual grey. No pattern whatsoever. While "true white" snakes exist, they are generally bred for the pet/collector trade. You can bleach the skins, but the patterns tend to remain until they are dyed. This was not a dyed skin. Texture: This was the killing blow to me. I own a very large python skin, which I have softened a bit with a leather conditioner. While bendable, the scales can be bent away from the hide. On this specimen, I tryed prying a few big scales up, and seemed to hit a fibery underside... not scales at all. Scales should not have a "top grain"! I reported my findings to the seller, under the presumption that he did not know that the item was not the real deal. He *seemed* surprised, given the length of the piece. I know that a fresh hide can be stretched considerably, especially when still damp after tanning. Water buffal and cow are pretty big animals- 9-10 ft is not unheard of. I could see getting another 4 feet out of it with mechanical aid. Theoretically, I should be getting my money back. Just a personal experience to share with you all.... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pitman Report post Posted July 6, 2009 Do you have some pictures ? It will be good lesson, I think. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
swivelsphinx Report post Posted July 7, 2009 Do you have some pictures ? It will be good lesson, I think. I wish I did. The photos from the aution have been removed. If I find one in the future, I'll be happy to post it. swivelsphinx Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
