Working With Alligator/crocodile/caiman?

[paradoxbox]

Hi all, a few questions from a newbie to leatherworking. I know they're pretty broad but I have to ask anyway.

I'm interested in making belts, pouches and bags out of the above mentioned exotic leathers but I have no experience working with them.

How does one go about making a belt out of croc skin, does it need to be thinned then glued and stitched to a leather blank?

In the case of small pouches i.e. compact camera pouches, is the strength of croc/caiman skin enough by itself to get away without backing it with another kind of leather or will it tear?

Lastly, in the case of making purses or bags, how does one go about making the large side and bottom panels? Do they need to be reinforced with a stronger leather or can I just sew in a normal fabric lining as if making a regular bag?

Sorry for the basic and broad questions.

Look forward to any replies from those with experience working with exotic leather!

[Syms]

Was excited to see that someone posted the same question I have right now...sad to see nobody responded!!

I guess instead of creating another new thread, i'll re-up this one.

Would love any tips on working with croc. I have a few hides with me and currently trying to make a strap with the belly part of the hide.

I am finding it hard to cut, as well as tough to work with in that the parts i'm looking to fold technically can't fold mid-scale...can only fold between scales? is that normal?

Anyway, tips would be awesome. Thanks!

[DavidL]

try olfa rotary cutters.

[amacman]

I work in alligator a lot, however, I'm a watch strap maker, so not all of this may be relevant.

Cutting-rotary, the only way to go

Watch out for excess, loose flesh on the backside of the hide. This will cause trouble later as it leads to separation of glued pieces. Shave a little bit off with a splitter if you have one, otherwise a sanding block works for larger pieces, and you can use a dremel with sanding drum for small pieces.

If you having problems folding it, then you probably have caiman/South American alligator. Its scales have a hard, almost bone like part, it will break and ruin the pieces if you try to fold it. Otherwise gator will fold like cowhide. To thick, or to tight can cause a split, so thin the backside as needed.

Regular contact cement works great.

Gator shouldn't be relied on for structural strength, layer it with calfskin or another suitable material to the desired finished thickness. Gator will tear between the scales if not backed, especially on highly stressed areas.

Hope this helps

Edited May 27, 2014 by amacman

[Ken Cook]

I'm glad amacman replied to such an old thread. I bought some alligator last week and I'm about to do something with it, probably a roper wallet.

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