Help! Can Anyone Tell Me What Kind Of Leather This Is?

[welmanshire]

Hey guys,

New member here! Looking for some advice from the forum. I own some props that I am looking at reproducing and I need to discern as to what kind of leather has been used to wrap these sai -

The origin of the props: They were made in North Carolina (I believe) in 1987/8 for the production of the 1990 "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" film and the leather is approx 1mm thick.

Any information that you guys could give me would be super helpful!!

Thanks for taking the time to read this, and please forgive me ignorance to any leather working termanology

[Grey Drakkon]

How sick that I recognized that sai from the movie. >_< I think I watched it a few too many times.

In any case, I believe that's what's called "lace". Do you have a measurement for the width?

[billybopp]

It's really hard to say exactly, but there are a few clues ... I'm guessing it's about 1/2" wide, so too wide to be readily available as manufactured lace, and probably cut by the maker from a larger leather piece. The lighter edges look to be natural, and not dyed nor chrome-tanned blue. Those would probably indicate that it is veg-tanned leather that is surface dyed by some method. It also looks relatively thin, so I'd guess 2/3 or 3/4 ounce vegetable tanned leather with a medium to dark brown dye ... probably sprayed on, but possibly hand-dyed. The width and edges look reasonably smooth and consistent, so it's a good guess that it was cut with a strap cutter.

Hope that helps

Bill

[welmanshire]

How sick that I recognized that sai from the movie. >_< I think I watched it a few too many times.

In any case, I believe that's what's called "lace". Do you have a measurement for the width?

I'm obviously a fan haha!!

It's anywhere from 15-17mm in width. Definitely hand cut.

It's really hard to say exactly, but there are a few clues ... I'm guessing it's about 1/2" wide, so too wide to be readily available as manufactured lace, and probably cut by the maker from a larger leather piece. The lighter edges look to be natural, and not dyed nor chrome-tanned blue. Those would probably indicate that it is veg-tanned leather that is surface dyed by some method. It also looks relatively thin, so I'd guess 2/3 or 3/4 ounce vegetable tanned leather with a medium to dark brown dye ... probably sprayed on, but possibly hand-dyed. The width and edges look reasonably smooth and consistent, so it's a good guess that it was cut with a strap cutter.

Hope that helps

Bill

That is amazingly helpful! Thank You, Bill!

[Grey Drakkon]

Bill had a lot of good insights, I hadn't thought about a strap cutter but it would make sense. I also agree that it likely was a hide that had been dyed and then cut, since the edges are a raw color.

I showed your picture to my guy and he was quite honked off that someone has Raphael's sai.*

*Someone that wasn't him, I mean.