Cane Toad Skin Stubby Holders

[Handstitched]

G'Day, 

Made these this week.  I have made these with heads  before , but not with a beer logo. 

The one on the right , with toad  head, has six    6" Cane Toad skins,   & using off cuts / scraps  for the straps at the back ,  and 2mm veg tan underneath , ' form work ' . 

The one on the left , ' VB ' is made up of  scraps around the hole for the logo and arranged in some sort of pattern ,  and  two  6 " skins to complete  the rest on either side of the hole, as can be seen in the last pic.  They are very fiddly , like putting together a jigsaw puzzle , but making  all the pieces myself, but  I'm really happy with the end result  

HS 

Edited September 5, 2018 by Handstitched

[chrisash]

Being English I might appear a bit dumb, but why do they bother making leather from such small animals, and are they killed for the meat or the skin also I have seen fish skin posted on the forum

On a different thing with so many Kangaroos and Camels over there how much do you guys pay for veg tan from their hides

[noobleather]

I really like the "Ned Kelly" toad one!

A great use of an invasive feral pest,just lucky the buggers arent in the west yet.

[rodneywt1180b]

Very cool.  How are they to work with?

[ScoobyNewbie]

We had a guy come in today to asking if we had kangaroo. Now I’m interested if the tandy’s In Australia has it.

[battlemunky]

Those are awesome!

[garypl]

HS - very nice toad holders - I like them a lot!  Did you use a lining leather behind the toad skin?  They look pretty thick and I thought toad had thin skin.

Gary

[Handstitched]

G'Day , thank you for your replies, glad you like them , 

 

23 hours ago, chrisash said:

Being English I might appear a bit dumb, but why do they bother making leather from such small animals, and are they killed for the meat or the skin also I have seen fish skin posted on the forum

Cane Toads ( Bufo Marinus ) were introduced into Queensland  Australia  back in the 1930's to combat  the Cane Beetle  that was affecting  the sugar cane industry, and like all introduced species, they got out of control  ....then they went nuts . Today, they are numbered in their hundreds of millions  and are a feral pest from Queensland to  the top end of Western Australia . Their toxic secretions can be deadly to natural fauna . Leatherworkers like me , love them . Theres no end to what can be made . Sizes vary , from 6" + up to 9" 10" and up, but the  month long tanning process  makes them ex$y .  Assorted colours too. 

They can't be eaten,  although some have tried, but only the back legs ...apparently .  I'll stick to the  lamb shanks I just had about an hour ago thanks    

12 hours ago, rodneywt1180b said:

Very cool.  How are they to work with?

No , not really rodney, just very  fiddly . Each skin is different, their textures vary , so its  matter of matching each skin, or piece according to the variations in colour and texture etc.  and then gluing each piece to a backing. Once that is done, I sewed them to the backing...piece by piece. I used the Seiko for the more fiddly bits on the VB one , (even turning it by hand on some bits) , and then 'Brutus' ( saddle machine) for the main parts. 

11 hours ago, garypl said:

Did you use a lining leather behind the toad skin?  They look pretty thick and I thought toad had thin skin.

I put a thin  piece of lining leather just behind the logo to help it to sit flat , and to make it easier for the foam insert to slide in a bit easier. Toad skins are thin, however the area around  the glands,( the two ' lumps' seen  on the VB one) , can be a bit tough for a domestic machine needle. I used a piece of 2mm veg tan  under the skins, making it  ' chunky' , but  quite robust. 

HS 

Edited September 6, 2018 by Handstitched

[rodneywt1180b]

Thank you.  It might have been fiddly but I do like the look.

[neilyeag]

The one with the head sticking out is cool, and well a little creepy as well ha....

[Chain]

On 06/09/2018 at 9:26 AM, ScoobyNewbie said:

We had a guy come in today to asking if we had kangaroo. Now I’m interested if the tandy’s In Australia has it.

I don't think they do

This is the place for roo leather https://www.birdsall-leather.com.au/Kangaroo-Skins/pl.php?resetbrand=1

[Rockoboy]

Great job. I have to do one of these. I like the "Visitors Beer" holder.

[Mark842]

I'm curious about the head..that's awesome. Did it hide come with the head? What are the eyes made of. Please elaborate.

[Handstitched]

G'Day Mark,

The head part is  a separate  piece. They are in fact the  ' oval' pieces, made by the supplier,  used for making Cane Toad belt buckles, but without the metal mount. With a  bit of a trim of the buckle piece  , and a small hole cut in the front , it was then glued & sewn in. 

As the tanning process dries out the eyes, they  are replaced with plastic ' goggle ' eyes. 

@Rockoboy later when I get some more skins, I will do a ' local beer' with Cane Toad skins

HS 

[Crowy]

Do you sell these as I would like to buy one?