Handstitched Report post Posted September 5, 2018 (edited) 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 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chrisash Report post Posted September 5, 2018 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 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
noobleather Report post Posted September 5, 2018 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. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rodneywt1180b Report post Posted September 5, 2018 Very cool. How are they to work with? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ScoobyNewbie Report post Posted September 5, 2018 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. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
battlemunky Report post Posted September 6, 2018 Those are awesome! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
garypl Report post Posted September 6, 2018 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 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Handstitched Report post Posted September 6, 2018 (edited) 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 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rodneywt1180b Report post Posted September 7, 2018 Thank you. It might have been fiddly but I do like the look. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
neilyeag Report post Posted September 7, 2018 The one with the head sticking out is cool, and well a little creepy as well ha.... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Chain Report post Posted September 7, 2018 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 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rockoboy Report post Posted September 8, 2018 Great job. I have to do one of these. I like the "Visitors Beer" holder. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mark842 Report post Posted September 8, 2018 I'm curious about the head..that's awesome. Did it hide come with the head? What are the eyes made of. Please elaborate. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Handstitched Report post Posted September 9, 2018 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 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Crowy Report post Posted July 21, 2021 Do you sell these as I would like to buy one? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites