Posts: 6
From:Australia
Registered: Jul 2000

posted 02-10-2000 20:18            

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I have been given some salted shark skins, but the outside of them is rougher than sand paper. Can someone please help me as I need to know how to remove this rough outer coating. I would like to make a pair of shoes for my wife. I have tried using an angle grinder or a drum sander, but this works, and unfortunately it stuffs the leather. Any and all help will be greatly appreciated as I am at wits ends and I do not want to waste anymore of these skins.

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Posts: 16
From:Esperance, Western Australia, Australia
Registered: Jul 2000

posted 06-01-2001 17:15            

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Mick,
the answer to your dilemma is relatively simple , all you need to do is ignore the "shagreen" until you have tanned the skin fully into a leather, then when the leather is dry, simply use a standard sanding process to sand of the shagreen and highlight the hidden grain of the shark skin underneath.
the "shagreen" is a coating that is made up of very very tiny teeth, called denticles they are made from dentine and grow up out of the skin so i am not surprised to learn that you stuffed the skin by using an angle grinder.

thank you
Regards
Mermaid Leather

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