Bark tanned salmon skin leather now a wallet

[Dennis Daigger]

Do any of you leather-working folks have experience sewing tanned salmon skins?

I bark tanned these salmon skins with willow and alder bark for 6 days, squeezed them to remove as much water as possible, slathered them with neatsfoot oil and then worked them over a board until they were soft and dry. The resulting leather is .020-.025" thick and is very strong. Years ago there was a commercial enterprise in Juneau that tanned salmon skins and made purses, wallets and other small pieces. They were beautiful and I have wanted to try this for some time and finally got around to it.

My question really centers on techniques for sewing thin leather. The linen thread, the awl width and the needles I used on the other items seem too large for sewing thin leather. Any suggestions?

Here are photos of each side of the leather.
Dennis

[rich pierce]

The fish? Never heard of it.

If you never heard of it, how do you know a salmon is a fish? 🤔

Plenty of YouTube videos on salmon leather.

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

Glover's needle and fine thread.

[Dennis Daigger]

Glover's needle and fine thread.

Thanks, Taylor. Are the glover's needles used in a pair like saddle stitching? If so, how do you prevent the thread from the first pass being cut by the second needle? I have some 35/3 linen thread coming so have that part covered.
Dennis

[Marcruger]

Hi Dennis, I have modified pointed needles for my use in saddle stitching by grinding the point back and rounding it.  Not optimum, but serviceable. I do not have any experience with Salmon leather. God bless, Marc

[ScottH]

I make falcon hoods for Pineo Falconry. I use a lot of lizard skin for the eye panels on these hoods. I always cement the lizard to a heavier piece of calf skin. I cement it with contact cement and have the lizard on the flesh side, and the hair side of that calf skin will always be on the inside of the hood and the lizard on the outside. I fold the lizard over the edge of the calf so that the thread when sewing will go through both calf skin and lizard skin and into the calf skin center panel of the hood as well. I pre punch the holes in both panels and center using a home made awl and use embroidery needles with blunt points to get the thread through the holes.

Might be an option for using salmon skin leather?

[Dennis Daigger]

Hi Dennis, I have modified pointed needles for my use in saddle stitching by grinding the point back and rounding it.  Not optimum, but serviceable. I do not have any experience with Salmon leather. God bless, Marc

Thanks, Marc. Maybe you need a sample to try.
Dennis

[Dennis Daigger]

I make falcon hoods for Pineo Falconry. I use a lot of lizard skin for the eye panels on these hoods. I always cement the lizard to a heavier piece of calf skin. I cement it with contact cement and have the lizard on the flesh side, and the hair side of that calf skin will always be on the inside of the hood and the lizard on the outside. I fold the lizard over the edge of the calf so that the thread when sewing will go through both calf skin and lizard skin and into the calf skin center panel of the hood as well. I pre punch the holes in both panels and center using a home made awl and use embroidery needles with blunt points to get the thread through the holes.

Might be an option for using salmon skin leather?

Thanks, Scott. I looked at Pineo's site and don't know if the hoods shown are yours but they are extraordinary leather work. I've started a three-flint wallet several days ago and I glued the salmon leather onto pig leather that is about the same thickness. This adds a bit of body and should make sewing it easier.
Dennis

[ScottH]

Dennis
The one hood shown on that website that is on a hawk and has lizard skin eye panels is one I made. Your use of pig skin should work in getting a thickness you can sew. Good luck.

[Dennis Daigger]

The lighter linen thread I found broke easily and I went back to the heavier thread I had been using.

This is a compact three-flint wallet with a screwdriver that tucks nicely into a day bag.



Dennis

[Tim Crosby]

 I's say that is a "High End" flint wallet, pretty fancy and well done.

   Tim

[Brian Sweeney]

  Very nice Dennis. I hope you are going to sell the wallet's in the for sale/wanted Forum.  Brian

[ScottH]

Well Done!

[jbigley]

Nice looking flint wallet, Dennis! --JB

[hawkeye]

Looks really need, looks a little bit as small beaver tail