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Post by donchua on May 22, 2022 10:31:07 GMT
Hi all, im new to this forum and is amazed by the community! i have an old ceremonial sword and the hilt is torn, i would like to replace the leather myself but i do not know what is the material of the leather. is anyone able to identify the leather used?
was searching online and found that ray skin is commonly used, but the leather looks like lizard skin too.
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pgandy
Moderator
Senior Forumite
Posts: 10,296
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Post by pgandy on May 22, 2022 14:05:00 GMT
That looks like shagreen leather, possibly from shark. I have never heard of lizard skin being used. Welcome to the forum.
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Post by Sir Thorfinn on May 22, 2022 14:33:59 GMT
Consider, doing anything to *fix* it...may reduce the value. But it will be prettier...
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Post by donchua on May 25, 2022 11:48:22 GMT
thank you pgandy and sir thorfinn,
fixing it is definitely will reduce the value with my standard of repair haha
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Post by pellius on May 25, 2022 19:57:54 GMT
Welcome!
I agree with pgandy that it looks like sharkskin shagreen. Best I can tell, sharkskin leather is no longer available anywhere. I’m guessing it was done away with by international treaty or something.
Ray skin is still perfectly legal, as the rays are commercially harvested. However, ray skin is quite different from sharkskin shagreen in look and feel. It is relatively inexpensive. Lots of info regarding its sourcing and use can be found in the katana community.
I’m not aware of any good option for repairing or restoring sharkskin shagreen grips.
You can try to kinda patch the hole with some other material, but it may look worse in the end. You can try re-wrapping the entire grip with modern leather of some kind, but it will loose its historical authenticity (especially to sword guys).
You can also choose to leave it as-is, which is what I generally opt for given similar circumstances.
If you are results oriented (rather than looking for a project), you may find that obtaining a more intact original is the most cost effective solution.
If you attempt a repair, please share your project with us!
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