Gator scutes?

O

Omega Leather Works

Joined
Jun 13, 2007
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I have zero practical experience with back straps, but I've got a piece and I think I'd like to make a cuff from it. How tough are the scutes, but more importantly, the skin covering them? Is it tough, or will it wear quickly?
 
rtmind said:
For us new guys, what are scutes?
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You know the bumps on the backs of alligators and crocodiles? (and dinosaurs for that matter) Those are boney protrusions called scutes. They are covered by skin and I'd like to know if it is particularly durable or not. :)
 
Anthony. in general back straps are a pain in the ass, and they go down hill from there. The scutes are very bad news for a sewing machine and little better for hand stitching. I think they are very durable (try cutting through one with your best knife). They can be sanded down using a belt sander or similar, but the underlying area is still can not be penetrated with anything less than a drill or an awl and hammer. (I buy mostly bellies which are scute free.) The sides of the Alligator backs, void of scutes, are quite useable and make beautiful inlays. I will list the positive points of horn back straps below.

Positives:
















Paul
 
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Haha Paul, you don't sugar coat stuff do ya? :)

Fortunately the strap wouldn't need the scutes disturbed. It'll be quite wide, but that works for me given my style. I'm thinking I'll line it with pigskin because the flesh side is nothing close to flat. Then put a line of eyelets on either end and use cord or leather lace to tie it up. Just gotta figure out how to incorporate some color.

I'll see if I can dig up a pic of something similar.

Edit-

Very similar to this only black.

YfYAtdp.jpg


Definitely not everyone's style, but it would work for me pretty well.
 
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Anthony, this is off the topic of wrist bands, but here are two examples where I used the horn back. In the case of the full front I laid it out where the stitch line on the edge of the sheath would make very little contact with the scutes and it worked out just fine. The second example of an inlay, I measured and designed the inlay window width so I could center two rows of scutes and trimmed the piece so that when stitching around the window I was going trough the area of the skin between the scute lines and it worked just fine also.

Based on your photos you could trim down to a couple of scute lines and have smooth sailing on the edges all the way around.

Paul
 
The overlay is very lovely. I respectfully disagree with you on the advantage of the cut of leather. Nothing else looks like it, to me that's a huge advantage when it looks so cool.

About the edges of the overlay, how did you finish them? Did you not have a problem with how the flesh is not flat?
 
Yep, had a whole set of the Britanica's. No idea what happened to em. When you gonna come get that roundknife I got sitting in that drawer for you? Pony express don't run north from here.
 
Omega Leather Works said:
Haha Paul, you don't sugar coat stuff do ya? :)

Fortunately the strap wouldn't need the scutes disturbed. It'll be quite wide, but that works for me given my style. I'm thinking I'll line it with pigskin because the flesh side is nothing close to flat. Then put a line of eyelets on either end and use cord or leather lace to tie it up. Just gotta figure out how to incorporate some color.

I'll see if I can dig up a pic of something similar.

Edit-

Very similar to this only black.

YfYAtdp.jpg


Definitely not everyone's style, but it would work for me pretty well.
Click to expand...

Hey! I've got one of those! And yes its hard to work with but well worth it.

I sand the back (flesh) side of mine more often than not. This helps flatten the piece. Belt sander works wonders.

Those hornback crusts are some of my favorite to work with because they are so thick and gnarly. They are limited in their uses as they arent very wide though.
 
Horsewright said:
Yep, had a whole set of the Britanica's. No idea what happened to em. When you gonna come get that roundknife I got sitting in that drawer for you? Pony express don't run north from here.
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I forgot about the knife! I've almost pulled the trigger on a knife a couple of times, glad I didn't. Thanks my friend. It'll probably be a little while though. After over a year, the doc has finally figured out that my back is (again) trashed. Major surgery next month. Hobbling till then.
 
Well get er fixed up. Thats probably the best deal. Work related? Few years back I had major foot reconstructive surgery. Literally they cut my heel off, moved it over and bolted it back on. There's a hex head bolt (5x57mm), 9 pins, two plates and three bone grafts from a dead guy. All that and feel great today. Hope it goes as well for you! I'll just keep blowing the dust off the roundknife.
 
Horsewright said:
Well get er fixed up. Thats probably the best deal. Work related? Few years back I had major foot reconstructive surgery. Literally they cut my heel off, moved it over and bolted it back on. There's a hex head bolt (5x57mm), 9 pins, two plates and three bone grafts from a dead guy. All that and feel great today. Hope it goes as well for you! I'll just keep blowing the dust off the roundknife.
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That sounds brutal! I had my left elbow reconstructed after falling through a second story window. Traction on my left thumb when I snapped it at work. Two back surgeries with a spinal cage, doc said I can count on at least two more after this next one. I just want to get back to work. Being off for a year has been a huge financial blow.

I'm like my dad was. By the time you put me in a box I'll be a cyborg. Maybe I'll never die with all the new parts! Silver lining I guess. :D
 
I've had a bad back now for a few years , just old age and stupidity when I was younger .
I'm no where near bad enough to need an operation , but if your at the stage of operations then you must be going through hell because I know how much my back hurts sometimes .
I'm sure with today's miracle medicine technology they will sort it out .
You'll be right , all the best from " Down Under " .


Ken
 
Age and stupidity... Check!

Thanks for your thoughts. I often wonder what the heck people did before modern medicine. I think I'd have just rolled over like a dyeing cow by now.
 
We're I a horse, they'd have put me down for being lame years ago! This last was my 7th orthopedic surgery. I'm praying for bionic parts! I think that gator horn is what the inside of most of my joints looks like...
 
Horsewright said:
What color cow would ya have been buddy?
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Can I change that to bull instead? If so... Ya know... I'm nothing special. I'm partial to red and black.

0OODRJc.jpg


Actually saw one of these today on the street. My girls started screaming in the minivan when they saw it. Car nerd-ism runs in our blood, especially when it comes to Bulls and Prancing Ponies (those would be Ferrari of course).

jdk1 said:
We're I a horse, they'd have put me down for being lame years ago! This last was my 7th orthopedic surgery. I'm praying for bionic parts! I think that gator horn is what the inside of most of my joints looks like...
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Dude you're like the 6 million dollar man. "We can rebuild him. We have the technology!" Ugh, even I remember that. :(
 
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