SC - Re: sca-cooks V1 #472

[margali]

> I think your explanation for the ready availability is unnecessarily
> exotic. Snakes, after all, shed their skins from time to time. The
> reason
> naugahide is so cheap is that you don't have to kill the nauga, just
> harvest the skin when shed.
> 
> David/Cariadoc
> http://www.best.com/~ddfr/
> 
This is essentially correct.  I have heard of the process from my uncle,
who was a naugaherder in British Columbia.  He thought that the climate
would yield a softer and higher priced hide than the "native" hot and
dry climate. but he could not produce much since the creatures regularly
got fungus infections, yielding pale, spotty, and brittle hide.  He had
one ( a mutation, I suspect), that after it died, yielded a cured hide
(tanned with mineral oil, and Perrier) that was clear with tiny flecks
of color.  He sold a lot of small handbags to young girls in the late
70's made out of this stuff.

The cast off skins are very thin and tear easily. So traditionally, they
are collected and laminated to a cotton backing material for processing.
This is done with a natural mucilage that is in the skin, and is
extracted by first soaking the skins in vinegar and water.  Then the wet
hides are pressed to the backing material, dried, and gathered onto
rolls and bolts.  The American Society for Suppliers, Institutional
Naugahyde   Industries, and Nauga Entrepreneurs estimates that there are
less than 5,000 head of Naga in the wild, but that the animal is
responding well to captive breeding and farming techniques.
A.S.S.I.N.I.N.E. estimates of tens of thousands of domesticated Naga are
not uncommon.


Brandu
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