hi guys,

i've been planning on re gripping an antique sword of mine and yesterday i caught a couple little sharks which i've just finished skining and scraping (dam n they are cool looking little creatures!).

anyway, my question is, does anyone out there know how to cure shark skin? as i said, i have scraped the flesh off the skin and now have it spread over a board drying in the sun. any tips as to how to best cure this skin, ie should it be kept moist or oiled etc would be greatly appreciated.

cheers, adam

Hello Adam,
No curing necessary with shark or rayskin. You're doing it right in that you're air-drying the skins, and that's all you have to do. When you're ready to cover a grip, make a pattern of paper or whatever, cut off a portion of skin a little oversize (it will shrink a bit), and soak it in water. After it becomes flexible, place it on the grip and bind it in place, and let it dry for at least 24 hours. Remove the binding and skin, put glue on the wooden core, and replace the skin. Position and rebind until the glue dries. The apply wire or whatever is appropriate and you're done.

What kind of shark is it? I've been looking for a source with denticles of diamond shape and about 1 mm across for antique restoration.

--ElJay

thanks for the info, eljay

they are little school sharks, (dogfish?) about 2 feet long with silver grey backs and white sides and stomachs
look a bit like the reef sharks you get round your ways only miniature,
nice colour for a handle - the skins are very thin but very grippy and strong.

thanks again, adam