Falling for fish skin bags hook, line and sinker<\/p>\n
By R. Agus Bakti<\/p>\n
YOGYAKARTA (JP): The ray fish is one of Indonesia's many
\nmarine riches. Apart from its delicious meat, its skin is a
\nspecial material that can be made into numerous useful items,
\nlike wallets, bags, belts and key and pager holders.<\/p>\n
Like leather, the skin must be tanned before it can be
\nutilized. But not all parts of the fish, locally known as ikan
\npari, can be used. Only the skin of its back, which has spots
\nlike beads, can be used, according to Nuraini Indrati, a lecturer
\nat the Leather Technology Academy in Yogyakarta.<\/p>\n
The tanned skin is durable, flexible, supple and more
\nimportantly it will not be damaged by bacteria.<\/p>\n
There are a number of types of ray fish in Indonesian waters:
\nthe Gymmura micoura (pari kampret), the Amphotitius kuhlir (pari
\nkembang), the Actubatic nari-nari (pari burung), the Dasyattis
\nsephen (pari ayam) and Trygon sehen (pari kelapa). The pari
\nkelapa is one of the types whose skin can be tanned.<\/p>\n
Local fishermen usually use the skin as sandpaper, while in
\nJapan the skin is used to make shields.<\/p>\n
The tanning process is not much different from the method used
\nto tan other types of skin. There are three stages to the
\nprocess: (1) the preliminary process, or beam-house operation,
\ninvolving the process of soaking, liming, deliming, bating and
\npickling; (2) the tanning process and (3) the finishing process,
\ncomprising neutralizing, dyeing, oiling and final dyeing.<\/p>\n
After tanning, the skin can be used to make bags as well as
\nwallets. The spots on the surface of the skin make it special,
\nsetting it apart from the leather generally available in the
\nmarket. It is distinctive from cow, sheep, reptile and snake
\nleather.<\/p>\n
In the evening, the fish skin resembles a pearl. It shines
\nwhen the light strikes it, bringing out the unique designs of the
\nleather.<\/p>\n
The tanned fish skin is equal in beauty to other types of
\nleather. The surface is hard and the fish scales resemble a the
\nteeth of a saw.<\/p>\n
Another beautiful aspect of the fish skin is the spots on the
\nskin which resemble pearls. The shapes vary, making each design
\nunique. It is impossible to add spots to the skin and any attempt
\nto do so will mar the beauty of the skin.<\/p>\n
These pearl-like spots determine the selling price of the
\ngoods made from the skin. The spots are centered on the surface
\nof the skin, and the more large spots in the center the higher
\nthe value of the final product.<\/p>\n
The spots on the skin of these fish which "fly" on the surface
\nof the sea cannot be designed by people, and it depends on the
\nfishermen's catch whether the fish have the characteristic spots.<\/p>\n
The original color of the skin is grayish white, but other
\ncolors can be added to the skin during the tanning process,
\ndepending only on the tanner. Colors often used are green,
\nyellow, blue, black and brown. However, no matter the color the
\nleather remains shiny.<\/p>\n
Indrati said that as a lecturer, she felt responsible for
\ndisseminating the technology necessary to popularize the tanning
\nof ray fish skin. However, she is not involved in the business.<\/p>\n
Few people, in fact, are involved in this particular
\nendeavor. One such person is Budi Laharjo, who has been tanning
\nray fish skins for the past two years. He said it was difficult
\nto sew the fish skin. When making wallets, the part of the
\nleather to be sewn must be marked beforehand, otherwise the
\nneedle can break during sewing because it can come into contact
\nwith a tough spot.<\/p>\n
Budi sells a bag for up to Rp 400,000 and wallets for Rp
\n75,000 each. He sells his goods in shops in Jakarta, Surabaya and
\nYogyakarta.<\/p>\n
In developing his business, he consults with the Leather
\nAgency in Yogyakarta, particularly on matters of standardization.<\/p>\n
The raw material is acquired from fishermen on Java's northern
\ncoast. The price differs according to the size of the fish. Some
\nskins are priced at Rp 15,000 a sheet, others go for as much as
\nRp 40,000 a sheet.<\/p>\n
Budi says that this business has good prospects. He is
\nconvinced there are many more sources of ray fish in the country,
\nespecially in eastern Indonesia.<\/p>",
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