Exquisite wallets made of chicken skin

Exquisite wallets made of chicken skin

By R. Agus Bakti

YOGYAKARTA (JP): A wallet is a friend on many occasions. It
holds one's identification, driver's license, car license number
certificate, photographs and, of course, the all important money.

Not surprisingly, the design and shape of wallets in the
market is varied. And the material comes from a wide range of
sources: from sheep, goats, cows, crocodiles and ostriches. And
it turns out that chicken's skin can also be used to make
wallets.

Up to now, chickens have been used for their meat, eggs and
feathers. But for Rakim Sumarto, a retired employee of the center
for leather, rubber and plastic industrial goods in Yogyakarta,
chicken's skin can also be used as raw material to make leather
goods.

For the center's employees and students of the Yogyakarta's
Academy of Leather Technology, leather goods made of chicken's
skin are no strange commodities. Many times, the students have
engaged in practical work and found the best formula to tan
chicken's skin.

At his house at Jl. Gondosuli 142, Yogyakarta, Rakim said that
people who never heard of leather goods made from chicken skin
were surprised to hear about it.

Before being used to make leather goods, chicken skin must
first be tanned. By a simple process of tanning, the skin becomes
flexible, supple and soft and it helps prevent it from going bad.

However, not all the parts of chicken's skin are tanned. Only
the legs, after the claws have been removed. Chicken's legs
contain little meat so that when they are changed into a finished
commodity, they yield a plus value.

And it is interesting to note, at a closer look, that chicken
skin is as beautiful and attractive as reptile skin, common
material used to produce leather goods.

"The surface of the skin of a chicken leg is strongly varied
in color and design. It is clearly visible upon closer
inspection," said Rakim.

In Indonesia, the types of chickens are highly varied.
Plymouth Rokes chickens have blackish yellow legs, Rhode Island
Red chickens have brownish yellow legs, Austrolop chickens have
yellow legs and Minorcos chickens have blackish gray legs.

Ordinary chickens have lots of colors: gray, black, yellow or
those with black or yellow spots. But during the tanning, the
skin of both ordinary or broiler chickens can be made neutral or
given color according to taste.

But to obtain good quality, the process should be flawless,
including during the skinning. Special skill is needed to
separate the skin from the bones and it has to be done precisely
to prevent the skin from tearing and to obtain maximum skin
surface to make leather goods.

The tanning method is quite similar to that of other skins.
The first process is a beam house operation where the skin is
removed, tanned and then finished. The process must follow the
order and can't be changed or reversed.

After tanning the skin into leather, it is then made into
wallets. It can also be made into other goods, including bags,
belts or accessories, such as earrings.

"It all depends on creativity, dedication and patience," said
Rakim.

A wallet requires at least nine sheets of chicken leather. The
sheets are then joined together. According to Rakim, zig-zag
sewing also gives good results.

On average, the surface of chicken's skin is about 42 cms wide
and 0.8 mm in thickness. The small size of the leather is indeed
an impediment to the making of leather goods, especially those of
large sizes. But for Rakim, it is not a great obstacle.

"To arrange sheets of chicken leather is a special art," he
said.

A standard-size wallet, after considering the costs of labor
and tanning, might fetch Rp 40,000, depending on its shape and
design. Leather goods requiring a greater number of leather
materials are more highly priced.

And the quality of leather goods made from chicken's skin,
according to tests -- including the use of chrome tanning
materials -- is fairly sturdy. It even has higher standards than
those set by the Indonesian National Standards.

But the marketing of chicken leather wallets is still limited
and mostly based on order.

For Rakim, it is important to maintain a stock since raw
materials are easy to get. Chicken legs can be ordered in markets
with a current price of Rp 200 a piece.

And although he has retired, Rakim is not stopping his
creative work as he needs the additional income. "I don't think
many people use chicken's skin to make leather goods. Perhaps I
am the only one in Yogyakarta," he said.