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.