A Branded Hide

Every once in a while I come across a hide in my shop with a unique old-school brand. It’s becoming rarer and rarer these days, as ranchers opt for digital tagging techniques as well as the electric brander – which places a very small signature in the hide with dotted lines. The new techniques are better for the cows and produce more area for leatherworkers like me to make wallets and bags out of. This brand shown above was done rather deep and shows damage to the hide. I avoid the leather close by as it has in fact been damaged. Some brandings, it is obvious, have been done by experienced cowboys. They change the look of the hide without damaging the leather, in which case I may choose to use it in a wallet. Many a customer loves and even requests these unique features, but it is very difficult to match the timing up. For now I am collecting these branding marks, maybe I’ll make a leather couch out of all of them!