Skinning a Leather Couch...Say What!?©

 

 

Urban leather, roadside reclamation, garbage picking, scavenging, call it what you like, but leather is leather!  Photograph by the Author.

For a video on this, watch “Skinning a Leather Couch”, HERE – Author’s Note

 

Have you ever skinned a couch?  No?  Well, I have. 

 

“But why would you skin a leather couch”, you ask?

 

Well first off, I hate waste and if is being thrown out, then repurposing the leather from a couch, instead of leaving it to be landfilled, strikes me as a good idea.  Also, there is a lot of leather on a leather couch, and I use a lot of leather when I’m working on various projects.  About ten years ago, when I skinned my first couch, I did it because I needed some leather, and I didn’t want to spend a lot of money to buy it.  And let’s face it, there is a lot of leather on a leather couch!

 

How to skin a couch?

 

Before you get started here are some important housekeeping and safety tips.  First, whenever possible, before you start, ask the landowner’s permission.  And never, ever leave a mess for the landowner or the garbage-persons to have to pick up.  Always pick up everything that you aren’t taking with you and put it back onto the frame of the couch or in a garbage bag next to it.  And last, you are going to be working with a sharp knife, so be careful! 

 

One of my skinning knives.  This knife was made by my father, photograph by the Author.

A skinning knife must be sharp, and it should keep a sharp edge.  Now all knives need to be sharpened, either after or during use, depending on what you are cutting, but you don’t want to have to stop cutting too often to re-sharpen it.  And personally, I favor smaller bladed knives when skinning because I find them handier to use.

 

Photograph by the Author.

When you start skinning the leather off a couch, start at edges and along the seams.  The best leather on a couch can be found on the back and sides, because they are large flat surfaces and will usually have the least amount of wear.  So, start by skinning this part of the couch, first.

 

The seats cushions are also large flat pieces of leather, although often they have the most wear, but you can still usually use the leather.  If your project calls for aged or distressed leather, the seat cushions are the part of the couch for you.  Also, many times to skin a seat cushion, often you simply have to unzip the seat covers and slide out the foam. 

 

That’s a lot of leather, photograph by the Author.

So next time you see a leather couch, tossed out alongside the road, waiting for garbage day, pullover and pick up some urban leather!

 

Don’t forget to come back next week and read “The Top Ten Wilderness Survival Skills...Number Ten©”, where we will talk about compasses, maps, and the importance of knowing how to use them.

 

I hope that you continue to enjoy The Woodsman’s Journal Online and look for me on YouTube at BandanaMan Productions for other related videos, HERE.  Don’t forget to follow me on both The Woodsman’s Journal Online, HERE, and subscribe to BandanaMan Productions on YouTube.  If you have questions, as always, feel free to leave a comment on either site.  I announce new articles on Facebook at Eric Reynolds, on Instagram at bandanamanaproductions, and on VK at Eric Reynolds, so watch for me.

 

That is all for now, and as always, until next time, Happy Trails!