<ul>
<li><p>A rather natural and realistic looking imitation you can opt for, is <strong>real leather that has been made to look like stingray leather</strong>. This is <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonded_leather" rel="nofollow noreferrer">bonded leather</a>, and made by pressing leather scraps mixed with a binder, often rubber. This specific imitation is quite hard to find, though.</p>
</li>
<li><p>There are also <strong>faux leather</strong> alternatives (polyurethane and PVC) to this.</p>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="s-table-container">
<table class="s-table">
<thead>
<tr>
<th><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/OzSBg.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/OzSBg.jpg" alt="" /></a></th>
<th><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/A9IsQ.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/A9IsQ.jpg" alt="" /></a></th>
<th><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/Xmecc.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/Xmecc.jpg" alt="" /></a></th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>Bonded leather (<a href="https://bestbeads.com/10mm-fauxstingray" rel="nofollow noreferrer">source</a>)                             </td>
<td>Faux leather (i.c. PU) (<a href="https://www.etsy.com/au/listing/832545762/pu-leather-fabric-faux-leatherette?ga_order=most_relevant&amp;ga_search_type=all&amp;ga_view_type=gallery&amp;ga_search_query=faux%20stingray%20leather&amp;ref=sr_gallery-1-7&amp;from_market_listing_grid_organic=1" rel="nofollow noreferrer">source</a>)                 </td>
<td>Silicone mold (<a href="https://sweetybijou.com/silicone-texture-stingray-skin-leather-180x115mm/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">source</a>)                                 </td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</div>
<ul>
<li><p>Alternatively, you might be able to create a material with the texture of stingray leather using a <a href="https://sweetybijou.com/silicone-texture-stingray-skin-leather-180x115mm/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">silicone mold</a>.<br />
For a pliable material, you can cast with silicone (be sure to use a release agent; see also <a href="https://crafts.stackexchange.com/questions/4279/replicating-a-silicone-object">this question</a>), or polymer clay, as Elmy suggests in the comments.<br />
You can dye the material, and probably - I haven't tried this, and it might not work well with a surface that will be <em>handle</em>d a lot - roughen it up using sandpaper, so it loses a little more of its sheen in order for it to be more leather-like in appearance.</p>
<p>If you want to use latex instead of silicone, you have to make your own negative mold (creating a positive silicone mold and using plaster to create a negative one, for example).</p>
</li>
<li><p>For a cheaper method, you might be able to stamp an anti-slip material, which regularly come with tiny domes on their surface (see image below), onto clay to create a mold.</p>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/IT0Kj.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/IT0Kj.png" alt="enter image description here" /></a><br />
<sup><a href="https://ws.draadrianabarbachan.com.uy/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">source</a></sup></p>
</li>
</ul>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-06-14T04:24:18.603Z
Please be aware that the "silicone texture" is a silicone mat with the negative texture, designed to imprint polymer clay and other soft materials. You do not get the leather-like pieces that are held in the hand, but the light blue mat in the background.
Elmy
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-06-14T06:21:58.173Z
Thank you for pointing that out, @Elmy! I will mend it later.
Joachim
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-06-14T06:41:35.410Z
It still is a viable option for OP if they're ok with wrapping the handle in polymer clay instead of a textile. And properly cured polymer clay might stay intact longer than faux leather, which often plits into its individual layers after prolonged skin contact.
Elmy
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-06-14T16:37:16.543Z
Neat ideas, but oddly enough, that actually costs more than the pearl-ray leather as rests @.@
Trish
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-06-15T08:03:47.290Z
@Trish I was writing a comment, and suddenly thought of something else and added it: might the last option in my answer help suppress the price?
Joachim
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-06-12T23:13:58.957Z
2021-06-15T08:01:54.363Z
2021-06-15T08:01:54.363Z
Joachim
<p>I am working on a Saihai-prop for a LARP and I want to wrap it in a way that imitates a Stingray skin on the handle. However some stingray skins can't be traded legally under the Washington treaty, so I need to substitute for the real stuff. I technically could buy pearl-ray skin, which is legal, but that would mean I need to get a lot more of the leather than I actually need: the handle only is about 150 mm long and about 50 mm in circumference.</p>
<p>How can I make an imitation of the bubbly texture of rounded domes that is characteristic for a stingray skin, which can then be wrapped around a wooden handle?</p>

<material-selection><leather><props>
Imitating stingray-skin texture?
Trish
# Imitating stingray-skin texture?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2021-06-12)

I am working on a Saihai-prop for a LARP and I want to wrap it in a way that imitates a Stingray skin on the handle. However some stingray skins can't be traded legally under the Washington treaty, so I need to substitute for the real stuff. I technically could buy pearl-ray skin, which is legal, but that would mean I need to get a lot more of the leather than I actually need: the handle only is about 150 mm long and about 50 mm in circumference.

How can I make an imitation of the bubbly texture of rounded domes that is characteristic for a stingray skin, which can then be wrapped around a wooden handle?

**Tags:** material-selection, leather, props


---

## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2021-06-12. Score: 4

* A rather natural and realistic looking imitation you can opt for, is **real leather that has been made to look like stingray leather**. This is [bonded leather](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonded_leather), and made by pressing leather scraps mixed with a binder, often rubber. This specific imitation is quite hard to find, though.
* There are also **faux leather** alternatives (polyurethane and PVC) to this.

|  |  |  |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Bonded leather ([source](https://bestbeads.com/10mm-fauxstingray)) | Faux leather (i.c. PU) ([source](https://www.etsy.com/au/listing/832545762/pu-leather-fabric-faux-leatherette?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=faux%20stingray%20leather&ref=sr_gallery-1-7&from_market_listing_grid_organic=1)) | Silicone mold ([source](https://sweetybijou.com/silicone-texture-stingray-skin-leather-180x115mm/)) |

* Alternatively, you might be able to create a material with the texture of stingray leather using a [silicone mold](https://sweetybijou.com/silicone-texture-stingray-skin-leather-180x115mm/).  
  For a pliable material, you can cast with silicone (be sure to use a release agent; see also [this question](https://crafts.stackexchange.com/questions/4279/replicating-a-silicone-object)), or polymer clay, as username_2 suggests in the comments.  
  You can dye the material, and probably - I haven't tried this, and it might not work well with a surface that will be *handle*d a lot - roughen it up using sandpaper, so it loses a little more of its sheen in order for it to be more leather-like in appearance.

  If you want to use latex instead of silicone, you have to make your own negative mold (creating a positive silicone mold and using plaster to create a negative one, for example).
* For a cheaper method, you might be able to stamp an anti-slip material, which regularly come with tiny domes on their surface (see image below), onto clay to create a mold.

  [![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/IT0Kj.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/IT0Kj.png)  
  [source](https://ws.draadrianabarbachan.com.uy/)

> **Comments:**
> **username_2**: Please be aware that the "silicone texture" is a silicone mat with the negative texture, designed to imprint polymer clay and other soft materials. You do not get the leather-like pieces that are held in the hand, but the light blue mat in the background.  
> **username_1**: Thank you for pointing that out, @username_2! I will mend it later.  
> **username_2**: It still is a viable option for OP if they're ok with wrapping the handle in polymer clay instead of a textile. And properly cured polymer clay might stay intact longer than faux leather, which often plits into its individual layers after prolonged skin contact.  
> **username_0**: Neat ideas, but oddly enough, that actually costs more than the pearl-ray leather as rests @.@  
> **username_1**: @username_0 I was writing a comment, and suddenly thought of something else and added it: might the last option in my answer help suppress the price?  

---

