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Tidbits From Tim

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Courtesy Zack White Leather:

"What Leather Should I Use for my project?" We get asked this question several times a day, and if you are new to the trade, it is a very legitimate question. There are so many different kinds and cuts of leather, it can be confusing. Let me try to give a few helpful hints.

-First, always choose a vegetable tanned leather if you are making a sheath or holster. This is important because chrome salts in leather will tarnish metal. The good thing is that almost all natural vegtanned leather can be used, but it always good to ask if the leather contains any chrome… just to be on the safe side.

-Next, are you going to dye the leather? If not, then you may use drum dyed veg leather or perhaps Bridle or Latigo… but note that while these leathers come in different colors, they are harder to mold and shape than natural veg.

-Third, are you going to "tool" or emboss the leather? If so, then a good open cell leather would be best. Double Shoulders, Single Shoulders or Sidesmay be used, depending on how big of piece of leather you are wanting. Single Shoulders average 6-8 sf, Double Shoulders 12- 15 and Sides 20+ square feete ach. Our Z017 bullhide Double Shoulders dye up real nice and hold their shape after casing or molding, but the tight grain is NOT the best for embossing. A more open grain leather,such as our Z106 shoulders or our Z110 sides would be a good choice. These leathers are good for tooling, and a good dye or finish will enhance the effects of the tooling.

-Finally, we come to thickness. 7-8 ounce is the most popular choice for knife sheaths. You can also use this thickness if you are making a holster and lining it. For un-lined western holsters, 8 - 10 ounce leather is the most popular choice.

If you are still un-sure of what to purchase,then just ask one of our sales staff for suggestions

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