Thickness Of Roo Leather?

[Lasse C]

In several of the books on leather braiding I have the author/s refer to light, medium and heavy roo leather.

Well, those grades are probably just fine for those who have several roo hides to compare... I don´t, so it really tells me very little.

Can someone please tell me what the typical measured thickness of the grades of roo leather might be? (Preferrably in metric, but I can live with inches, too - I can make the conversions)

As roo leather is hard to come by in Sweden, and the cost is way out of my budget, I need to find other kinds of leather that will work.

So,even an approximate statement of the typical thicknes in each grade would be VERY helpful!

Lasse C

[Jacko P]

G/Day Lasse C I'm not 100% sure of all the different grades of Roo hides available but every piece of Roo Hide I ever seen or used is what I would class as "light". Roo skin is very thin, every hide tanned or raw that I have on hand is between .030 inches and .040 inches thick.. No worries with strength, it's incredibly tough

regards Jacko

Edited August 21, 2010 by Jacko P

[roo4u]

hi lasse c...

from the davidmorgan website. lite is under 0.8mm, med is about 0.8mm and heavy is 1.0 to 1.1 mm. david morgan has written books on braiding and has a good deal of info on his website www.davidmorgan.com. i hope this info helps.

if your just doing decorative braiding then there are a great many leathers that can substitute, however for some uses like whipmaking you really wont be able to find a better leather.

[Lasse C]

Thanks, mates!

Having some kind of measures really helps a lot!

I do not doubt that I will not find a better leather than kangaroo - my problem is getting roo leather at all in Sweden, and (most important) to afford it if I find it! On my budget the cost is totally prohibitive.

Swedish reindeer leather is about the same thicknesses, and is known for very good strength and very good resistance to wear. Probably not up to roo standard, but quite good, and affordable. (Not cheap - there is no such thing as cheap quality leather - but affordable)

Besides, I have heard som hints here and there that roo leather has superior tensile strength, but the resistance to surface wear is not quite so impressive - is that true?

Lasse C

Edited August 21, 2010 by Lasse C

[Bevan]

but the resistance to surface wear is not quite so impressive - is that true?

what the ,,,

[8thsinner]

If I can elaborate on Bevans response here,

Roo is very tough,

Cow hides that are cut as thin as roo for the likes of a whip or decorative bracelet can nearly be torn with finger nails alone. After braiding roo for the last week in my "mistress Whip" I can tell you my thumb nails scraped every inch multiple times, and there was no effect. The roo was heavily greased but this is the secret.

Any leather that dries out will tear up really easily. Whip makers and users tend to frequently grease/dress leather so this is rarely if ever a problem unless a dog gets at it.

I feel your sentiment on affording roo leather, I am in the same boat, unemployed and struggling.

But SAVE up, recycle sofas from dumps and coats from second hand shops and learn to cut and prep good lace.

When you can afford a good Roo skin go for it. It's really that worth it.

Though I can highly recommend Springfield's Roo, Thats the stuff I used this week.

After stretching...And they all needed stretching...So buy wider than you need and trim. Lesson for next time.

Pink is thin but still incredibly strong.

Black is toughest but should be split before use.

Natural is kinda dirty looking, still strong but this carries the dreaded breaking a strand philosophy, if you think it's weak you won't pull tight. The surface scratches off a little though, and to be honest I won't be getting it again.

Grape is beautiful and as tough as the black and just as thick.

[Lasse C]

but the resistance to surface wear is not quite so impressive - is that true?

what the ,,,

Hey, man - I said that is what I have heard (from several independent sources, though) not that I know it for a fact!

And when all is said and done, it still has to be a trade-off between quality, strength, availability and my wallet....

Lasse C

[Jacko P]

Lasse C I am on a budget myself and restrict my Roo leather to lower grade hide. I never pay more than $22 au most commonly $11au for my hides and am rarely disappointed with their suitability for my projects. Admittedly I most regularly use Roo hide for linings or overlays for my Archery Accessories but have made some very durable items from this poor quality hide that after 15 years are still going strong and have not abraded , stretched or worn appreciably . I regularly cut lace from this inferior Roo hide and it has proven very very strong and durable. I do stress the point made before though thats Roo lace will stretch and narrow so pre-stretching is vital

There have been times when I could not afford thicker leather for a Quiver for instance so I simply laminated 2 or 3 hides together to build the thickness up. Works a treat. I work around the limitations, I've never had a project done this way let me down such is the strength and properties of even poor quality Roo leather.

You do get what you pay for but I often wonder is a top quality Roo hide actually worth anything like the $80au to $100au plus thats being asked. In my view NO! I'm very happy to put up with scared up hides or uneven dying, they add interest. I have struck projects that require a quality hide and have found that there is usually enough top class leather in a 2nd or 3rd quality Roo hide, particularly if the hide come from a female Roo. Male Roo's kick the heck out of each other and the Belly hide from a mature male is always scarred up

Have you investigated mail order/ importing your own hides, 3 or 4 will fit easily into a mail tube and weigh no more than a couple of kilo's.

regards Jacko

[8thsinner]

I would like to know Jacko where you get your hides, I have never actually seen low grade hides for sale. But would be curious to get some, especially for testing designs purposes, I reckon I could also use it for braided bellies for whips, where thicker strands would be just as strong as fine grade hides in thinner laces.

[Jacko P]

Packer Leather http://www.packerleather.com/ , there not my favorite place to shop but only 10 minutes from home so they are convenient

regards Jacko.

[8thsinner]

Thanks