Dave B

And welcome from me too. Although, I'm new here also and with a whopping 5 posts to date.

Two suggestions: For the sheepskins there could be a demand for custom motorcycle seat covers. I have one that I turned into a seat cover and I love it. Cooler than leather or vinyl in the summer, and warmer in the winter. Worth a shot, maybe check with local motorcycle shops, especially ones that specialize in customization. For the deerhides ... These are hairless? If so then there are banjo makers that might be interested in the thin parchment like skins. I've used whitetail skins for a gourd banjo that I made and it works as well, if not better, than the the usual goatskins used for banjos. Some specialized drum/tamborine makers may also be interested in the skins.

First, I'd also like to add my horse hide question. Namely, does horse hide lend itself well for making whips? Now to your question: Think Positive. You could always continue offering horse products, but make it a selling point that the leather comes complete with all the signs of life that the horses' lived. Implication is that the hides did not come from animals slaughtered just for that purpose, but from horses that had lived good lives. That the leather comes from animals that are not simply rounded up to be slaughtered for their hides. In other words, look upon those imperfections as a selling point, not a detriment. Like the old adage says: If you get lemons, then make lemonade. I don't know if this is fact or a bit of stretching of the truth, but making the imperfections a positive feature seems worth considering. Dave Dave

Excellent referral. It'll take a bit of digesting, but some good basic information to be gleaned. Thanks, Dave

Which book is this extra one, the "Leather Braiding" or theEncyclopedia one? It seems that Tandy offers both. I have the smaller Leather Braiding paperback, butam looking to buy the "Encyclopedia of Rawhide/Leather Braiding"

Hi, I'm new to these forums and braiding whips. But after getting a book and doing some practice work with some leather lacing and some nylon paracord, I think I'm ready to buy some leather and get to serious work. The book that I have, along with a bunch of web searching, describes the types of leather best for braiding whips, but in Aussie terminology. The US leather sources that I've looked into don't seem to offer things like "red tanned", etc. I see chrome tanned and vegetable oil tanned, etc offered, but which is best for whip making? Along with the tanning processx to be used, what weight/thickness leather hide should I be buying. Any help appreciated by this leather braiding newby. Dave