Aven

The ones on the right are picky in how they are handled. I always skive on glass. I am right handed, so my right hand is over the leather and the tip is on the glass. The tool isn't held perpendicular to the edge of leather, but at about 40°, so that means my hand is below the tool tip. Hold the leather in place with your left hand above the tool. You also have to press down kinda hard on the tool when you pull it towards yourself. Lisa Sorrel has a great video on skiving. She uses a skiving knife, but the principles are the same. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNY1oPbvIAg Oh, buy your blades by the gross. Toss the blade when its dull. Don't try to muscle through. More often than not, it will go wrong.

If the leather didn't match the sample they sent, I would have called them immediately and ask why it was different and have it returned with them paying for it. Since you have cut into it, either get a manual skiver or skive it by hand.

Scott, how is it too thick? Could you skive the edges where you are going to sew and/or a the place where it needs to fold?

Sheilajeanne, check out the first pair he posted. https://leatherworker.net/forum/topic/90084-moccasins-for-a-friend/

Found my answer.

Wow! I love the reins. It all turned out very nicely. Nice bow. I have one of the same style.

Well done Frodo. Those turned out a treat.

All I saw was guides to the best shoe/boot for... No equipment. It also appears that you are an amazon reseller, not a boot maker.

When you go to buy again, ask for a sample or at least ask how firm, supple it is and what it is normally used for.

Do you remember what you ordered or the description? Having a chat with your supply house could minimize your surprises.

No worries Scott. We are all feeling the supply chain pinch. When I lived in the Pacific North West, I had two supply houses within driving distance. Now that I'm living close to the middle of nowhere, I will have to rely on samples to make my choice. If you can't get to a supply house, see if you can get a decent size sample of the leather you are interested in using. And think about calling the supply house and having a chat with them about what you want to use the leather for and listen to their recommendations and their reason's why they suggest it. Followed up with a sample of course. This will also allow you to get to know the supply house.

Straight up veg-tanned, probably. Here's a description from Waterhouse leather. "A vegetable chrome re-tan offers both the strength of vegetable tanned and the “hand” of a chrome tanned leather. "

Sorry, no hill climbing. My hip won't let me. Chrome tanned then stuffed with oils and whatnot. It has a soft hand. I agree, they appear thicker than 8 oz.

Placing the patterns willy-nilly does not always afford you a usable product in the end. To me its a false economy beyond being practice. 8 oz bison is the thickest I've worked with for making shoe uppers. I have used sole leather and latigo for soles, but nothing like 12 oz chrome for uppers. Here's what Arrow has to say about their leather. "Our moccasins are made of extra heavy, quality, Swiss hides that are tanned in England, the same country that produces the best of bridle leathers. A special tanning process is used by a small, family owned tannery, that no one in the world has been able to duplicate. The fibers of the leather are tightly joined in the process, yet are pliable enough to allow the leather to mold to your feet and breathe." It looks like they are rather tight lipped about their leather. I couldn't find any indication of the thickness they use.

I have used 8oz bison. It has a very soft hand. Even at 8 oz the shoes still stretched a bit, but it was anticipated and the pattern was cut accordingly. The whole hide is not consistent in stretch. In general the leather near the spine will stretch less than the belly. They grow larger around then they do along their back once they reach maturity. Pattern placement on the leather is very important. For example, a pattern of a single piece top placed so the length of it were perpendicular to the spine will stretch more in length than in width. And if it were placed parallel to the spine at the same location on the leather, the opposite would be true. You need to stretch the leather by hand to understand how it will stretch and then decide how you are going to place the pattern. Some times stretch is good, but you need to be in control of it. Purchasing small portions of the hide can be disadvantageous, in that you have no idea where it was located on the hide and it doesn't always allow you room to place the pattern as you might need with the way the leather stretches.