YinTx

Absolutely fantastic piece of art. YinTx

Heheheheh. All spot on. And I think I know which thread it was intended for, and is exactly to the point that I was making there - it ain't worth it for those who already know what they need, no economy in the math. For others, a dang good deal and an opportunity to get away from low quality import stuff. Anyhow, back to our regularly scheduled topic as presented by the OP. Apologies for hi-jacking. Look forward to seeing the next video so I can learn new tricks. YinTx

Seems non sequitur? OP showed a video on making belts... maybe posted to the wrong thread? Or maybe I missed what you were referring to on this thread... just curious. YinTx

I can see both sides of this story just fine. Companies that do try to have great customer service do fail on more than one occasion. Just to keep this thread on track, it's a review of the leather, not the phone calls. Perhaps @TonySFLDLTHR can pm @TonyRV2 and offer to send another side with free shipping, and we can have a separate thread on customer service reviews. As far as the leather, it may suffice to say some economy sides will be better than others. I included photos as proof of what I received, what I sent back, and received again. I can't speak to what others have received. I do imagine some folks will be really happy with this opportunity, and others won't be happy at all. I think that is the nature of this sort of deal where you have a damaged version of a usually higher quality item offered at a lower price. Sort of like dent and scratch specials on appliances I suppose. Except you have to buy it sight unseen. Adds an additional layer of adventure. YinTx

top notch, nice work! YinTx

The back looked as smooth and clean as any other piece of Hermann Oak I have. Thanks for the compliment, and hope this was useful. Thanks for the compliment, and yeah, certainly if you can stop in to select the side of leather you want, there will be no surprises, you'll know exactly what you are getting, and for sure save on the shipping. Oh, to have such luxury! Color was Mahogany dye from Fiebing's and a mix of EcoFlo gel antiques. Inside, it s a dark color, in the sun, you get what you see. I'm glad I did not get the experience you did. As mentioned, I was not at all happy with one of the sides in the first shipment, so I sent it back, called and requested a replacement. If they had sent a second horrible side, I am sure my review would not have been so friendly. As it was, I was happy with the replacement piece. And yes, I considered initially that I was doing a bit of a gamble thinking I'd get a decent hide on the cheap. I kinda resolved to be prepared for whatever might come, knowing I'd be able to send it back. I also intended to review whatever they sent me, so if it was two bad sides it would have been shown. As far as your experience, they advertised scars, marks, holes, so I'd expect it. They did not advertise stains and filth... I would have argued and expected them to pay the return shipping in that case. YinTx

Appreciate the permission. Here is what I have written. I hope it is useful. YinTx

Part 2 Replacement 4 oz side If you are considering yields vs. cost, might be an issue. Probably marks on 40-50% of the side at least. If you want a good piece of Hermann Oak leather that you can make small things with, you can certainly do it. A lot of import leathers cost more and don’t return the same value imho. Is it Hermann Oak leather? Yeppers! Tools like it, dyes like it, finishes like it, because it is it. Can you make beautiful things with it? Well, I made this with the 4-5 oz, and I think it is on par with the things I make so.… What did it cost me to return and have another shipped? Well, $23 for me to return ship it, and $13 for the shipping on the replacement hide, purchase price $120, total cost $156. This is about $6.75/sqft. I suppose if I order more, I’ll call and let em know what issues I can’t work with so I can avoid the $36 round trip cost. I'll chalk that up to my error. If you are used to using import hides, and want to know what Hermann Oak is all about, and are willing to work around some flaws, you will get to experience it without the high price. Small items are easily made from this leather, and even some large ones. Some flaws will be covered with dark dye or tooling or stamping. It will tool and work like the Hermann Oak leather it is. At a fantastic price. If you are already using large pieces of leather, selling high end items, or doing production runs, you would already be using higher grades of leather. This leather is probably not of interest to you anyhow, since it has probably got too many scars and issues to work with for these purposes, imho. If you make smaller items with lower quality import grades, you probably owe yourself the luxury of trying this leather. Thanks SLC for creating the opportunity to use H.O. leathers at this price, and I hope my review is helpful for anyone considering purchasing some. I'll try to get a couple more photos in... YinTx

Part 1 Bought and delivered. Here’s a little review of what I received. One 9-10 oz side, and one 4-5 oz side. The 9-10 oz side was as expected, actually I’d say nicer. It had the promised scars and blemishes, and in the areas you’d want to have the best leather (ie the bend), but I could make some belts out of it and it’ll be really easy to make smaller items out of the rest by working around the issues. Basket weave would easily eliminate some of the markings if I wanted to. I’ve sent back “A” grade sides that were not much better than this. The 4-5 oz side had bug bites covering much too much of the hide for me to even consider using, so I had to send it back. SLC was gracious enough to replace the side with another, that I was able to use. It has a lot more issues than the 9 oz, but I will be able to work around it.

Awesome, because I saw some things I've never seen before. Like that nifty cover for the splitter. I'm always stressed about that thing hangin out on my bench, now I have a great way to keep it safer. And I've never seen the Belt Ninja. Pretty nifty. And that harness leather. Really cool colors. Had to go to the YouTube version to see your write up on what it was. And I've never seen someone apply glue like that. Awesome production technique. I could have read a lot of books and not seen that. Although I am certain to screw up more than a few strips of leather before I get it down pat. Thanks! YinTx

This looks really close to a tooling design I've been kicking around in my head for some time now. But I think I'll have a hard time doing nearly as well as you did! Awesome work. YinTx

This looks like a pretty small, well detailed tooling. The woodgrain is awesome, and the border i cool. Did you use a stamp or a wheel on the border? YinTx

I have purchased, used and created a review of this leather. I would like to create a new topic to provide this review if you are ok with that, @TonySFLDLTHR. YinTx

Square ruler. Dye, neatsfoot oil, leather finisher like tankote or resolene. This is if you plan to work with veg tan leathers. Buffing cloth, cotton applicators. Nitrile gloves. Poly cutting board. If you are doing small stuff, get a cheap one from Walmart or Amazon or discount store near you, works fine. Big 4' x 2' sheets aren't all that expensive, and every item I make touches this board more than once, so it is my most used tool and best value for $$. Stitching clamp. sand paper, different grits. Some of us prefer poly thread over nylon, others linen over both. If you are really going to get into it, it can be better to buy once cry once instead of trying to get cheap stuff, then upgrade later. Of course, some really cheap stuff can do the job just fine, but a little research helps here. Round/head knife. Get a good one. Old ones in good shape (ie good steel) I find are better than new ones at a good price (ie cheap, as in cheap steel). Now I have a collection of 9 or 10 or so. Coins. If I think of more later, I'll mention. YinTx

That is pretty tiny, Nicely done! YinTx

Wow I wouldn't have guessed that! I would have panicked the first time that happened with something as expensive as croc. Thanks for the tip on straightening. YinTx

sooooo.... are you needing parts? or just a topic of conversation here? YinTx

I used an oil/dye mixture, then lightly pulled it to straighten it out a bit. It is, my concern is what the customer might think, seeing as how most are accustomed to purchasing not crooked leather belts... I have an old Blanchard that I haven't used yet and plan to sell if you are interested... Yep, and if it doesn't come out straight, I may have to convince my customer of that, or buy another side. Bah. YinTx

Thanks for the info. I was kinda worried about that, but hoping maybe it was something I had done and not an issue with the side. bah. YinTx

Don't know what the exotics are, and the veg tan is in the 2-3 oz range or 9oz plus. YinTx

Ok, so this is a new one on me. I have a side of Hermann Oak veg tan, and when I cut a strap off of it, the strap immediately bends, and towards the butt section, not the shoulder. I have included a photo. The starting line is straight, and I have cut it with a plough gauge. The strip then curls sideways. What can I do about this??!? YinTx

Last show I went to I was told by other vendors (many, actually) that my stuff was too nice, and too expensive ($50 for a Sedgwick's Modern Bridle Leather belt!?!?!) and would never sell. And that I had to make lower quality lower priced goods and they would jump off the table. I believe they may be on to something. When people go by my table, it's like they are afraid to touch a $100 wallet or a nice belt! YinTx Too nice to touch?

Scrap ostrich, caimen pieces, lots of chrome tan that I haven't been using, some very thin veg tan and heavy veg tans (Tandy stuff). YinTx

Most of the tools I have are vintage, like old Rose Blades, Clyde blades, C.S.Osborne blades, Blanchard blades, Gomph and Osborne creases, collectible draw gauges, Osborne draw gauges, etc. Lots of books and patterns and Doodle Pages. And leather. Lots of leather. YinTx