Hydrangeaceae

Quick update. I just got a call from the supplier and they also believe its due to iron particles. I had unfortunately written them stating it was mold after a shoemaker looked at it, before the reassuring replies here. But I'm getting my money back, and a return label so I can return the remaining leather for them to look at. Gotta love great customer service. They're one of the only three suppliers in my country so knowing they handle issues so well, and that they are still worth ordering from, is great.

They're definitely not holes. They're too small to feel if there's any texture difference, but there's definitely no dips. Unfortunately I've just run out of dye, but I didn't notice anything weird when I dyed a large piece a few weeks ago. But then there also wasn't any spots when I skived that.

Thank you for the extensive reply! Assuming it doesn't suddenly grow hair, I'm really glad it isn't mold. Obviously I'm not pleased with the spots, but it was only a small piece to try out a supplier. At least it can serve as a final push to spend more on higher quality leather.

Thanks for the reply @northmount. I'm a bit confused on how iron would make spots that seem to stem from the inside of the leather though, as the spots are much larger and more pronounced on the inside layers.

I recently got some untreated veg tan, half a shoulder, and I've used about half of it without issue. Last night though, I noticed a lot of black spots appeared after skiving. Today I cased a piece, and now there's black spots on the surface as well. Heres some pictures. Sorry about using imgur, I can't get pictures to work on mobile. Does anyone know what's going on here? I'm afraid it's mold, but I was told it had just come in from the tannery before it was shipped to me, and I've stored it wrapped in a bedsheet in a dry room. Theres no other signs of decay/mold either.

2mm would be way way too thick, but zuludog might have meant 2 oz (0.8 mm) which is better. Standard thickness is 2-3 oz (0.8-1.2 mm) for card slots, pockets etc, and 3-5 oz (1.2-2 mm) for the outside.

Aacrack.co.uk has a huge variety and are awesome to shop from.

Best bet is a French skiver.

Neatsfoot won't give you any waterproofing or surface protection what so ever. It's purely a conditioner. For waterproofing you'll want an acrylic finish like resolene, or a beeswax based wax like sno seal. You can also DIY the wax if you're up for it. For conditioning with neatsfoot I just place a rag on top of the bottle, give it a quick turn on it's head, and then spread that around as much as it will cover. A little goes a long way, but you can use more if you want to darken the leather considerably or soften it up. Lots of light coats over drowning it.

I guess a band could help make it look more intentional. Thanks for the idea

I could use some help trouble shooting a bag I'm about to make. I want to make a bag similar to this. saddle bag in shape and design, but I want it to be lined with goatskin to allow for pockets and a general nice look and feel. I'd prefer not to stitch the flap though and I'm having some trouble working out what to do with the lining to avoid this. I figure it would probably be best to just line the compartment/body of the bag, but that'll leave me with an edge on the inside where it transitions from body to flap, which I don't think will look as nice as I'd like it to, especially since the goat I have is on the thick side. I don't know if I've explained myself well enough, but if anyone has some ideas or info on how to make the transition from lining to flap look intentional, or any input on whatever, I'd love to hear your thoughts.

You can buy UV lamps for doing gel nail polish for not a lot of money if you want to try it out. I can see it working out in theory so I'd say it's definitely worth a try.

@bikermutt07, yes I'm very happy with it. Of course there's a good reason buying cheap is hardly ever recommended, so I'm very happy it didn't turn into yet another lesson on why you shouldn't choose the budget route.

I haven't seen many leather reviews, and the ones I've found are mostly of higher-end leathers from the US. As a beginner from Europe, I really missed having more information on the cheaper options, to make that first leather purchase a bit less nerve racking. So, I thought I'd do a review in case it helps anyone else. Keep in mind I don't have much to compare it to. I have some scraps from @jonasbo that are very nice (huge thanks for that btw!), but there's a big difference on scraps and half a cow. I chose the Deco pie crust since I wanted a thickness that would work for a variety of smaller items, something that could be dyed or left alone, and a whole side so I could get a better feel for the different parts of the hide. And of course, I wanted something affordable. This cost me £3,65 pr sq ft without VAT, so all in all I ended up paying just under £130 (€147) for 19,75 sq ft + shipping. Which is definitely a great price. Here's the Imgur album with pics and descriptions

That sounds really annoying. And could be dangerous with something as sharp and big as a round knife. Hope you still have all your fingers! But, as long as it last even a month it should be enough for me to decide if I want to purchase a more expensive one, so at least it's not a concern for me I guess. (sidenote, how the heck do you remove the quote on mobile? My laptop broke.. I feel lost haha).