I'm not sure what leather I have

[Mike]

I am going through leather I acquired a number of years ago and I'm not sure what I have. Please help.

The black leather is very soft and supple and might be deer or lamb(cabretta). I don't know how to tell. The label says KLC (the tannery?), Caprice, black, 11 sq ft. about 2 oz in thickness.

The brown leather has Geiger hand written on the flesh side. about 4 oz in thickness. Very nice pattern to it. It is not as supple as deer skin. This is only about 2.5 sq ft.

I have a kid skin and some deer to compare these to but they don't match in suppleness or weight so I'm not sure what they are. I can't tool 'em so I'm not using them. hmmm maybe I can cover up a cheap frame? Any other suggestions?

[HorsehairBraider]

I'll bravely put in my guess, and then see what others say.

I would swear the brown is calf. I think the black is elk. JMO!

[Mike]

calf, I guess it could be. Elk, I dunno, elk is usually heavy. This is thin, about 2 oz. I have a deer skin and this is thinner than deer.

[Johanna]

The brown looks like a deerskin. The black is probably a cowhide, guessing from it's size and the way it drapes. Cabretta leather hides are smaller, and you would have remembered the bill, if not the hide.

This made me think about one thing we are missing in our computer investigations of leather, something the old-timers in the business call the leather's "hand". It's the smell, the feel, texture, absorbency, and drape of a hide. With experience, a quick touch and sniff of a hide gives a person a hundred subjective data, the brain interperets it all and offers a clear mental description of a leather that pictures simply cannot represent on the computer. I wish there were some way to say "This leather needs this-many-mml of water to case and carve", but no two hides are the same. And if they were, Dale's hide in Colorado is going to act differently than Smilin' Jim's in Alabama.

Maybe take pics of the flesh side?

Johanna

[Luke Hatley]

been waiting for this...

please look in ADULT HUMOR..

[Mike]

The black piece is 11 sq ft. In the 90's while Tandy was independent, it sold for $46. The flesh side (of the leather) is smooth suede. No hair pattern on it like with pig. I guess I'll just call it thin, supple black leather. It feels like garment leather. The brown is much more rugged and could be used on book and notebook covers. That just gave me an idea. Now I have to go back through my magazines. I think Peter Main or someone used to use non-carving leathers as background in carved works.

[Beaverslayer]

The way you just described the Black one, it's sounds to me that it is Lambskin. Does the hair side have a "blueish" tinge to it?

Ken