Slightly tallowed natural Veg tan. What should I know about it?

[Yukonrookie]

Hello folks,

This is my first post here and I’m quite new to leatherwork, I introduced myself in the new members section. Naturally I have me a load of questions. I won’t bug you too much all at once, so I start with one that’s on my mind at the moment, as I’m in the process of ordering me a couple of hides of  6/7oz and 9/10oz . Some info ahead, while I live in northern Canada I’m currently in Germany and will be here a few months. Anyway, in Canada I could’ve gotten some Hermann Oak or even try some Wickett and Craig but it seems that it’s a bit difficult to find that here. I found a couple spots but the prices are so much higher than in North America that I just can’t justify it. Thankfully there are good quality options from Italian and even German tanneries. 
So after some trial and error test buys I think I found  a contender with what I assume to be good veg tan, all natural leather. It’s got a slightly goldish-tan hue to it and stamps and burnishes well, I’d say.

Now, as I mentioned I’m still green and only worked with the typical bleached stuff until I tried some A grade Hermann Oak (what a difference) and now this stuff. This here stuff is slightly tallowed. It’s easy enough to case, but it doesn’t absorb the water as quickly as other leather I’ve worked with so far.  I tried dying a bit of it and it takes some getting used to. So what are the advantages vs disadvantages to that, if any? Before I buy a couple hides of this I’d like to find out what I can. Anything I need to about it?
 

Another question would be what exactly is a Croupon? I guess it’s a term for a back part of the hide. Do any of you know this term? Does it include part of the butts/bends? I haven’t heard this word in English before.

Anyhow, I attached a quick picture I took of part of a “Croupon” that I cut in half. It’s  6/7oz and there’s a 4” strap of 10/11 oz as well.

Any help with this would be much appreciated. Thanks a bunch in advance, guys.

[Mulesaw]

@Yukonrookie I think the advantage of a slightly tallowed hide is that has a nicer surface and it probably resists dirt and markings a bit better. (but that also means dye)

According to my leather supplier (Laederiet in Denmark), https://laederiet.com/shop/48-double-backs/8203-croupon-crust/

In Danish and German it is called a croupon, but when I choose the English text, it suddenly changes it name to a "bend",
the desription (if you don't trust the link), is that the croupon is the piece that goes from the shoulders to the back. They claim that it is hte better part of the leather since it is without the folds the leather would normally have around the neck of the animal.

I have ordered some once and I was very happy with it.

Brgds Jonas

[Yukonrookie]

4 hours ago, Mulesaw said:

@Yukonrookie I think the advantage of a slightly tallowed hide is that has a nicer surface and it probably resists dirt and markings a bit better. (but that also means dye)

According to my leather supplier (Laederiet in Denmark), https://laederiet.com/shop/48-double-backs/8203-croupon-crust/

In Danish and German it is called a croupon, but when I choose the English text, it suddenly changes it name to a "bend",
the desription (if you don't trust the link), is that the croupon is the piece that goes from the shoulders to the back. They claim that it is hte better part of the leather since it is without the folds the leather would normally have around the neck of the animal.

I have ordered some once and I was very happy with it.

Brgds Jonas

Thanks so much for the reply. Yeah, I do like this leather but applying dye is something that’s a bit daunting for me. It’s still hit and miss for me. More so than with other leathers I worked with so far. It will take dye though and the supplier “Lederversand Berlin” (maybe you heard of them?) claims it can be dyed well. The dye stays on the surface a second before it slowly absorbs it. Not sure if that’s bad though?
 

I’m hesitating trying more leathers from yet more suppliers since it’s too often leather that has a bleached looking surface which I personally don’t like.

 I browsed Laederiet before. You seem to be happy with them? Is there any leathers that tool and stamp nicely you could recommend? Something with a more natural look to it, not too soft? I’m looking for quality all natural veg tan. I’m not too concerned about the price, within reason of course. Would you know about other places to check out in Europe and for those criteria, by chance?
Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated. 
 

 I’d like to try different leather but if I was pointed in the right direction a little that would be awesome. 
 

Thanks again for the reply

[Yukonrookie]

5 hours ago, Mulesaw said:

I have ordered some once and I was very happy with it.

Apologies, in my first reply to your post I asked if you could recommend any leather from laederiet, but you already recommended these croupons from them. Thank you kindly for that. It didn’t have that bleached look, right? Did you carve or stamp some of it? I will give it a try. Now that I think about it I had ordered from them once before. This wasn’t leather though. Thanks again!

[Mulesaw]

1 hour ago, Yukonrookie said:

Apologies, in my first reply to your post I asked if you could recommend any leather from laederiet, but you already recommended these croupons from them. Thank you kindly for that. It didn’t have that bleached look, right? Did you carve or stamp some of it? I will give it a try. Now that I think about it I had ordered from them once before. This wasn’t leather though. Thanks again!

No problem at all :-)

I buy 99% of my leather supplies from Laederiet, and have been very happy with them. 

When they mess up (Has happened a couple of times when I buy a lot of zippers for repairing riding boots), they straight away acknowledge that they screwed up, and send the correct parts immediately. So their customer service is perfect.

Here is a post with some tooled yokes that I made for a set of chaps. Those yokes were made of the Croupon that I linked to. I think I ordered the 2.8 mm thick one.
The croupon was flawless when I got it. And it is really almost square, so there is very little waste unless you make something of a very weird shape.

But I have to say that I am not an expert in tooling, so I don't know if other leather are better than this. But this stuff is easy to tool in my opinion. Just remember to case it first (wet and leave for a while) before stamping. 

Brgds Jonas

 

 

[Yukonrookie]

On 10/20/2024 at 4:05 PM, Mulesaw said:

No problem at all :-)

I buy 99% of my leather supplies from Laederiet, and have been very happy with them. 

When they mess up (Has happened a couple of times when I buy a lot of zippers for repairing riding boots), they straight away acknowledge that they screwed up, and send the correct parts immediately. So their customer service is perfect.

Here is a post with some tooled yokes that I made for a set of chaps. Those yokes were made of the Croupon that I linked to. I think I ordered the 2.8 mm thick one.
The croupon was flawless when I got it. And it is really almost square, so there is very little waste unless you make something of a very weird shape.

But I have to say that I am not an expert in tooling, so I don't know if other leather are better than this. But this stuff is easy to tool in my opinion. Just remember to case it first (wet and leave for a while) before stamping. 

Brgds Jonas

 

 

Now this sure is strange. I was sure I had replied on Saturday. My apologies.

Those chaps you made are awesome!. In Canada I wear chaps regularly when I’m on horseback. Lots of tall and kwillow bush, where chaps come in quite handy

 

I ended up ordering a Croupon from Laederiet. Thanks for the tip. I also gave buyleatheronline.com a shot too. Just a half bend for now though. The reviews are pretty good and their prices are hard to beat. Have you ever ordered from them before?

[Mulesaw]

On 10/22/2024 at 6:20 AM, Yukonrookie said:

Now this sure is strange. I was sure I had replied on Saturday. My apologies.

Those chaps you made are awesome!. In Canada I wear chaps regularly when I’m on horseback. Lots of tall and kwillow bush, where chaps come in quite handy

I ended up ordering a Croupon from Laederiet. Thanks for the tip. I also gave buyleatheronline.com a shot too. Just a half bend for now though. The reviews are pretty good and their prices are hard to beat. Have you ever ordered from them before?

I haven't ordered from buyleatheronline, actually I have never heard of it before now :-) But I never really tried to find another supplier than Laederiet, so it is not that I have anything against them or anything, I have just been happy with Laederiet, so I figured that I'd stick with them.

I think you will be pleased with the Croupon, and no matter what, their customer service is outstanding. They are just a phone call away and they know about the stuff they are selling. I once ordered some buckles and the guy called me and said that he could see I had ordered something like weight lifting belt buckles, and at the same time I had ordered some that looked like it. And he just wanted to make sure that I was aware of that the latter ones were not super strong or anything they just looked that way. That was ok with me since they were just intended for a regular belt, but someone wanted a double prong buckle. But I really appreciated that they took the time to make sure that I didn't order something that I would get disappointed with.
The same goes when I am visiting their warehouse, something I do maybe twice a year. The service is great and the staff are really helpful and there is no aggressive sales techniques. They ask you immediately if you need some help, and when I tell them that I'll just look around, they are super cool with that and simply lets you know that they'll be over by the counter in case you have any questions or need any help. So after half an hour of browsing or so - I'll go to them and say that OK, now I need some assistance, and they provide it.
Last time I was there I needed some chewing gum pink leather for a set of chaps for my daughter. She wanted some that looked like Zuki's chaps in Fast  Furious. They didn't have it in the store so I was just taken into their stock warehouse behind the store and he helped me find some of the correct size and colour. So with a service like that I never really feel the need to shop much around :-)

Thanks for the nice words on the chaps. I think they came out nice too, but after I had made them, I saw a youtube video from Weaver (I think) about how to make chaps, and they suggested that you zipped the legs from top to bottom, and I did it the other way round. But I know that for next time.

Brgds Jonas

[jrdunn]

8 hours ago, Mulesaw said:

I haven't ordered from buyleatheronline, actually I have never heard of it before now :-) But I never really tried to find another supplier than Laederiet, so it is not that I have anything against them or anything, I have just been happy with Laederiet, so I figured that I'd stick with them.

I think you will be pleased with the Croupon, and no matter what, their customer service is outstanding. They are just a phone call away and they know about the stuff they are selling. I once ordered some buckles and the guy called me and said that he could see I had ordered something like weight lifting belt buckles, and at the same time I had ordered some that looked like it. And he just wanted to make sure that I was aware of that the latter ones were not super strong or anything they just looked that way. That was ok with me since they were just intended for a regular belt, but someone wanted a double prong buckle. But I really appreciated that they took the time to make sure that I didn't order something that I would get disappointed with.
The same goes when I am visiting their warehouse, something I do maybe twice a year. The service is great and the staff are really helpful and there is no aggressive sales techniques. They ask you immediately if you need some help, and when I tell them that I'll just look around, they are super cool with that and simply lets you know that they'll be over by the counter in case you have any questions or need any help. So after half an hour of browsing or so - I'll go to them and say that OK, now I need some assistance, and they provide it.
Last time I was there I needed some chewing gum pink leather for a set of chaps for my daughter. She wanted some that looked like Zuki's chaps in Fast  Furious. They didn't have it in the store so I was just taken into their stock warehouse behind the store and he helped me find some of the correct size and colour. So with a service like that I never really feel the need to shop much around :-)

Thanks for the nice words on the chaps. I think they came out nice too, but after I had made them, I saw a youtube video from Weaver (I think) about how to make chaps, and they suggested that you zipped the legs from top to bottom, and I did it the other way round. But I know that for next time.

Brgds Jonas

Jonas,

AGREED!  A vendor like that is a wonderful find.  I have found some like that in the past and as they get bigger they seem to outgrow their good service.  I know it's a balance of profit versus service and good help is hard to find.  JM2C.  Jim

[Yukonrookie]

11 hours ago, Mulesaw said:

I haven't ordered from buyleatheronline, actually I have never heard of it before now :-) But I never really tried to find another supplier than Laederiet, so it is not that I have anything against them or anything, I have just been happy with Laederiet, so I figured that I'd stick with them.

I think you will be pleased with the Croupon, and no matter what, their customer service is outstanding. They are just a phone call away and they know about the stuff they are selling. I once ordered some buckles and the guy called me and said that he could see I had ordered something like weight lifting belt buckles, and at the same time I had ordered some that looked like it. And he just wanted to make sure that I was aware of that the latter ones were not super strong or anything they just looked that way. That was ok with me since they were just intended for a regular belt, but someone wanted a double prong buckle. But I really appreciated that they took the time to make sure that I didn't order something that I would get disappointed with.
The same goes when I am visiting their warehouse, something I do maybe twice a year. The service is great and the staff are really helpful and there is no aggressive sales techniques. They ask you immediately if you need some help, and when I tell them that I'll just look around, they are super cool with that and simply lets you know that they'll be over by the counter in case you have any questions or need any help. So after half an hour of browsing or so - I'll go to them and say that OK, now I need some assistance, and they provide it.
Last time I was there I needed some chewing gum pink leather for a set of chaps for my daughter. She wanted some that looked like Zuki's chaps in Fast  Furious. They didn't have it in the store so I was just taken into their stock warehouse behind the store and he helped me find some of the correct size and colour. So with a service like that I never really feel the need to shop much around :-)

Thanks for the nice words on the chaps. I think they came out nice too, but after I had made them, I saw a youtube video from Weaver (I think) about how to make chaps, and they suggested that you zipped the legs from top to bottom, and I did it the other way round. But I know that for next time.

Brgds Jonas

Yup, I totally agree. I’m hoping to find a place like that for leather and sounds like they might just be that place. I have one like that for welding supplies back home in the Yukon as well as a feed and horse tack store. I always know I get the right stuff for my needs and it’s a great feeling when they know the customer and his/her needs. What make things a bit more difficult is that I haven’t lived in Europe for 24+ years. I moved to Canada when I was 19 and only came back here for the odd visit. So much has changed. I don’t even know a lot of the German words what leatherwork is concerned. All good. I’m learning. This forum and the great folks here sure helps though.

im looking forward to the double butts though. I mainly just decided to check out the other place because the prices are hard to beat. As a matter of fact I actually stayed away from buyleatheronline.com simply because the prices were too good to be true. I didn’t think the leather could be any good but when I saw all the comments about them on here I figured it couldn’t hurt to try a square meter and find out myself. I’m sure it won’t be as good of quality as laederiet though. What does riet mean btw?

Anyway, thanks for your help. If you don’t mind could I hit you up if I end up more questions about stuff concerning leather? Like when I start making my first pair of chaps for example?

[Mulesaw]

@Yukonrookie You are always welcome to contact me :-) Just send me a DM through this site and I'll try to get back to you as soon as I can.

If it takes a while before I answer, it isn't because I am angry or offended, but when I am not at sea I can often go a couple of weeks without firing up a computer, so chances are that I just haven't been online .-)

By the way, I am pretty sure that they speak better English than German at Laederiet, so don't be afraid to call them.

I'll check out the buyleatheronline, and see what they have, and maybe get inspired :-)

Brgds JOnas

[Yukonrookie]

@Mulesaw Thanks for the offer! I might just do that. I’ll let ya know if the leather from Buyleatheronline seem good to me. I can’t see it being as good as Laederiet, see as it’s quite a bit cheaper, but I hope it’ll be decent enough.

If I end up ordering from Leaderiet again, I’ll first give them a call for advice. Thanks again

[Pan5N3]

One vendor you might want tot look at is OA Leather Supply.  https://www.oaleathersupply.com/  I like them because a.) they are Canadian b.) Free shipping with $75 order in Canada ($250 US) c.) they have great customer service and d.) They post video descriptions of leather.   Since you can't see and feel the leather yourself, the videos are a big help in understand what the leather is like. From a customer service standpoint, they answer quickly (especially about orders) and they have helped me figure out what I needed for products.   One other thing is that they have 'auctions' where you can get some deals on products. 

[Yukonrookie]

@Pan5N3 Thanks for the Tip. As soon as I’m back in Canada I will be placing an order with them. The free shipping option is great, especially since being from the Yukon can sometimes be a bit pricey. I think they’re located in Alberta too, right? Looks like they got HO and Wickett and Craig, too. I just checked out some of their videos and I totally agree, those videos are really nice when ordering leather online. Have you tried some of their imported stuff? Thanks again for the info. Much appreciated!

[Pan5N3]

@Yukonrookie  They're based in Saskatchewan; Saskatoon specifically

I've tried, Wicket Craig, Seidel, Speici, SB Foot, Law Tannery (very thin feels great) , Arif & Sons, Horween and their own OA Original,  One thing that I like is you don't always have to order a full side or full bend.  I got started in leatherwork because I wanted to make a notebook cover.  Didn't know if I would like leathercraft so I order 2 sq feet of 3/4oz black latigo by Wicket and Craig.  No idea what it was but I thought it looked good.  Also got one of their 'mystery' bundles.  I was surprised by how much came in the bundle and how big some of the pieces were.

Aside from visiting the local Tandy store, another Canadian store I've also ordered from is Hand and Sew (https://leathertools.ca/)  They have some great exotics.  You have to spend $250 before you get free shipping, but that's not hard to do.

You might also want to check out the following post.  There are a couple of links that don't work but overall it's great list.  A lot of stores have free shipping if you spend a minimum amount.  That varies, but it's not hard to meet most minimums.