Leather Quality

[Brokenolmarine]

I have been working and practicing now for several years and the quality of my work has gotten increasingly better, as it should.  In any hobby, if you work at it, you'll improve.  I keep reading about Hermann Oak Leather being THE leather to use for the best tooling results, and THE leather for Holsters, Belts, Sheaths and the like.  I like the results of many of my projects but feel my tooling isn't as deep or as sharp as I think it "Could" be.  I read that some of the root cause might be lesser quality leather. 

Tandy vs. Hermann Oak.

Input?

What say the peanut gallery?  Those with experience using both?

If Hermann Oak is a better leather, anyone recommend a really fair source.  I know it will be a higher cost...

I see several sources offering the leather.  Who is recommended based on price, customer service, and consistent quality?

Thanks.

[Cattledude]

HO is superior for tooling, in my opinion. Ease of carving and good burnish of tooling. Panhandle leather in Amarillo is my go to supplier.

[BlackDragon]

Most any vs. Tandy. Tandy leather is ok for beginners to try on but it's pretty inconsistent and can leave you frustrated when you're trying to improve.

I haven't used Herman Oak but I do use Wickett & Craig and it's great leather for tooling.

[asoupley]

I use Wickett & Craig as well for everything from phone cases to police duty belts to saddle work. I find it easier to 'work' than Herman Oak and I think it holds tooling quite well. Plus the price of Wicket is a little better than HO. 

50 minutes ago, Cattledude said:

HO is superior for tooling, in my opinion. Ease of carving and good burnish of tooling. Panhandle leather in Amarillo is my go to supplier.

Never heard of Panhandle Leather... just looked at their website and their prices are very promising. Thanks for the info

[Digit]

8 hours ago, Brokenolmarine said:

Tandy vs. Hermann Oak.

That's comparing apples and bananas.

Hermann Oak is a tannery; they start from hides, tan them to leather, then sell them (to wholesalers, retailers and/or individuals). Like any tannery they probably specialize in certain things and try to deliver constant quality leather.

Tandy Leather is a retailer of, amongst other things, leather. Like any wholesaler or retailer, they source their leather from various tanneries to accommodate demand for different types of leather (veg tan, chrome tan, cattle, calf, sheep, kangaroo, aniline, nappa, harness, rawhide, pigmented/colored, ...). Retailers will not always disclose which tannery they got their leather from and they will not always try to supply a constant quality. Sometimes they'll sell lower quality leather from reputable tanneries that failed quality control for which the tannery itself has no market and/or doesn't wish their brand associated with.

If you want constant quality or constant color in leather, try to find a retailer that either discloses a tannery and/or product name for their leather, or one that supplies sample cards with promises for constant quality/color.

[jrdunn]

9 hours ago, Brokenolmarine said:

I see several sources offering the leather.

I have used W & C as well as HO.  There are differences but they are both quality veg tan leather.  Since you are in Oklahoma too, I would recommend Panhandle Leather, Maker's Leather or Springfield Leather.  Each have their benefits and drawbacks.  JM2C, Jim

[Brokenolmarine]

Thanks guys... I have worked hard to improve, and had decent results with my craft, but have been told several times that my burnishing and depth issues were more a function of the tandy leather than MY failures.    I have purchased a decent amount of leather tools from Tandy, Weaver, and Springfield... and was about to order some HO leather from Weaver, but the wife wanted to surprise me with a better quality SET of bevelers from Weaver and paid for Priority shipping. Took ten days for the order to arrive.  NOT Weaver's fault, the tracking showed they got the order out the same day.  USPS took their sweet time.

I'll check the other resources you guys mentioned.  I plan to order some quality leather in the next month.  I have a good supply of leather still, but when I do belts and Gunbelts, or tooled sheaths in the future, I'd like to start the project knowing the tooling will have a fair shot. LOL.

I just finished this belt for my daughter, and the tooling turned out pretty nice, but as you can see, the depth could have been better, and the leather had some spots and defects I didn't see until I applied the finishes.  She won't complain... she uses the things I make for her.  Knives, sheaths, holsters... she is a farm girl, runs a boarding barn.  Works it herself.

The other belts I made and the gunbelt all would have benefitted from better leather I think.

 

 

Edited 14 hours ago by Brokenolmarine

[asoupley]

2 hours ago, Brokenolmarine said:

Thanks guys... I have worked hard to improve, and had decent results with my craft, but have been told several times that my burnishing and depth issues were more a function of the tandy leather than MY failures.    I have purchased a decent amount of leather tools from Tandy, Weaver, and Springfield... and was about to order some HO leather from Weaver, but the wife wanted to surprise me with a better quality SET of bevelers from Weaver and paid for Priority shipping. Took ten days for the order to arrive.  NOT Weaver's fault, the tracking showed they got the order out the same day.  USPS took their sweet time.

I'll check the other resources you guys mentioned.  I plan to order some quality leather in the next month.  I have a good supply of leather still, but when I do belts and Gunbelts, or tooled sheaths in the future, I'd like to start the project knowing the tooling will have a fair shot. LOL.

I just finished this belt for my daughter, and the tooling turned out pretty nice, but as you can see, the depth could have been better, and the leather had some spots and defects I didn't see until I applied the finishes.  She won't complain... she uses the things I make for her.  Knives, sheaths, holsters... she is a farm girl, runs a boarding barn.  Works it herself.

The other belts I made and the gunbelt all would have benefitted from better leather I think.

 

 

I just bought that basketweave stamp! Helluva learning curve to get it lined up right. I'm having fun using it though. Have you ever tried using a crescent or camouflage stamp along the border of the basketweave? Really helped up my belt game I think

[jrdunn]

@Brokenolmarine, one of the differences I have noticed about W & C and HO is that it is easier to case.  You can still case Tandy leathers, it's just harder to do.  It is harder to achieve the appearance I want.  JM2C, Jim