What is Leather?

[KTK]

OK - I know what leather is. But I don't really understand the different kinds, how they're prepared, and what is good for what kinds of projects.

I've been more and more fascinated by leathercraft and wanted to get started. So I ordered some scrap leather from a dealer on eBay, and a few tools. The leather was finished black, which I wanted for my project, but I honestly don't remember exactly what kind it is or how it was prepared. I was expecting strong, pliable, workable leather like for the kinds of projects I see on this board, that had simply been pre-dyed. What I got was some kind of hard, barely flexible stuff that was almost like linoleum on the skin side and so raggedy it fell apart like fluff on the flesh side. It won't absorb water, won't take tooling except somewhat vaguely, and doesn't seem like it can be formed or molded. If you bend it too far it cracks. I tried to use some to make a box-stitched cellphone case. Partly because the leather was so unworkable and partly because my skills are basically Cro-Magnon, it came out looking like a tiny, rhomboid, primitive-handicraft suitcase with a nearly-horizontal belt loop on the back. Stubbornly I wore it on my belt anyway, trying to pretend that that was what I wanted it to look like; my boss asked me if I wanted him to give me an old cellphone case he had that wasn't so bulky. I noticed that every time I entered a room, everyone I was speaking to would be staring at my hip. (No - I'm not posting pictures.) I tried a couple of other projects and they were just as bad. I can barely push an awl through this leather, so I took to drilling needle-holes in it with a Dremel tool. Now my apartment is filled with toxic-smelling fluffy black leather dust and I have a few primitive-handicraft items scattered around with ragged lines of uneven stitches in them and random gouges on them where the drill bit skittered across the hard black surface. (No - I'm still not posting pictures.)

I've got a couple of the Stohlman books, but I can't seem to do the things he describes as basic skills - my awl won't go through this rock-hard leather; the beveling tool just tears the surface into a ragged edge like ripped cardboard; the stitching wheel hardly marks the surface and I can't make holes in it at even intervals anyway. Thinking I was just using the wrong leather, I ordered another set of scraps, from a different eBay dealer, that appeared to be more like the tooling leather I see used on projects here. What I got was a box of very soft-finished, thin, pebble-grained brown leather that seems like it would be good for small bags or pouches, or heavy gloves, but not stiff enough for molded items or cases, which is what I had in mind. So now I've got about 20 pounds of two different kinds of random scrap that I can't really use for anything and don't really understand, as well as several finished projects that would have gotten me thrown out of summer camp if I had done them that badly at the age of 10. Something's wrong here. I see other people posting "First Project" pictures on this Forum that look magnificent; my first project turned me into the Dwight Schrute of my job site. I don't know what to do to improve.

I realize the biggest problem is my own ignorance. I keep trying to get usable leather on the cheap without really knowing what I'm doing, so I order the wrong things. I see certain major suppliers mentioned on this board, and I should probably just order from them. But even there I don't really know what the different products are or how to pick the one that would be right for whatever I'm trying to do. (I also realize I'm probably trying projects that are too hard for first-time efforts. But I don't really need a key fob, and bad-ass biker wristbands are sort of frowned on where I work.) Aside from needing better skills (and better tools, a real workshop, and more patience), I need to know what this stuff actually is that I'm working with, and how to choose and use it.

Can anybody point me to a simple, comprehensive explanation of the different kinds of leather, what their characteristics are, what they're called, and what kinds of projects require what kinds of leather?

And, did others have the experience of discovering that the blandly simple instructions Stohlman gives ("push the awl through the leather to make the needle-hole, then feed the stitching needles through it from both sides simultaneously") require a ten-minute struggle for each stitch and then turn out to be impossible anyway?

Is there a clear, foolproof set of guidelines a newbie can follow that will actually, reliably, produce an acceptable product using a specific set of tools and materials that takes the guesswork out of it? (Something above the level of the Tandy Scout-camp stitch-a-wallet kits, I mean? Something that would help you design and execute your own projects, but without flailing blindly as to materials and techniques.)

Other hints gladly welcomed as well. Thanks.

[Hilly]

Hi there. Most of us had lots of questions when we first started out in this addiction hobby!

If you are looking to stamp pretty designs into your leather, you will be wanting what's known as vegetable tanned leather, or simply, "veg tan".

This type of leather takes tooling and carving such as what you see on saddles.

For an inexpensive source of veg tan, Tandy leather is a good place to start looking. The manager can suggest the proper weight leather for your needs.

Another type of leather is chrome tanned, which is used mostly for stuff like clothing, women's purses and furniture. It does not take tooling.

And there's more! There's bridle leather, harness leather for horse gear, and there's latigo, which is what saddle strings and some shoe laces are made of.

There's lining leather, which is self explanatory.

There's also horse leather, and mule leather. There's exotic leather, such as reptile, ostrich, shark, elephant, hippo, croc and gator, frog, fish, eel, stingray.

You have kangaroo leather, which is mainly used in braiding stuff like whips. It is very strong, and has almost no stretch.

Then you have rawhide, which is used in braiding, lamp shades, and dog treats.

There's also hair-on hide, used decoratively in gussets and so forth, or as rugs.

I'm sure I have missed some, but someone else here will surely chime in and remind me what I missed.

Enjoy the craft!

[TwinOaks]

Hilly, you covered most of the types of leather very well. However, I feel I must point out that you missed the most common type of leather that any of us ever see.......

SCRAP LEATHER!!!

This is only partially in jest, KTK. Scraps are a great source to get smaller pieces, especially when starting out, or trying new things. One of the seat makers here offered up his scrap bin for the price of shipping, and I jumped on the offer. I've STILL got a few pieces of it left! It was a good collection of mis-cut seats, trimmings, etc., and perfect for me to get started on wallets and the like. You can check with Tandy to see what they have (speak to the manager); you might get a good deal.

[TwinOaks]

Hmmm, editing a post seems to be a little troublesome still.......

continuing....

...................................You just need to know what kind of leather 'scrap' you're asking for.

As for what kinds of leather with which to do ____________________, this forum is actually one of the better places to look. On the main page, and in several of the forums, there are topics that address the questions you've asked. The "Getting Started" subforum, under "The Business" section has a lot of the answers. Also, the members here compose the largest collective knowledge base about leather you're likely to ever see. Post pictures, ask questions, take advice to heart. If you don't want to have something associated with your name, you can send it to the moderators and request an anonymous posting. I've done it, as have several others. I'll admit that sometimes it is quite a shot to the ego to hear what others say, but when I asked for a "brutally honest critique", I meant it. I want my work to be the very best, and the only way to get there is to have folks I know do better work than me offer their criticism. You know what? My work is improving because of it.

You've stated that you know your work isn't great, so there's really nowhere but up for you to go. Post some work, include comments and questions about what you're trying to do, and get ready for some 'post-grad' level instruction that will improve your work faster than any 10 books ever will.

[Luke Hatley]

K T K..........YOU NEED TO SPEND SOME TIME AT YOUR LOCAL TANDY AND SEE FIRST HAND THE

DIFFERENT TYPES OF LEATHER. SOMEONE THERE WILL EXPLAIN THE USES OF IT.

[KTK]

Thanks to everyone for their input.

Hilly: That was helpful. It's a good start - I appreciate it.

TwinOaks: Thanks for the encouragement and suggestions. I'll try to take advantage of them. I'll post work when I can stand to have it seen (not the things I mentioned above!).

Luke: Good suggestion. Only problem is, there's exactly one Tandy store in the entire state of New York; Google Maps says it's 248 miles from me. I was sure there would be crafts stores in the Garment District here in New York City, but they all seemed to be aimed either at bead and jewelry work or the professional garment and upholstery trade. There are lots of arts supply stores but they don't cater to leather work either. Surprising, but there it is.

Nothing to do but carry on! I'll be sure to be relying on this resource extensively. Thanks again.

[SKLeather]

And, did others have the experience of discovering that the blandly simple instructions Stohlman gives ("push the awl through the leather to make the needle-hole, then feed the stitching needles through it from both sides simultaneously") require a ten-minute struggle for each stitch and then turn out to be impossible anyway?

Is there a clear, foolproof set of guidelines a newbie can follow that will actually, reliably, produce an acceptable product using a specific set of tools and materials that takes the guesswork out of it? (Something above the level of the Tandy Scout-camp stitch-a-wallet kits, I mean? Something that would help you design and execute your own projects, but without flailing blindly as to materials and techniques.)

Other hints gladly welcomed as well. Thanks.

Oh yeah, sing it brother. I am a total n00b myself so I don't have alot to offer in the way of imparting any actual skill, but I did have some minor victories which I'll share. First off, get some kits from Tandy. If you want to make a cell holster or something for your iPod, then that is a good way to start. You get the precut pieces, whatever you need to build the project and, of course, the leather included is suitable for the task. The kits cost alot for what they are, but I managed to get around that by tracing the pieces from the kit prior to assembling them. Then, I ordered a shoulder of the same leather in the kit. I could practise making a couple of kits for the price of one that way. You can usually get the hardware for your own traced kit from Tandy separately if you want to do this. I also got the deluxe starter kit so I had a basic set of tools. I made a cell phone holster and it actually turned out not too bad. Assembling the kit was easy - just follow along. I dyed the the thing wrong, though. I was going for chocolate brown and I somehow got some red in it so it looks mahogany. I have no idea how that happened since I only have the brown dye. Some people actually complemented that case but they were probably just being nice. LOL! There are some tutorials on YouTube and especially from a guy called BilleF who posts pretty simple instructions for making things. His belt tutorial is really good. I got a pretty decent belt from following that one.

After I had made a couple of kits (I actually SOLD one if you can believe it), I started making some simple strap goods. I am heavily involved in horses and I have some very patient friends who lent me some tack to use as models. I made easy, non weight bearing things like throat latches and curb straps first. I learned how to skive, rivet, sew a little and do a reasonable edge, a neat looking strap end etc while making these. I sold quite a few of them so it helped subsidize the tools and materials. I think my friends were just happy to have someone who had the kit to sew up horse blankets and wanted to keep me interested. ;o)

I guess, just try simple things until you can do them well; then progress at your own pace adding tools as you need them would be my advice.

[celticleather]

I usually point people in the direction of these two websites:

http://www.bowstock.co.uk/index.html for general information and tutorials.

http://www.kingsmerecrafts.com/ (scroll down to bottom of page for loads of information).

They don't have all the information in the world, but they're a pretty good place to start!

[tashabear]

Thanks to everyone for their input.

Hilly: That was helpful. It's a good start - I appreciate it.

TwinOaks: Thanks for the encouragement and suggestions. I'll try to take advantage of them. I'll post work when I can stand to have it seen (not the things I mentioned above!).

Luke: Good suggestion. Only problem is, there's exactly one Tandy store in the entire state of New York; Google Maps says it's 248 miles from me. I was sure there would be crafts stores in the Garment District here in New York City, but they all seemed to be aimed either at bead and jewelry work or the professional garment and upholstery trade. There are lots of arts supply stores but they don't cater to leather work either. Surprising, but there it is.

Nothing to do but carry on! I'll be sure to be relying on this resource extensively. Thanks again.

If you're in NYC, why not look north and go to the store in Hartford, CT? Or west to Allentown PA? They're each 100 miles or so away, but they're closer than Syracuse. There's nothing that says you have to stay in-state. You can always call ahead, see what their class schedule is like, make a day of it.

[kevinhopkins]

You're more than welcome to call me. It's toll free, and I enjoy talking about leather and what can be done with it. I'll do my best to make you smarter.

Kevin@springfieldleather.com 800-668-8518