Wickett & Craig Leather

[JeffGC]

I am just about finishing up my first side from Wickett & Craig. It was 8 oz. and plated, following their recommendation. Do most of you have your leather plated? Why or why not? I've heard the term "jacked." What does that mean?

Jeff

[David]

I am just about finishing up my first side from Wickett & Craig. It was 8 oz. and plated, following their recommendation. Do most of you have your leather plated? Why or why not? I've heard the term "jacked." What does that mean?

Jeff

Jeff, I'm not exactly sure of plating, it apparently means a coating was added to the leather surface. This was probably due to its intended purpose. You didn't tell us what you used the leather for. I'd be interested to know that.

Jacked leather refers to a process similar to glassing. It refers to drawing the edge of a piece of glass across the surface of the leather to compact the fibers of the hide and make the surface smooth. Check out Barry King's glassing tool. Jacking was a method of glassing an entire hide during production while glassing tools are used by hand on small pieces. This is my best guess on the terms plating and jacking.

Dave

[JeffGC]

Dave - I make holsters. When W&C took my order, they mentioned that most of the holster makers had their leather plated. It's my understanding that the leather is run between two rollers, compressing it.

Jeff

[rccolt45]

Jeff,

What is your thoughts on W & C leather? Where did you order it from anf do you have to order a min. number of sides?

[JeffGC]

I ordered directly from W&C. They do not have a minimum order. I ordered one side.

Switching to a premium leather supplier was a major change for me. The W&C was very smooth and consistent. Also, they split the side to my request of 8 oz. They only thing a noticed was how firm the leather was which I think is a result of the plating process.

Jeff

Edited March 25, 2010 by JeffGC

[LeatherCaptain]

How much stiffer is the leather once it's plated? I've seen some sides at Tandy's that have been compressed and they're stiff enough that it's got to be used for shoe soles. I couldn't imagine trying to mold a holster with leather that's that stiff.

[JeffGC]

How much stiffer is the leather once it's plated? I've seen some sides at Tandy's that have been compressed and they're stiff enough that it's got to be used for shoe soles. I couldn't imagine trying to mold a holster with leather that's that stiff.

It's not stiffer but seems firmer. It's more difficult to cut. When cased, I don't notice any difference from un-plated leather.

Jeff

[jimsaddler]

It's not stiffer but seems firmer. It's more difficult to cut. When cased, I don't notice any difference from un-plated leather.

Jeff

Hi All

Plating is achieved by just that the Vegtan Leather is placed on a base and a "Plattern which can be plain or have a Print on it is pressed onto the Hide with a roller to level the grain or imprint a pattern of say Pigskin into it. If done too heavily it will feel like sole Leather. Good bridle is mid Plated to firm the top Grain.

Hope this helps.

kindest Regards.

Jim Saddler.

[swivelsphinx]

Comment on Wickett and Craig Leather vs. Tandy: Bellies

You know, I used to look at bellies from Tandy, and consider them as an option for when I couldn't afford shoulders. Then I tried buying bellies from W&C. You know, I'm still a customer of Tandy, and sometimes they have amazing deals on leather. However, I am not impressed with their bellies. They tend to be kinda tough, lots of crinklly sections, and very irregular in thickness and coloration. The W&C product is an "entirely different animal". Holy Smokes... you can't beat the price! Last time I bought, it was 9 bucks for a whole "economy"belly, and I bought 10. They were abso-freakin' beautiful! Tandy charges over double*per foot*for an inferior product. The W&C product is GORGEOUS. Their thickness is consistent, they look as if they are properly smoothed... and they'll split 'em for ya! The color tends to be pale tan to light salmony pink- they case wonderfully and dye *fabulously*. Unless I'm doing a huge project or require leather for a heavy belt, I do nearly *all* my projects (including intricate carving) in the W&C veg tan bellies. I can't thank the blacksmith who recommended I buy from these folks enough!