Questions On The Leather Itself

[Deraj828]

Yep, I'm about as newb as they get. I want to get into this, but beyond that want and the belt I made with my dad ten years ago, I got nothin'. Here are my two most gnawing questions at the moment:

It seems to me, so far as my internet perusal can be trusted, that most of the information available on leatherwork is on carving, as opposed to using leather like fabric to sew together into whatever contraption. It seems also that only the really thick complete cowhide can be used for carving, which leaves all the many other kinds of leather available to be used only for sewing together into contraptions. Is that about right, and is there something that makes it make sense, or am I on the wrong track?

Second question is about the amount of leather bought once you figure out which type to buy. Is there no way to buy just a few square feet of leather? All I've found online are mixed scraps and half/whole hides. I want to start working leather, but I really have no need or money to drop $300 on fifty square feet of the stuff.

If it helps, here's the project I'm wanting to work on after a little scrap practice: in a nutshell, I want to make some picture-type frames. They won't be used for actual pictures, so there are no complications of fitting or routing the wood or such. Just some wood with leather wrapped over the three visible sides. I was hoping to stamp letters, maybe carve some figures in at least some of that leather. Now, as I understand it, that requires my using super-thick leather, and I wonder, can such leather be wrapped tightly around the wood? I also want to use what Tandy calls Zora leather (though I have no idea why they call it that, and can't find a single reference on the rest of the internet for it) on part of the frames, and wonder if it's faux pas/ impossible to attractively mix two kinds of leather on one frame. If they can be mixed, or even if they can't, is there any way I can buy just a bit of them like I need, or would I have to buy two hides and just find some way to use the rest of it later?

Thanks a lot for any help!

[TwinOaks]

Welcome to Leatherworker.net, Deraj.

You have definitely come to the right place to find answers for your questions. The leather you need for stamping designs is called vegetable tanned (veg-tan) and is the only one suitable for stamping due to the tanning process- some pretty detailed chemistry involved in the explanation, but it's all here on this forum if you'd like to read about it. Anyway, that's the kind you will need for stamping a design. However, it is not always 'really thick', and is available in much smaller pieces than full hides. Most suppliers have a number of set of numbers in the description of the leather like 5-6oz, or 5/6oz.. This denotes the thickness. You can convert the numbers into 64ths of an inch. For example: 8oz leather is 8/64ths of an inch thick.....or 1/8th. This done all the way down to 2-3 oz leather, which means it's 1/32-1/16th inch thick. That's pretty thin for stamping, and you'd have to be really careful to not punch through it.. You will still need to moisten it to form it.

Other leather you'll probably be using is called chap leather (chrome tanned) and is much more flexible, but doesn't take stamping well.

For the size issues you're concerned about, call Springfield Leather (see ad banner at top of page) and talk to someone. Tell them what you want to do and let them help you select some leather. They also will CUT leather into sizes you want, so you won't end up with a whole hide.

[JoelR]

If you don't mind a little sewing thrown into your pounding, I'd recommend starting out with a 4/5oz belly. It should stretch well enough to do what you want but have enough thickness to take stamping well without breaking the bank. Depending on the size of the frames, you may have to sew two or four corners together. If you have a Tandy Leather near by, a small-ish belly should cost about $25. If not, and you are not adverse to sewing, drop me a PM and I can send you a couple strips of 4/5 that I have sitting around. Leather is quite remarkable stuff when it comes to stretching and compressing. I'm currently working on a hip pouch for a tommy-gun drum and was able to stretch 10oz front-to-back so there is only a single seam at the back where the back piece of leather (being a completely flat pannel) meets the front.

I'm a noob at carving, so I cannot comment on whether 4/5 will be adequate for that purpose but I have seen appliques that have been carved on thinner weights.

Leather work is an art. Mix and match as you see fit.

[Ellen]

Smaller sizes of vegtan leather are sold as single shoulders, also Tandy sells belt blanks - a narrow pieces of leather.

At the end of year sales you can get your leather cheaper.

[Nod4Eight]

Good info above re veg tanned stuff, I'm pretty new to that so I won't speak to stamping and carving. However, if you check out the sales and aren't afraid to dig you can find good deals at tandy. I recently picked up a whole chap hide for $75 that was 63 ft. That would set you up for many projects. You can also usually find suitable scrap pieces. Keep looking and good luck!