Free Leather

[Liberty]

This may seem odd but it crossed my mind and I thought I'd ask those with more knowledge than myself.

I frequent Craigslist, particularly the free section and I often see leather couches posted. I know that we're not talking veg tan or any HD leather but for lighter things isn't leather leather? Yeah it probably has a backing on it but so what? Can't that backing be backed as well? Or, stripped off and replaced?

Maybe my ignorance is showing but I can see finding these couches and skinning them and then making stuff from the couches hides.

[mikesmith648]

This may seem odd but it crossed my mind and I thought I'd ask those with more knowledge than myself.

I frequent Craigslist, particularly the free section and I often see leather couches posted. I know that we're not talking veg tan or any HD leather but for lighter things isn't leather leather? Yeah it probably has a backing on it but so what? Can't that backing be backed as well? Or, stripped off and replaced?

Maybe my ignorance is showing but I can see finding these couches and skinning them and then making stuff from the couches hides.

Cool idea!!

[Mike516]

I know people re purpose lots of things for the leather like old handbags and jackets so why not couches? I think it's a great idea.

[Liberty]

Well, so far I don't seem like such a nut to yaw'll but the idea of "couch rustlin' really makes me lmao.

[electrathon]

Remember that most couches are only leather on the tops of the cushons. The rest is vinyl.

[Liberty]

Remember that most couches are only leather on the tops of the cushons. The rest is vinyl.

That factor is addressed in the OP. So, it has a vinyl backing. Remove it? Or, cover it with something else?

[dirtclod]

You have to get rid of the couch once you get the leather. After you pay the cost to dump it, is it worth it ?

[electrathon]

That factor is addressed in the OP. So, it has a vinyl backing. Remove it? Or, cover it with something else?

I ment that the sides of the couch, the rear, the front lower, etc are vinyl. Not that the leather is backed with vinyl. Visably, good quality vinyl is hard to look at and tell from leather. I would be surprised if the leather is backed, most auto seats I have taken apart are not.

Aaron

[Liberty]

You have to get rid of the couch once you get the leather. After you pay the cost to dump it, is it worth it ?

I reckon you'd have to figger the cost.benefit numbers out. Here they pick up that stuff with everything else so it's not an issue.

That being said....how many sq feet of leather on a couch? How many things can be made from it? For how many X of $? What's the typical dump fee? I think you'd still come out ahead in the long run.

[LNLeather]

Remember that most couches are only leather on the tops of the cushons. The rest is vinyl.

Hmmmm, Maybe some are not all leather... I worked for a couple of years cutting out

leather pieces from patterns for leather couches, chairs, and cushions and they were all 100% leather...

It was called 'garment leather' and was real soft. Not suitable for tooling, but I have seen that Garment Leather

used for purses and small zippered bags - real easy to sew.

[Liberty]

I ment that the sides of the couch, the rear, the front lower, etc are vinyl. Not that the leather is backed with vinyl. Visably, good quality vinyl is hard to look at and tell from leather. I would be surprised if the leather is backed, most auto seats I have taken apart are not.

Aaron

Ahhhh, ok. I didn't know there were different sections of leather/vinyl, thus the post. Thanks! I'd still skin a couch for it's cushions, lol.

[Liberty]

Hmmmm, Maybe some are not all leather... I worked for a couple of years cutting out

leather pieces from patterns for leather couches, chairs, and cushions and they were all 100% leather...

It was called 'garment leather' and was real soft. Not suitable for tooling, but I have seen that Garment Leather

used for purses and small zippered bags - real easy to sew.

Thanks! LNL!

Who knows...maybe "couch rustlin" is a new trend?

[mikesmith648]

A lot depends on the couch. My ex bought one for the house a few years ago and the whole thing was leather (sides, back and all)......and it cost a lot too!!!

[kennh]

I have been using couch leather for years cutting it up and also reusing the foam for seats and things. Thick foam is very expensive if you ever priced it out. When I am done taking everything off couch I break it all apart and slowly throw pieces in garbage can for trash man, takes a few weeks to get rid of everything but worth it for the leather and foam. I never got a couch that was not all leather including sides, the sides are usually thicker leather than the cushions. The only thing you may run into is what they call Bonded Leather which is leather emulsified and then glued together and stamped with a grain pattern, kind of like particle board made from wood chips. I was hoping no one ever found out my secret cheap way to get leather but I think their are plenty of old couches out there. Its a lot of work taking them apart but worth it to me.

[JRLeather2]

I ment that the sides of the couch, the rear, the front lower, etc are vinyl. Not that the leather is backed with vinyl. Visably, good quality vinyl is hard to look at and tell from leather. I would be surprised if the leather is backed, most auto seats I have taken apart are not.

Aaron

Not the ones I have torn apart, I got some really big pieces of usable garment weight leather from the backs of couches. I have made quite a few purses and leather Teddy Bears from "curb-cycled " leather....

Edited July 19, 2012 by Jeffzilla

[UKRay]

I suppose it is only a matter of time before leather couch rustling occurs... there you are settled down with a few beers when a gang of hairy leather workers suddenly rush in and snatch the couch from under you, drag it into your back yard and skin it in front of your eyes. Explain that to the nice police officer! LMAO.

Ray

[TwinOaks]

Perhaps the easiest and fastest way to check if it's vinyl or leather is to put flame to it for a few moments. If it curls, peels, or melts, it isn't leather that you want. If it bursts into flames....blame the seller.

[UKRay]

Perhaps the easiest and fastest way to check if it's vinyl or leather is to put flame to it for a few moments. If it curls, peels, or melts, it isn't leather that you want. If it bursts into flames....blame the seller.

Do make sure your insurance is up to date first!

[UKRay]

There could be a business opportunity here guys - branding leather couches... Well, how else are you going to prove the thing is yours after it has been skinned?

[sinpac]

This may seem odd but it crossed my mind and I thought I'd ask those with more knowledge than myself.

I frequent Craigslist, particularly the free section and I often see leather couches posted. I know that we're not talking veg tan or any HD leather but for lighter things isn't leather leather? Yeah it probably has a backing on it but so what? Can't that backing be backed as well? Or, stripped off and replaced?

Maybe my ignorance is showing but I can see finding these couches and skinning them and then making stuff from the couches hides.

I will skin a couch down in about 5 minutes and left the carcass behind!

[whinewine]

As a side note, it is now illegal to leave an upholstered couch on the streets of Morgantown, WV. The reason is that couch-burning has become a regional sport after WVU football games.

[Saffo]

There you go, then.

Step one: Sell your services as a couch de-upholsterer in West Virginia.

Step two: Use the couch hides for leathercraft.

Step three: ???

Step four: Profit.

Seriously, though -- nothing wrong with skinning couches from Craigslist. I did that quite a bit when I was just starting out and was just dying for any old scrap of leather I could get my hands on to practice with. I'd also hit the Salvation Army type stores in town when I had time just to nab the leather coats (leather longcoats/dusters in the summer are the best -- real cheap, and they yield lots of material), belts, chairs, purses, whatever.

Everyone here knows that leatherwork is an expensive hobby, but not everyone here knows what it's like to poor but inspired. It doesn't help any when you try to learn how to do something, and the answer is "Throw away that $15 tool [that you skipped eating for two days to afford] from Tandy and buy this $140 benchtop machine [for a bench you don't have] and each of the $60 accessories that go with it." Or "Don't even bother using anything but the very best leather."

But screw 'em. I made a lot of my own tools from the cheap wood and metal frames on those couches, and made enough money to buy better leather off the sundries I made from the material. Gotta start somewhere. Also, whoever said that foam padding ain't cheap, they were right. You can cut that padding into squares and sell that on Craigslist.

Edited August 1, 2012 by Saffo

[needles]

hi guys

new on here and reading through, i repair leather sofa's for a living. generally speaking a 'Leather couch' is made with the hard wear areas, ie. seating pads being made from the better quality leather, (that is, it is cut from the upper portion of the hides), and the sides, back being from the the lower split of the hides over here, often known as split leather.

there are 'bicast' type leathers which are made as said by gluing a sheet of platic type substance to the back of a lower quality split. like leather backed vinyl

there are lots of different cuts made from the hide nowdays and with techniques getting better it is sometimes extremely hard to tell the difference unless you can look through a microscope, i use one every time i visit a customer to assess damage.

al

oh great forum. hope to be able to learn some of your craft one day

[Sylvia]

..... not everyone here knows what it's like to poor but inspired. It doesn't help any when you try to learn how to do something, and the answer is "Throw away that $15 tool [that you skipped eating for two days to afford] from Tandy and buy this $140 benchtop machine [for a bench you don't have] and each of the $60 accessories that go with it." Or "Don't even bother using anything but the very best leather."

But screw 'em. I made a lot of my own tools from the cheap wood and metal frames on those couches, and made enough money to buy better leather off the sundries I made from the material. Gotta start somewhere. Also, whoever said that foam padding ain't cheap, they were right. You can cut that padding into squares and sell that on Craigslist.

Well, said...

You are my kind of gal, Saffo.... Necessity IS the mother of invention... and boy-howdy, have I done some inventing in my time. Also, if you have a wood heat an old couch can provide some nice dry kindling for the winter.

[Colt Hammerless]

Saffo, what's step three?

Does this make you a couch gnome?

Paul