Newbie Question: Identifying Real Leather

[JohnHH]

Hi,

I am a newbie on this board, and I hope I made this post in the right section.

I am in the process of ordering some custom small leather goods, and the maker just sent me a sample for me to inspect.

Being the sceptical type, I want to be sure that this is real leather and not some form of PU or synthetic leather.

Are there any definite ways to be sure that the leather is real?

I have made a cut out of the leather (see images below).

I have also tried the "fire test", but the results are a bit confusing.

- When lying flat on a cool table, the leather does not catch fire or warp but gets slightly charred.

- When holding the piece of leather in the air and exposing it to a flame, the material warps and gets the same charring.

Any help or input is greatly appreciated!

Edited October 31, 2013 by JohnHH

[Northmount]

As the leather heats up, it gets hard, warps, and chars. As plastic heats up, it wrinkles and burns, not just char. In both cases, sample held in open air. If held against a table top, tests won't be as effective.

Tom

[JohnHH]

Thanks for the reply!

Looks like my sample is the real deal

[oltoot]

Edge and back don't look like the real deal. Might be a bonded product with a very thin real surface and other material as backing.

[Matt T]

tell him you need a bolt of the material, and see if he agrees... lol

[JohnHH]

Thanks for the replies Really appreciate your input!

As far as I can tell, there is (at least) 3, maybe 4, layers in this particular sample piece.

1. White mesh textile

2. Unknown textile(?) layer

3. Real leather layer(?) or perhaps textile(?)

4. Thin layer of real leather(?).

What do you guys think? Is it possible to tell from the pictures?

As stated earlier, the top layer does indeed only char and wrinkle - not melt.

[Matt T]

What is the price per square foot or square meter? That could also be an indicator, if it is very low.

Oh, and I wouldn't touch this stuff with a ten foot pole; just my two cents..

Edited November 5, 2013 by Matt T

[raysouth]

Hello John,

The perforated material on one side is very much like the closeout leather product from Springfield Leather. No idea if they still have a supply remaining. I have a few pieces of the leather and use it on specialty items as have yet to find a product to make that satisfies me.

I am not much help at telling you whether your product is genuine but did want to let you know about the perforated being available in leather.

God Bless.

Ray

[JohnHH]

Thanks for your replies guys.

I piece of leather is just something I cut from a sample of the item I am considering to have made in a larger quantity, so I have no idea about the price poer foot etc.

I get that this isn't high quality leather, but for the purpose it feels sufficient and I do have some budget constraints.

Just wanted to uncover if it's real leather