Ordering Leather Sides

[Paulr]

Im looking to order leather but have never ordered a side online. I like what I have got from Springfield so was going to use them again. Im not sure if i should get the top or medium tooling sides. Is there a noticeable difference in the two? The other question i have is how the ordering works. When you put in how many feet you want do they cut a side down to fit or find one that best matches? Last but not least is the hermannoak the same thing just higher quality? At 1/2 the price it has me worried that the tooling side will be as bad as what i have got from tandy.

Thanks

[chiefjason]

If you order by the foot, they will cut it down close and charge you for what you get. I've never had it horribly off. But sometimes I would get a smaller piece than I ordered. I guess because they had one around. I've ordered several qualities from them. Closeout stuff is always hit or miss. Got some that were nearly flawless, got some that looked like the cow had been shot with a shotgun. #1 sides were pretty good. Hermannoak B sides are very nice. IMO you can get other leathers as nice, but I've got nothing bad to say about the B's.

Never bought from tandy, so no help there.

I've since started buying full sides from another company. I tell them I want X number of sides, and they charge me a square foot price based on what hides I get.

If you have questions just call them. The CS at Springfield is top notch.

[cjdevito]

I've ordered some cheap veg tan from Springfield in the past, when they ran some shoulders in their special purchases section. Honestly it wasn't bad at all - it was worlds away better than anything I'd previously gotten from tandy, and was what convinced me to never buy leather from tandy again. I'd suggest giving SLC a call and telling them what you want to use the leather for, they'll give you an honest idea on the suitability of any of your options.

[JLSleather]

I bought ONE of those "top grade" tooling sides a long time ago. Never again. Nor will I ever pay for a "craftsman' side (even if it says HO on it). The "B" grade HO is much better than that, though I have seen some HO that's a bit 'spongey' from time to time.

As a rule, foks (including SLC) sell the hide closest to what you asked for. Just a little math for the new (ish) folks ... whether to buy a side, a back, a bend, etc.

The sides ...............................................around 25 feet, .........................@ $8.19 / ft ............. = $205

Backs (side without the belly) ................around 17 feet...........................@ $8.69 / ft ............... = $148

Bends (side without belly or shoulder)....around 12 feet ..........................@ $130 / ea ............... = $130

This pricing is SLC wholesale price for HO "B" grade (just for example). I don't buy sides, except in 2/3 or 3/4, because i know i won't use up the belly of the heavier weights. The bends work out at about $12 / ft when you add shipping - while this is the 'cream of the crop' part of the hide, that still seems excessive. So, I generally get backs. For an extra $50, I could get 6-8 feet of belly, but no point just to cut it off.

A better approach is to first determine what you'll use it for. Backs, I think, are prime for holster boys (an girls), since you can make belts from the bend section and make the holsters from the (less rectangular) shoulder area of the same hide.

As one who enjoys making belts, I let them pick sometimes. If they have a side long enough to cut two belts from one strip, that's fine. If not, then I might just take the bend, as this is certainly the best leather for carving.

I have found useable leather at Tandy on occasion, though I just go pick it out myself. SLC gets some attention because they will cut you a piece if you ask (expect a charge for this). They skived a couple of long pieces down to 3/4 oz for me once - when I had a bunch of 3/4 but not a piece long enough for the current issue. So, in one case, didn't wantt to buy a side of what I already had quite a bit of. I paid WELL for those two little pieces, and wouldn't do it that way again, but that's there if you like ....

[Cyberthrasher]

The "Top Grade" and "Medium Grade" leathers from Springfield are all import. The real stuff clearly states Hermann Oak on it. From there they offer B grade - clearly labeled such, and "Craftsman" grade - which is low grade.

When ordering sides from them, I never put in the feet. I email all the time and say I need 1 side of Hermann Oak B in whatever weight. If I need something a certain size, I relay that and always get what I need.

They will sell by the foot, but if you're after a side it's better to ask for that instead of a specific footage because that's what you'll get otherwise. I actually made that mistake before when ordering so many feet of something. I didn't realize that it came in 12ft hides and I ordered 10 ft. When it came, it had 2 sq feet cut off because that's what I had ordered. So, now I know to either ask how much is in the hide, or just say 1 hide.

[Paulr]

Thank you guys. I will shoot them an email rather then just order off the site. I'm still a little torn between the tooling sides and a bend of hermann oak. This if more to play around with and practice so the cheap stuff might fit the bill for now. Not that I don't want it to look nice but I'm not sell anything so no one can cry about an imperfection.

[r lenna]

I like panhandle leather. The I sides ordered from there are H O and have been nice and get them pretty fast. They charge 180 a side. I tried Wicket and Craig. it was more $ I tooled well but it was a pain to cut with the swivel knife. I found out I had t be careful when switchinig back to H O the knife would cut almost all the way through.