Firm But Thin Leather

[jk215]

The good thing is you are in the UK where thin, finished veg tan (mostly calf) is very popular as opposed to here in the USA. The bad thing is its expensive unless you can find scraps or work out a deal with someone. If pricing is going to be your hang up leatherwork might not be the hobby for you. The price of leather is very expensive and is only climbing each year.

[Toolingaround]

Hi OurJud

Me again, don't give up if it is something you really want to do. I love leatherwork but don't have much money either. After over two years I finally bought some leather dye to play with. It takes me a long time to get stuff and I don't own anything high end. The price of leather is painful but perhaps you could go to thrift stores and repurpose old cloths or purses. I know thin cheep dyed, stiff chrome tan leather exists because I have some so it is out there. I don't drive and my Tandy is at least as far as yours thus I hardly ever get to go there so I do sympathize. Some of my leather punches are cheep ones from a surplus store that are not specifically made for leather, cutting gaskets maybe, not sure. Anyhow I was looking at knife sheath videos on you tube yesterday and ran across this one.

I like his can do attitude. He obviously lives near a great cheep hobby store but the take away for me is to do what you can with what you can get and think outside the box. I am the queen of repurposing things from the dollar store, thrift stores and Walmart.

Take Care, Toolingaround

[RoosterShooter]

I haven't read all of the comments, but has anyone suggested horse hide? It is very dense! Comparable to cowhide you can get three times the density and 1/3 the weight from horse hide as opposed to cowhide.

For example ... I can use a 4-5 oz. horse hide that has the same thickness to density ratio as a 10 - 12 oz. cowhide.

Edited March 15, 2014 by RoosterShooter