Wallet Inards

[Toolerlass]

Can anyone advise on a general all-round suitable leather for making wallet pockets? I have pigskin that i use for general lining but don't like the look of it for pockets. I have no idea what to get :-/

[Glendon]

If your not loving the pigskin, try thin goat or kipskin.

[Chavez]

Hi,

I've used a 1.8mm kid side from leprevo to line my wallets. It works really well for a 6-card bifold, but might get too heavy for bigger wallets. I've only tried 6-card (or 3card+coin purse) bifold designs so far. It still feels like "real" leather and sturdy enough to withstand some use but it is quite thick for this purpose.

[Toolerlass]

Thanks very much. I'll take a look. The pig skin is probs okay normally but my particular piece is a bit 'not so nice' (it was the very first skin i bought when i didnt know what was what so it was cheap) i wouldn't mind trying goatskin though, keep hearing about it :-) thanks

[whipstitchwallets]

why not 2-3 oz calf hide? depends how thick your outside piece is i guess

[Toolerlass]

I've never tried any of these before, it just needs to be sturdy but not so thick that it becomes ridiculous in multiple layers

[JoeSnuffie]

I've used 1.25 - 1.75 oz goat and also 2.5oz calf. The goat is stiffer and probably much more wear resistant but it can have a grainier texture than cow, but not nearly what you get with pig. I have some 1.75 oz calf that will be delivered any day now and if it looks as nice as I think it will, I'll probably stop using goat.

The first picture is 1.75oz goat and the second is 2.5oz calf.

[Toolerlass]

Thanks thats really helpful! They both look great :-) i might try the goat

[Chavez]

Sorry, my bad! 0.8mm, not 1.8mm !!!

[BigGriff]

I've used 1.25 - 1.75 oz goat and also 2.5oz calf. The goat is stiffer and probably much more wear resistant but it can have a grainier texture than cow, but not nearly what you get with pig. I have some 1.75 oz calf that will be delivered any day now and if it looks as nice as I think it will, I'll probably stop using goat.

The first picture is 1.75oz goat and the second is 2.5oz calf.

Can I ask where you are getting the calf?

[JoeSnuffie]

I've been getting this.http://www.waterhouseleather.com/kip_tooling_leather.htm They will split it down to 1.75oz for free. I have another roll of it arriving today and I'll let you know how it looks.

It has its flaws but making wallets, I'm able to use all but the tiny pieces that have small scars or bug bites. The back of some of it is a little fuzzy but I skive that down to about .75mm and make card wallets, which works out perfectly. For the price it can't be beat for small items that can use a thinner, softer leather. I've made small bags and they've turned out great.

It will take stamping but don't expect it to be as sharp as you get with the typical veg tanned leather. This is some of the calf that I skived down and embossed. The edges of the design aren't crisp angles but I think it looks great and it will hold this design with no problems. The black strip is goat, used to get a crisp logo.

[JoeSnuffie]

Here's the 1.75oz calf skin

[Bob Blea]

Hey Joe, if I may ask, what are you using to skive this thin leather down? I'm assuming your not doing that by hand with a knife?

Thanks,

Bob

[JoeSnuffie]

That roll was skived to that thickness by Waterhouse and normally it's about 2.5oz. I've successfully skived small pieces with a safety skiver but those pieces are the sizes I use for wallet pockets. I just keep the blade sharp, strop it a lot and flip the blade every few strops. It isn't fast because the leather is so soft, but it works.

[LTC]

he said a couple of posts above that the company he gets it from splits it for him for free.

[Bob Blea]

That roll was skived to that thickness by Waterhouse and normally it's about 2.5oz. I've successfully skived small pieces with a safety skiver but those pieces are the sizes I use for wallet pockets. I just keep the blade sharp, strop it a lot and flip the blade every few strops. It isn't fast because the leather is so soft, but it works.

Thanks Joe! I've tried skiving edges of pigskin successfully using my round knife but I don't know if I'd have much success with something as big as a wallet pocket. You must have a very steady hand!

Bob

[JoeSnuffie]

I'm not sure you could skive the entire piece with a round knife. The safety skiver has its limitations, but it allows me to skive the edges as well as an entire piece. I've skived the entire length of 2 belts for my wife and they turned out great. I was able to cut about 33% of the thickness off with the safety skiver and then run it over a belt sander to even it out. I think a round knife would work much better in skiving the edges of this soft leather but I'm still building up my collection of tools, leather, dye and whatnot.

And as for steady hands, I have a lot of ruined pieces that gave me the experience to get it right.

Edited April 3, 2014 by JoeSnuffie