Where To Buy Leather

[Red Cent]

OK, I need raw material pretty bad. I guess I need to order online. I have never ordered leather online and would appreciate some recommendations from those who have had enough experience with certain vendors.

I would like to place the order today. Not getting a whole lot of leather at first. To test the waters, I would like to order 4-5 veg tan double shoulders.

Please.

[camano ridge]

RJF Leather http://rjfleather.com/content/index.php and springfield leather are both sponsors on this site. I think you would be happy with RJF's quality and service. Roger is great to work with and they have no minimum order requirements.

Edited May 7, 2014 by camano ridge

[Josh Ashman]

Red,

I also have a hard time ordering leather online. I'm only an hour or so away from SLC so I get most of my hides from them in person although I have ordered from them over the phone when I didn't feel like driving to Springfield. I've also ordered over the phone from Weaver for most of my skirting leather. Both have been pretty successful, I tell whoever is taking the order what I plan on doing with the leather and they generally treat me right.

Good luck, Josh

[robertmeco]

I have used Goliger leather allot they have very nice Herman Oak A grade leather

http://www.goligerleather.com/saddlery.html

[Steven Kelley]

I have used Goliger leather allot they have very nice Herman Oak A grade leather

http://www.goligerleather.com/saddlery.html

I'll second Goliger. Very nice leather and usually have a good selection in stock.

[rickybobby]

Roger at RJF Leather has been my "Go To" Leather source.

I could not be happier, have never had a bad piece from him.

Tell him what your use is for and he will help you get the right stuff!

[RoosterShooter]

I used to order leather from Springfield Leather online, but found that when it arrived I received a 'B Grade' leather and was paying the Premium price. Now I only order directly from Hermann Oak, and couldn't be happier.

I think Springfield orders all of their leather in B & C grade and charge the A grade price for it. Then there is the problem of it drying out from the time they receive it, and the time it sells. I have gotten some HO from Springfield that was a hit and miss. Most times I would get a good B grade hide, but there have been occasions where the hides that I received were so dry that powdered residue would fly around when I was cutting them. Springfield is a good company if you are going to pick it up, and I may be pickier than most. However, I believe you should get what you pay for.

American Saddlery has a really good import leather they call Sho-Tan. It's a Mexican hide, and is quite a bit cheaper than HO. I have used it on occasion when customers don't require the premium leather and want to keep cost down.

Tennessee Tannery has a really nice Pull Up / Latigo / Retan that I like to use on bags, saddlebags, and pouches. It's almost identical to Horween Chromexel, and works the same for half the price.

Edited May 19, 2014 by RoosterShooter

[Troy Burch]

Can you buy just one back at a time from Hermann Oak?

[malabar]

Can you buy just one back at a time from Hermann Oak?

No.

But you can from weaver.

tk

[Colt W Knight]

Good thread, I am going to have to start ordering online as well. The local Tandy store hides are getting worse and worse. One of the local stores was offering "managers specials", and when they came in I would go cherry pick the 3-4 hides out of 50 or 75 that were nice quality. Last shipment they got was crapola. I couldn't find one decent hide amongst them all.

[mncarpenter]

I order from SLC, and since I'm selling my holsters , I buy the Herman Oak belt bends . Beautiful leather, much nicer than Tandys Euro bends, and I've never gotten a bad one. Alittle spendy , but I can usually get between 10-12 holsters per bend, and I ain't worrying about quality.

[vaalpens]

Roger at RJF Leather has been my "Go To" Leather source.

I could not be happier, have never had a bad piece from him.

Tell him what your use is for and he will help you get the right stuff!

Rick,

I see you are in Phoenix. I just have a couple of quick questions;

1) How much is shipping cost for RJF leather from NY to PHX?

2) It doesn't seem like they sell Hermann Oak leather. What leather and what grade do you normally get from RJF Leather?

3) Is the leather on par with Hermann Oak. Consistent thickness and a smooth flesh side?

Thanks

Charl

[jbossartcustomgunleather]

I get sides from Wickett and Craig of America here in PA. Have my leather in two days, and they're great to deal with. They have a great selection of veg tan and harness leathers, and offer splitting, flesh finishing etc.

[rickybobby]

Rick,

I see you are in Phoenix. I just have a couple of quick questions;

1) How much is shipping cost for RJF leather from NY to PHX?

2) It doesn't seem like they sell Hermann Oak leather. What leather and what grade do you normally get from RJF Leather?

3) Is the leather on par with Hermann Oak. Consistent thickness and a smooth flesh side?

Thanks

Charl

Charl,

Shipping for 4 7/8oz. dbl shoulders (42 to 48 sq. ft.) runs $38.00 on average (that is my usual order)

Roger does not sell Herman Oak. I buy his #1 7/8oz double shoulders. I use it for holsters, gun belts (dbl layer).

I find the leather to be better than any Herman Oak I have ever seen and/or used. The backsides are smooth from being split (and are beautiful).

I find the cost for my materials down to the square inch of usable material. Rogers hides are 95% usable as opposed to competitors poor hide density, poor backsides = about 60% useable leather (for top notch items).

Tell Roger what you are using the leather for and he will pick the best for your needs. It is not that there are not flaws, there can be a "butcher cut" or a hole in the hide, I do mostly holsters and tack for horses so I can work around them. But I also request at least one for strap goods and belts so he picks at least one for the best yield for that use.

I have used his #3 hides for blanket trophy corners and other tooled/antiqued items and they were still better then Tandy leather!

Edited June 6, 2014 by rickybobby

[vaalpens]

Charl,

Shipping for 4 7/8oz. dbl shoulders (42 to 48 sq. ft.) runs $38.00 on average (that is my usual order)

Roger does not sell Herman Oak. I buy his #1 7/8oz double shoulders. I use it for holsters, gun belts (dbl layer).

I find the leather to be better than any Herman Oak I have ever seen and/or used. The backsides are smooth from being split (and are beautiful).

I find the cost for my materials down to the square inch of usable material. Rogers hides are 95% usable as opposed to competitors poor hide density, poor backsides = about 60% useable leather (for top notch items).

Tell Roger what you are using the leather for and he will pick the best for your needs. It is not that there are not flaws, there can be a "butcher cut" or a hole in the hide, I do mostly holsters and tack for horses so I can work around them. But I also request at least one for strap goods and belts so he picks at least one for the best yield for that use.

I have used his #3 hides for blanket trophy corners and other tooled/antiqued items and they were still better then Tandy leather!

Rick, Thanks for the information. I sent a few messages to Roger yesterday, but did not receive a response. Maybe tomorrow I'll give him a call. I was actually trying to find out what the price on the double shoulder was since it is enough leather for what I do. The #2 grade will probably be good enough for me as long as the flesh side is smooth. Thanks again for taking the time to respond to my question.

[St8LineGunsmith]

I get mine from here http://americansaddleryinc.com/index.php?option=com_virtuemart&page=shop.browse&category_id=130&Itemid=173&vmcchk=1&Itemid=173

I buy locally but they take orders.

[JLSleather]

Apparently, I'm the dissenting opinion on RJF. Only ordered once, and if this is what they ship - then I wouldn't do it again. Open the package and it didn't look bad, but start to cut it and there's another story.

I don't want to go through all that sending it back. I don't want to do a bunch of 'discussing' about it. Not a high-dollar order, so just gonna call that a relatively inexpensive lesson.

[Red Cent]

I called Roger (RJF) this morning and I finished our conversation ( after he called back) minutes ago. I mentioned that some were having difficulty in reaching him and he was puzzled by that statement.
Roger is now taking PayPal, so that should speed up the process.

Edited June 18, 2014 by Red Cent