Chromexcel From Springfield

[mrtreat32]

What is the deal with the chromexcel from Springfield?

Has anyone ordered this and does it look nice? Have you seen it compared to chromexcel from tannery row? It doesn't say if its 2nd quality or not.

I contacted Tannery row and they charge around $12sf and $8 and change a SF if you ordered 5 or more sides of a single color. Im curious if its the same stuff that Springfield leather is ordering and what to expect. You can order through Springfield for $10 a square foot which seems like a good compromise if you can't order 5+ sides direct from Horween.

Curious to hear anyones thoughts on this stuff.

thanks

[Matt T]

It's most likely not first grade; John from Horween replied in another thread to this question, and stated that Springfield has bought both grades in the past. I took that as a hint that they are now selling second grade. I would call and ask; curious what they would say.

[mrtreat32]

It's most likely not first grade; John from Horween replied in another thread to this question, and stated that Springfield has bought both grades in the past. I took that as a hint that they are now selling second grade. I would call and ask; curious what they would say.

thanks.

I remember reading something similar on here to what you just said but I can't find the thread now. Maybe I will call and ask them.

I have some stuff coming soon from Maverick so Im curious how that would compare to the Springfield stuff.

[Hunhunt]

I have purchased one of the Chromexcel seconds in the past (not from Springfield). It is really nice leather but for my use (shoe making) there was too much waste. I swallowed hard and ordered from Tannery row (actually ordered 6 sides instead of the minimum 5 for the discount). The first quality sides are just amazing. It took quite a while to get the order filled but it was well worth the wait. The seconds do work great for smaller items like wallets, etc. and Maverick's delivery time is second to none.

[mrtreat32]

I have purchased one of the Chromexcel seconds in the past (not from Springfield). It is really nice leather but for my use (shoe making) there was too much waste. I swallowed hard and ordered from Tannery row (actually ordered 6 sides instead of the minimum 5 for the discount). The first quality sides are just amazing. It took quite a while to get the order filled but it was well worth the wait. The seconds do work great for smaller items like wallets, etc. and Maverick's delivery time is second to none.

Im gonna set up my website soon. Hopefully if I can sell a few items I will be able to justify a order directly from Tannery Row. I wouldn't mind 5 sides total but the fact that I can't get different colors or types is what doesn't work for me starting out.

I placed my order with Maverick and I should have my first hands on with chromexcel this week. The big downside to ordering horween from Maverick is they stock mostly 5-6oz leathers from Horween. If I was able to order from Tannery Row I could get lighter weights which I would prefer.

I have some samples coming from Tannery Row so Im excited about that. Looking forward to seeing the Cavalier in person which is basically chromexcel in brighter colors. I don't understand why it doesn't seem to be as popular. The lady I spoke with at Horween said she thinks the name isn't as out in the public because the big names like Alden etc all mention chromexcel so people think of that as the premiere leather from Horween. Well besides SHELL!

Edited June 27, 2014 by mrtreat32

[Hunhunt]

Although you wouldn't want to do this on a regular basis, you can split CXL for some of your smaller applications. I wanted to use scraps left over from shoe-making (5 - 6 oz chromexcel) to make wallets and notebook/checkbook covers. I purchased an old Chase pattern splitter from Bruce Johnson (moderator on the "Leather Tools" section of this forum) and tried it. It works great for splitting 6oz down to as little as 2.5oz. I've split pieces as wide as 4.5 inches which requires some grunt but splits beautifully.

[DavidL]

Although you wouldn't want to do this on a regular basis, you can split CXL for some of your smaller applications. I wanted to use scraps left over from shoe-making (5 - 6 oz chromexcel) to make wallets and notebook/checkbook covers. I purchased an old Chase pattern splitter from Bruce Johnson (moderator on the "Leather Tools" section of this forum) and tried it. It works great for splitting 6oz down to as little as 2.5oz. I've split pieces as wide as 4.5 inches which requires some grunt but splits beautifully.

With the splitter (manual) is there usually a guide or ruler to set the blade to a certain ounce? Is this the same w/ manual skiving machines?

I was in a workshop where they had a skiving machine but didn't get a chance to see it work.

[Hunhunt]

The Chase pattern splitter is purely trial and error. There are splitters such as the Krebs pattern that have a means of getting repeatable thickness. Bruce Johnson has a great blog on his website that describes the capabilities and differences in these machines. Another good resource is the article "Splitting Machines" on the randallmachine.com website. I chose the Chase pattern because I work primarily with chrome tan leather which can be difficult to split compared to vegtan. The Chase pattern was recommended because of the thinner, lower angle blade. I tested the Chase pattern with some very soft temper oil tan and had no trouble splitting it. It splits CXL just fine.

[mrtreat32]

Although you wouldn't want to do this on a regular basis, you can split CXL for some of your smaller applications. I wanted to use scraps left over from shoe-making (5 - 6 oz chromexcel) to make wallets and notebook/checkbook covers. I purchased an old Chase pattern splitter from Bruce Johnson (moderator on the "Leather Tools" section of this forum) and tried it. It works great for splitting 6oz down to as little as 2.5oz. I've split pieces as wide as 4.5 inches which requires some grunt but splits beautifully.

Yeah I don't have a splitter at the moment. If I start selling and making a bit of money I will invest in one and most likely some type of skiving machine.

I have never split leather. What does the grain side look like after splitting? Pretty much the same as the top? Also when you split leather with surface defects does the layer below tend to be in better condition?

thanks

[Hunhunt]

When splitting chromexcel the flesh side looks pretty much the same after splitting as before. I tried splitting another type of leather that was just chrome tan and it had a very loose, soft nap (don't know if that is a legitimate word when describing leather) on the flesh side. This stuff was almost impossible to skive with a hand skiver because the blade would just bog down in the thick, soft fiber. The Chase pattern splitter cut right through it with no problem and left a tight, smooth surface on the flesh side.

As far as surface defects, since those are generally on the top (hair) side (bug bites, scars, brands) the splitter won't solve that as it is the flesh side that is being split off and is generally discarded.

[mrtreat32]

When splitting chromexcel the flesh side looks pretty much the same after splitting as before. I tried splitting another type of leather that was just chrome tan and it had a very loose, soft nap (don't know if that is a legitimate word when describing leather) on the flesh side. This stuff was almost impossible to skive with a hand skiver because the blade would just bog down in the thick, soft fiber. The Chase pattern splitter cut right through it with no problem and left a tight, smooth surface on the flesh side.

As far as surface defects, since those are generally on the top (hair) side (bug bites, scars, brands) the splitter won't solve that as it is the flesh side that is being split off and is generally discarded.

Ahh makes sense. I thought you could split it from either side. haha

So I got my samples today from Tannery Row and they are VERY nice. I have chromexcel shoes but have never worked with their leather before so I wasnt sure what to expect.

Shelley sent me a bunch of chromexcel samples, cavalier, and a new leather she said they just started producing called LEGACY.. which feels and looks very nice as well. Im pretty sure she also mentioned on the phone that they will send single sides of that leather at the lower price rate since they are trying to get the word out. I think they would still charge the $30 handling fee and all that but thought I would mention it if anyone was interested.

I cut a small piece off the brown aniline chromexcel sample as well as the horsefront and glued them together to sew it and get a feel of what it would be like to work with. I thought it would be hard to sew since it is softer than veg tan and I had trouble getting my stitching looking good on softer leather about a month back. After a few stitches I got the feel of it down and was pretty happy with the results on the little bit I tried.

Next was the biggest surprise of all. I have been reading tips on burnishing chromexcel and most people agree its very hard or it doesnt work at all. I have read about people having to turn the edges on projects or ordering heating irons similar to what hermes uses to get the edges slick with layers of special paint. Maybe it was because I was expecting the worse but I wanted to see what it was all about so I started going through my normal burnishing procedure which still needs plenty of improving but I found the edge to burnish decent really quickly. Maybe the samples she sent me react a bit different or was the fact that half of the piece was horse front chromexcel. I dont think it came out perfect but it was a lot better than I expected after all the stuff I had read.

Its probably going to be a bit before I can order direct from Tannery Row but I should be receiving my horween leather from Maverick this week to hold me over in the meantime.

[mrtreat32]

http://imgur.com/WLtRSmv

http://imgur.com/XbMvqlH

http://imgur.com/Pmq20JA

http://imgur.com/g9wwato

http://imgur.com/cDRVSqi

http://imgur.com/P0yNZ2c

http://imgur.com/hwcVRNB

Edited July 1, 2014 by mrtreat32

[Hunhunt]

You can split the leather either hairside up or down but normally you would split hairside up. This helps you maintain consistent thickness in your workpiece (kind of like a thickness planer in woodworking if you are familiar with them). You pull on the piece from the topside of the splitter so it does stretch some as you are pulling the leather through the splitter. I've not had a problem with excessive stretching and you could always take a lighter cut to minimize force required to pull the leather through the splitter. I have heard of people flipping the leather over and splitting hairside down in order to minimize stretching. Then you would be pulling on the flesh side that will be discarded so you don't care if it stretches. However, the flesh side is much weaker than the hairside so I would be concerned about it tearing as you are pulling the leather through.

You will like working with the Horween leather, it is amazing stuff. I am just starting to make some shoes with some of the "Predator" CXL. It is very oily and is similar in some respects to "Crazy Horse" leather.

[mrtreat32]

You can split the leather either hairside up or down but normally you would split hairside up. This helps you maintain consistent thickness in your workpiece (kind of like a thickness planer in woodworking if you are familiar with them). You pull on the piece from the topside of the splitter so it does stretch some as you are pulling the leather through the splitter. I've not had a problem with excessive stretching and you could always take a lighter cut to minimize force required to pull the leather through the splitter. I have heard of people flipping the leather over and splitting hairside down in order to minimize stretching. Then you would be pulling on the flesh side that will be discarded so you don't care if it stretches. However, the flesh side is much weaker than the hairside so I would be concerned about it tearing as you are pulling the leather through.

You will like working with the Horween leather, it is amazing stuff. I am just starting to make some shoes with some of the "Predator" CXL. It is very oily and is similar in some respects to "Crazy Horse" leather.

thanks. that makes sense.

I have seen some other splitters on ebay that claim to be both skivers/splitters. That would be ideal but Im assuming the machines that do both probably dont work as well. I would be mostly skiving down just the edges of leather to reduce thickness when working with multiple layers (wallets mostly). There are some old vintage ones "Landis" is the brand that I have been seeing online.

I was thinking of holding off on this type of purchase but if they work fairly well it would pay for itself quickly if I was able to buy leather from Maverick at whatever weight was available and split it down in size. 3-4 sides at Mavericks price compared to ordering from Tannery Row would probably cover the differecne in cost on one of these machines. Assuming they can be found in the $400-600 dollar range.

thanks

[Hi Im Joe]

The one drawback to this plan is the quality from Maverick will not be on par with the stuff from Tannery Row.

[mrtreat32]

The one drawback to this plan is the quality from Maverick will not be on par with the stuff from Tannery Row.

Agree. But I want to se if the difference is night and day or if the 2nds are fairly close to the Tannery Row stuff.

Im sure it will vary from side to side but are some marked down maybe because they have a few random holes or is the whole side not of good quality. If its for some random holes or small marks on the leather that might be fine for my current uses where I can cut around those pieces or use them for pockets that are covered. Large items like bags would be harder to cut around imperfections.

Im sure the main colors like black, brown, and burgundy are 2nd run since those are very popular and they woudlnt mark them down for no reason but some of the other sides seem to be like they could be first quality but were custom colors and such that were made for a larger company and not the exact color they wanted or extra leather left over after production. Im not sure that this is the case but it seems like a possibility.

The lapis blue that you posted pictures of looks great! Looks like a shade of blue that maybe didnt come out exactly how the customer wanted so they changed whatever needed and that one got sent off to the seconds list even though it would normally pass as a first. Just a thought. But you worked with it directly so you would have a much better idea.

[Hi Im Joe]

That lapis side was very clean. It has a couple decent sized holes in it but other than that it is very clean.

Most of the stuff from Maverick is like this. They try really hard to be upfront about what you are getting. I have called them and spoke with 3 or 4 different employees...all who have been super helpful and very nice.

I ordered a couple different types of Essex and they are for sure seconds. I mean they are still really nice but not like the essex you see in pictures of other people's finished goods who probably ordered direct from Horween.

One thing that is kind of a downside is sometimes they don't know what exact tannage stuff is. I understand this as they get a ton of leather and it's hard to keep track of but it can lead to surprises.

My advice is to pick carefully from Maverick but if you are careful you can get some killer deals on some great leather.