What causes leather to break or crack?

[Lissette]

Please add to this topic.

[Studio-N]

dryness is probably the largest cause.

[Mike516]

I had a problem with cracking. I was using cheap leather. I upgraded my leather and wallah! problem solved.

[Studio-N]

9 minutes ago, Mike516 said:

I had a problem with cracking. I was using cheap leather. I upgraded my leather and wallah! problem solved.

I would expect so. cheap leather is usually dry. A good leather has a healthy dose of 'fat licquor' added during the tanning process.

the result being a very flexible, supple leather. 

[Mike516]

1 minute ago, Studio-N said:

I would expect so. cheap leather is usually dry. A good leather has a healthy dose of 'fat licquor' added during the tanning process.

the result being a very flexible, supple leather. 

Right, but now I always bend the leather at the buckle or chain or whatever when it's still wet from the original casing no matter what. Nothing worse than finishing a belt and cracking it putting on the hardware. But the better leather is much more supple and a pleasure to work with for sure.

[Boriqua]

I havent had a problem ever when using weaver leather but I have lost HOURS of work to cracking using stuff from tandy. Had to throw out an almost completed set of saddlebags when the leather cracked on a 4 inch radius gusset. That is NOT enough of a bend to crack leather .. you would think.

Im with Mike on this one .. I dont care if angels carried the leather to use for a belt on a pillow of unicorn feathers. On a belt I moisten that tight a bend each and every time.