General Leather Size To Use?

[Tholek]

What are the general leather sizes to use for creating wallets? mainly the thickness.

[zuludog]

I'd say about 2 mm, but a bit thinner is OK

Get on to Tandy Leather's homepage, and scroll down to the bottom; there are several lists of information & advice. These two both have descriptions of the types of leather and suggested uses; also conversion tables between measures - oz, mm, and others

Leather buying guide

Leather craft ABC

[Tholek]

9 hours ago, zuludog said:

I'd say about 2 mm, but a bit thinner is OK

Get on to Tandy Leather's homepage, and scroll down to the bottom; there are several lists of information & advice. These two both have descriptions of the types of leather and suggested uses; also conversion tables between measures - oz, mm, and others

Leather buying guide

Leather craft ABC

Thanks for this input don't know why I didn't look properly on Tandy site.

[Hydrangeaceae]

2mm would be way way too thick, but zuludog might have meant 2 oz (0.8 mm) which is better. Standard thickness is 2-3 oz (0.8-1.2 mm) for card slots, pockets etc, and 3-5 oz (1.2-2 mm) for the outside. 

[NVLeatherWorx]

It actually all depends on what you plan on doing with the leather.  For example:  if I am making a wallet for a client that does not want any stamping or carving & tooling done on it then I use 3 to 4 oz. for the outer back and 2 to 3 oz. for all of the interior parts (and I use this weight for all of my wallet interiors); if the client wants the exterior stamped or carved & tooled then I make the outer back from 4 to 5 oz. so as to give me enough depth for the pattern/carving to have some relief.  The thinner the leather the more risk there is of it stretching and wearing out as well so keep in mind that when a customer asks us to make something for them they are asking us to make something BETTER for them than what they can purchase elsewhere.  Every "open market" version of a wallet is made from the thinnest and stretchiest leather you can find and that is what they don't want; give them something that has some durability and strength built into it, that is what they want to pay for.

[JLSleather]

I like 3/4 on the outside, unless it's for large wallets (small handbags, etc.).

This "roper" style wallet was done with 3/4 tooling leather and a Chaylor insert from SLC.  Recently got a really sweet letter from the gal who bought it that after a couple of years, it still looks just like new.

 

OH, yeah.. 3/4 oz be about 1.5mm

 

 

 

 

 

 

This one also done with 3/4 (Royal Meadow from Tandy), and lined with 1 1/2 oz kidskin from S-T Leather.

Edited December 30, 2016 by JLSleather

[Tholek]

4 hours ago, JLSleather said:

I like 3/4 on the outside, unless it's for large wallets (small handbags, etc.).

This "roper" style wallet was done with 3/4 tooling leather and a Chaylor insert from SLC.  Recently got a really sweet letter from the gal who bought it that after a couple of years, it still looks just like new.

 

OH, yeah.. 3/4 oz be about 1.5mm

 

 

 

 

 

 

This one also done with 3/4 (Royal Meadow from Tandy), and lined with 1 1/2 oz kidskin from S-T Leather.

Thanks for everyone but most of all thank you for this!

I will be starting a project sometime next week.