Recycled leather vs real leather

[SMeredith]

Hi

 

im very new to leather working and looking to start a small business making bags and accessories, hopefully with a unique selling point.

 

my question is... i was wandering if i could use the recycled 'eco' leather in the same way as real leather to make bags / satchels?

 

can it be stiffened and if so how? And how do i finish the edges? The same way as leather?

 

sorry for all the questions but iv tried looking online with no definitive answers.

 

any help of advice will be greatly received

 

thanks

 

Sarah

[fredk]

AFAIK 'eco' leather is PVC leather cloth. Its fine for covering bus seats but has its limitations in bag making.

For the effort you'll put into using it it would be better for you to use real leather. You'll spend more time trying to get it  to look like a leather item and extra work re-enforcing areas to take the strain of clasps and straps. For the edges, you can't burnish them as you can with leather, you'll need to do a fold over or sew on a seperate piece to cover the edge

You'll need to add in to your price a charge for time. Your price for a non-leather item is up against the cheap prices of cheap imported bags sold in the likes of Tesco and ASDA. Better by far to have a higher price for a real leather bag - which they don't sell.

To stiffen it for a bag; two layers, wrong-side to wrong-side with a bit of compressed cardboard in between.

[SMeredith]

Thank you both for taking the time to reply, its saved me time and money by the sound of it!

 

i will continue to look for a different angle for my USP although i like the idea of using scraps as long as i can get them big enough for what i need i suppose

Thanks again

[shug]

when i started messing with leather ,i tried pretend stuff and nearly gave up.then i discovered charity shops and found leather items i could pick apart to practise on.ebay was my next step with scrap pieces until i could sell a few things and afford a decent side of veg tan.my point is ,it is a struggle at first if funds are sparse but with a bit of improvisation and research you will achieve what for me is a very satisfying hobby.good luck.p.s. have you tried leather and stuff on ebay?they occasionally sell boxes of scrap at reasonable price.