Splitting "thin" leather

[tombraun]

Hey guys,

I need really thin veg tan leather but the thinnest I can find is around 1.5mm. I need 0.8 or 1mm.

Is it even possible to split veg tanned cow skin to 1mm? I once had veg tanned kangaroo leather which was very close to perfect for my needs, but I can't get this leather on a regular basis.

I attached a picture of my kangaroo leather wallet. I made similar ones out of cow skin but they get really bulky.

I have no problem investing in a splitting machine, but only if it's possible to split to the desired thickness.

Hope you can help.

Tom

[thefanninator]

Yes, you can do this. You need a band knife splitter. They're very expensive.

Edited February 24, 2018 by thefanninator

[Webicons]

I can split veg tan down to 1-2oz (~1mm) on my American LS440 splitter IF the original thickness is > 5-7oz (~2-3mm).  Any firm leather would work well on these crank-type splitters.

If the pieces that you are working with is < 4 inches then I would recommend one.  Anything wider and it gets dicey and unreliable even though the blade is 6inches wide. 

You may get lucky (as I did) and find a local cobbler that has a crank splitter to try it out before purchasing. 

[Matt S]

@tombraun You can split cow leather to less than 0.5mm, but it starts to lose strength very quickly under about 0.7mm. Pull skivers can split under 1mm and are cheaply available but I find them inconsistent and prone to ruin leather when used for splitting. As thefanninator says above, band-knife splitters are best at this job but they are large machines which usually require a three-phase electricity supply and are very expensive. When I need to use such a machine I go to a jobbing leather workshop in London and pay them to use it. There is also at least one mail-order service in the UK to split your leather, though I have never tried it.

Where are you located?

[tombraun]

Thanks very much for the quick responses! 

The LS440 looks very interesting. 4 inches is definitely enough for my projects. Most of the time I need 8-9cm. I was hoping a machine of that kind could do the job. The band-knife splitters are way too big and expensive for my small shop.

@Matt S I live in southern Germany (Nuremberg). I will give the saddlers around me a call next week to see if some of them have a band-knife splitter I could use occasionally. But I'd really love to have a machine in my shop.

[updn]

Hey Tom Braun

 

you can buy just that type of leather from Martin 0,8 to 1 mm vegtan He is in Fünfstetten. His shop is www.dieledermacher.de. He also has other great qualities....Or buy a cobra splitter from him....I wish I could afford one....Good Luck

[tombraun]

11 minutes ago, updn said:

He is in Fünfstetten

Thanks updn, that's a great tip! He's not an hour away from my house! Didn't know of his shop.

Would you recommend buying a machine like this? https://www.ebay.de/itm/Lederspaltmaschine-Schuster-Schuhmacher-Lederverarbeitung-Hess-Stuttgart/112807814513?hash=item1a43dea571:g:aBAAAOSwWMhafwM0

Although old, it seems fine for my needs. Could there be any trouble with old machines like that?

[updn]

10 minutes ago, tombraun said:

Thanks updn, that's a great tip! He's not an hour away from my house! Didn't know of his shop.

Would you recommend buying a machine like this? https://www.ebay.de/itm/Lederspaltmaschine-Schuster-Schuhmacher-Lederverarbeitung-Hess-Stuttgart/112807814513?hash=item1a43dea571:g:aBAAAOSwWMhafwM0

Although old, it seems fine for my needs. Could there be any trouble with old machines like that?

Tom, a lot of leather guys use old machines like that but I would try it first before you buy it. Please remember the leather you need being 0,8 mm is very thin and I am not sure the machine gives an even result for that thickness.  Martin sells a cobra class 14 electrical machine, it is Awsome and gives a very regular thickness throughout....Bit it costs over €3000. I would rather recommend to buy his thin leather first, he also has small pieces....It is natural vegtan so you have to dye it yourself...

charles

Edited February 25, 2018 by updn

[tombraun]

1 minute ago, updn said:

Tom, a lot of leather guys use old machines like that but I would try it first before you buy it. Please remember the leather you need being 0,8 mm is very thin and I am not sure the machine gives an even result for that thickness.  Martin sells a cobra class 14 electrical machine, it is Awsome and gives a very regular thickness throughout....Bit it costs over €3000. I would rather recommend to but his thin leather first, he also has small pieces....It is natural vegtan so you have to dye it yourself...

charles

Thanks Charles. I'm currently on his webpage filling my shopping cart ;-)

I've seen the Cobra machine. Looks really great but I'd better hold that thought for later. Currently it's too expensive for me. 

Did you order from that shop in the past? How is the flesh side of the leather processed? Is it cleaned up nicely so you can use it directly (apart from the dyeing)? In the past I have gotten some pieces of leather with a very rough flesh side.

[updn]

3 minutes ago, tombraun said:

Thanks Charles. I'm currently on his webpage filling my shopping cart ;-)

I've seen the Cobra machine. Looks really great but I'd better hold that thought for later. Currently it's too expensive for me. 

Did you order from that shop in the past? How is the flesh side of the leather processed? Is it cleaned up nicely so you can use it directly (apart from the dyeing)? In the past I have gotten some pieces of leather with a very rough flesh side.

Tom, his leather has a great smooth inside...not too rough....I have just ordered some myself..you can use it undyed aswell....good back side

Edited February 25, 2018 by updn
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