Scrap Leather

[Konapaniolo]

Looking for recommendations... I have approx. 100 lbs of scrap leather that I need to do something with.  All 3-7 oz.  All colors..Thought of grade schools and craft groups but they do not want it.  Shame to throw it away.....  Anywhere from a few square inches to a couple square feet.   

 

Edited March 5, 2018 by Konapaniolo
Added info

[bikermutt07]

You can always try and sell it here. Most people sell by the pound + shipping. 

Some people even give it away to newbies.

Edited March 5, 2018 by bikermutt07

[Konapaniolo]

Maybe put it in 10lb bags?   Thanks

[JLSleather]

Boy scout troop?

[Utilatu00]

I bought lots of scrap Lot on Ebay for my small project.Usually sold by 10 lbs lot from 1.5$ - 10$ per pound with option of plus or free ship.Just a suggestion.Try it here first.Good luck

[JerseyFirefighter]

I feel your pain. Most of my scrap is fairly usable, however there are only so many hours in a day to put into clearing it out. I purchased some dies to make use of the belt scraps and remaining portions of the usable bellies like key fobs and such. My solution may not work for you, but I now pay a guy every 2 weeks to come in and spend a day clicking and burnishing those items pieces for quick turnaround items. It kills me to throw it out, and I dont have the time or patience to market it for sale and ship it out. 

 

That said I have gotten at least a LITTLE better and just toss the smaller pieces just to keep my scrap heap any larger than it depressingly is right now. 

[fredk]

4 hours ago, Konapaniolo said:

..Thought of grade schools and craft groups but they do not want it. ..

Rules and regulations I suppose. Its different where I am. We have 'Play Resource Centres' which thrive on useable waste from businesses. Every so often I take my scrap over to one of their places. The scrap/waste goes into big bins and teachers etc come and get some for craft/art at their school.

[Konapaniolo]

Thanks Fred... Still would like to see the kids get it.....

 

[Konapaniolo]

Got to try something.  Thanks for the advise everyone.   

 

[fredk]

Have you a free community newspaper sort of thing? An advert that you have excess small pieces of leather to go free to any school/kids group. Word the ad so it doesn't sound like you are giving away garbage. Limit the amount per group.   Just a thought

[Handstitched]

G'Day , I'm in a  similar position to JerseyFirefighter. I have a heap of scrap leather  that I could do all sorts of  small projects with, I'll occasionally  go through my scraps pull a good  piece out  and think " yep, I'll do something with that " ...etc .  But in reality.....no I won't , I don't have the time .

I'm forever filling clients orders and  replacing/remaking  stock  with very little or no time to ' doodle ', experiment ,  or come up with new ideas. 

I keep telling customers that ask me about scraps   to come to my workshop  and just grab a bag of scraps for free, but they never do, so the scraps just pile up.  I even thought about giving the retirement village a heap for recreation , but they ended giving ME all theirs ,  DOH  !!    

 

HS

3 minutes ago, Handstitched said:

 

' I can make everything else except  time ' . 

Edited March 16, 2018 by Handstitched

[dirkba]

I use Gumtree "activities and hobby" tab or the free section to get rid of pre-packed bags with usable pieces. 

I suppose if the bags have larger pieces you could price the bags!

One man's junk is another one's treasure...

 

[Bugstruck]

Reading this reminds me of the struggle where I work which is in Architectural Millwork. We generate a lot of by-product. I'm an old hat but I didn't spend my whole life in millwork. Mostly on the General Contracting side where, when a job is done, the excess materials have to be dealt with and you soon learn that the Subs are responsible for their overages and you are responsible for your materials, once the last dumpster is pulled. As a young guy I soon convinced the bosses that warehousing this seemingly valuable material was costing them more than they'd ever save. So we implemented those practices early on. Millwork however, worst bunch of pack rats around and talk about volumetric by-product. Took 12 years (old habits die hard) and young blood to get that message through but they eventually got it. We do donate some but even that isn't what it's cracked up to be. For example, the very few schools left in our industry don't have the space either. We aren't large enough to efficiently convert it to energy, not in Maryland anyhow, where we'd probably need a stack scrubber and permit to keep the government happy. Regs are tight in little Cali. Point being it is hard to find good re-use of waste by-product in all industries and it's harder to eliminate it. What I know for a fact is, keeping it is not a solution. I do think that leather stands a better chance of good re-purposing or use than most processed wood by-products though and I've purchased some.

Almost comically and at super high risk of re-diverging, our industry is reclaimed and re-purposed materials nuts. Nobody I know, nobody, honestly looks at the embodied energy and other factors in that material though. We make decent coin complying with those sourcing specifications, run more total reclaimed material through here than anyone in the region (meaning we are the bad guys actually), and everyone with infinitely more plaques on the wall than I have feels like they helped the planet, some of them wrote the rules. They may have reduced apparent landfill loading (not actual though) and the other costs are rather taller. Doesn't mean the intent isn't good or worthy. One day we may actually figure it out. We do it different than most, substitute our own products as often is possible, don't have the fancy certifications anymore (been there, done that- walked away from that circus), but have the genuine product and keep the embodied energy as low as it can be via direct local sourcing. We don't move it around the globe much and if we do, it didn't move around the globe getting here, sometimes through two, three or four extraneous hands, nor do we over-process it. Think kilns and/or charring, then latest reclaimed wood craze. So we are faster and that is what wins the day, not trying to sell anyone that we have a better process, ironically. We don't even mention it, well except here, today and among ourselves. We take a less than stellar well-intentioned idea, and make it as good as it can currently be and a little closer to what it should be. Not because we are great people or environmental stewards (obviously) but because it is the most efficient and cost effective way. And we still don't have it figured out such that it's better environmentally than cutting down a well managed regional forest tree. I do support forestry management, done well. If you reuse your neighbors old door or leather jacket, whatever, I'm all for it. Anyone reclaiming and repurposing materials should be honest about it but you won't find a lot of that in our industry, or elsewhere for that matter. We all get up every day and try, just like everyone else in this post. Hope the original poster finds a good home for his stuff and the end user is within a few states. 

But we shall not fret, the night is still young, and it's Friday!

Enjoy the weekend, all!!