Beginner leather buying?

[Lionhammer]

Any recommendations or guides for beginners buying leather? I don't need large pieces and I'm still not quite sure the best leather to be using for carving. This is the one area where I'm having a hard time being informed... Lots of opinions and not sure where to start.

Edited June 22, 2018 by Lionhammer

[chrisash]

You can buy offcuts of different Veg tan leather is small sizes on Ebay, Amazon, Etsy etc which is a cheap way of starting to practice

The leather you require is called Vegetable Tan and a good size would be around  3mm to start with (7-9 once)

[Railrider1920]

I'm also a beginner so I'm not certain this is mediocre decent or good leather for carving, but hobby lobby has bellies for sale. About $30-35, but you might be able to use the 40% off coupon you can find online. 

 

Where in Fla are you? I'm up in the Panhandle. 

Rob

[Railrider1920]

This is partly what it looks like.

[fredk]

You need Veg tanned, at least 3mm thick (just as Chrisash says). It needs to be supple but not soft, and not too hard either. Belly leather is a bit too stretchy for carving.

Get along to a Tandy. They have their faults but generally the staff are trained and know what they're about. Buying from a general Hobby shop has its limits; the staff will know nothing about the leather

[Railrider1920]

27 minutes ago, fredk said:

Belly leather is a bit too stretchy for carving

Thanks for the info fredk. If it's not that good for carving, what do people usually use it for?

[JLSleather]

If you're tooling, you'll need vegetable tanned leather. The best leathers are from Hermann Oak and WIckett&Craig tanneries.  You can get these leathers from retailers, but expect the price to be jacked up.  If you're using small pieces, maybe it's worth the mark up for the convenience of the smaller cuts.

Start with what you want to make.  That will determine the thickness you want.

[fredk]

 

2 hours ago, Railrider1920 said:

Thanks for the info fredk. If it's not that good for carving, what do people usually use it for?

Belly leather is good for caps/hats, ladies hand-purses which need a bit of 'in-built' stretch facility,  draw-string money bags, ...

Although I make hats like this from 'upholstery' leather, they suit being made from belly leather;

 

 

 

Edited July 5, 2018 by fredk

[Clintock]

Been down this road. I shoulda listened to folks when they said start with the good leather for carving and stamping. I'm still new to carving too but can tell ya that an inferior  leather is HARDER to carve than the good stuff. I only buy from wickett & craig now. Straight from the tannery. Talk with Cindy. Once you use it you'll notice the difference immediately. And WC will split it down to what oz you need. Down to 2 oz I believe.

[Railrider1920]

JLSLeather, fredk and Clintock, thanks for the information about the leather.

The carving leather from tandy (6-9 oz), where do they probably get it from? If I'm only going to buy a small piece, I'd probably go to a smaller store I pass by on my way to work for convince and to give them a little support.

If I'm going to buy a half a shoulder or a full one, would I get a better deal from tandy or right from one of the tanneries? 

Thanks again.