Leather basics - understanding

[Matt S]

I have little further to add to this topic other than what others have said quite clearly: there is no single or even a narrow range of leathers that is suitable for any particular job. Beginners guides are deliberately vague because they have to be -- their purpose is to give a basic starting point, and they cannot spoon-feed the exact answers because the answer varies in the circumstances.

I have seen the same phenomenon with beginners asking the same questions, usually ones that are already answered or can only be answered by themselves because of their individual circumstances, on forums, social groups and mailing lists on all sorts of topics, not just leatherwork. To date I can think of examples in the fields of blacksmithing, woodwork, bushcraft/camping, shooting, welding and canoeing where, as alluded to up the page, the beginners asking questions that only they can answer (beyond broad guidance and individual example) are generally the ones who want to walk before they can run.

[ScoobyNewbie]

If you want to do this, then do it. There will always be problems and issues and tigers to be aware of. I think this is a good idea. Follow your bliss.

Bellys and skirting 9-10oz, are good for corsets. Belly’s will stretch a bit. Put skirting where you want firm support.

Personally I think 2-3oz or 3-4 oz at the most for wallets. Thin but stiffish. Wallet liners, mission grain, glazed pig liner or another 1-2oz piece to give firmness for card pockets and bill pockets.

Oil tanned utility sides, 5-6 oz worked very well for a tricorn hat. Sewed like a dream.

2-3oz sheep skin veggie tan made a nice flat cap, although I would have gone for a more malleable, less stiff hide if I had known then what I know now. The seams show the stitching in some places. 

‘Don’t use variegated thread, no matter how much it calls to you, unless you are willing for people to see it peeking out of spread seams. 

Garment weight lambskin makes lovely warm hats and mittens. I’m not brave enough yet to do gloves. Soon. 

‘For belts I like 6-8oz, because I haven’t seen two smaller thickness’ together yet. 

Gum tragicanth is a lovely sealer, easy enough to use, just be sure to press hard enough with your burnisher, or it will come out cracked and patchy instead of smooth and soft. Use it after you dye or stain. It is a resist. It stops dye from soaking in.

Buff after dye or stain. Buff, buff, buff. Then buff some more. Because if your buffing cloth isn’t clean, you’ll buff the excess dye off with you’re silk blouse, or white jeans, or couch.

I hope this helps. And remember, it’s mostly personal opinion, no one is in charge of your project except YOU.

 

Edited November 30, 2018 by ScoobyNewbie

[rodneywt1180b]

I think it's a good idea.  I'm one of those beginners who has ordered the wrong leather.  When I started I didn't know the differences between different leathers, in fact I'm still learning.  Pretty doesn't necessarily mean it's right for the project.

I do think it's a huge undertaking.  Be prepared for it to take some serious time.

[Rockoboy]

Once a person has decided on the right thickness of leather they want for their project, they need to bear in mind the type of leather. A 1.2mm veg tan cow hide leather is very different to the same thickness goat or pig or kangaroo skin. Would a thinner section of goat skin do the job, or a thicker section of ostrich skin give a better appearance and still be good for purpose?

There are so many questions, and each question has multiple answers that might be correct given different circumstances.

I think the OP has a good idea, but "How will people find the veritable font of all knowledge?" Anybody with any of these questions can already answer their own questions (the answers have already been given somewhere), but people do not know the questions when they start on their quest, so finding the answers is almost impossible at the outset. With experience come the knowledge of what they do not know. IMHO.

[Riem]

Coming back to this post - a bit late. What the OP is essentially asking for is a shortcut and the intrinsic, unstated "rules-of-thumb" accomplished leather workers follow when they select leather for a project. Viewed from a different angle, this is a classic knowledge management problem - how to make highly tacit knowledge explicit? Not an easy thing, especially if you consider that very few people can ever tell you what exactly what they know, because knowledge is fragmented and we only know what we need to know when we need to apply that knowledge to a real world problem. Essentially, knowledge can only be volunteered by a craftsman or accomplished performer when s/he needs to solve a real world problem; knowledge cannot be conscripted.

Is there an easy answer to the OP's need? Given the complexity of the craft, and the myriad of factoids that a craftsman stitches together to make decisions, the answer is simply: no. There are too many permutations to have a single, simple approach.

My late 0.2c

[LetterT]

As much as the specifics can be elusive surely there are some basic guidelines or rules of thumb that are to be followed.

They may be as simple and as broad as "In hand tooling we use only veg tan leather" but they are still there.

[Rockoboy]

On ‎8‎/‎12‎/‎2018 at 7:58 PM, LetterT said:

They may be as simple and as broad as "In hand tooling we use only veg tan leather" but they are still there.

I agree with this approach, but is it going to basic for what the OP was suggesting?

The photo attached to the original post by @HondoMan is about where I believe a good starting point is. After this information is digested, there becomes a many-headed-monster that bends, twists and changes direction depending on the leatherworker. In fact, as each question is answered, there are sometimes many more opinions, ideas and strategies opened up for discussion. In short, the whole idea becomes so difficult to define, so making what began as a reasonable task, an insurmountable chore IMHO.

The best analogy I can give is "Listen a lot, ask some question, practice what you wish to become good at. It won't happen overnight, but it will happen, if you stick at it". There is no way to put all the knowledge of experience into a inexperienced head.

[rodneywt1180b]

I think an entire book (maybe series of books) could be written on the subject and still not cover everything. 

A general guide about different broad categories of leather and their common uses and properties would be a good starting point though.  It would save at least a few beginners some grief and cash.