TomWisc Report post Posted April 21, 2019 I am a hobby leather worker. Been doing leather work for about 1 year. I have made belts, ladies totes, misc. stuff. I have been working on wallets recently. I don't have a splitter and can't afford/justify one. Trying to make a nice wallet has been a challenge with thick leather. I have mostly got my leather from Tandy although I got some from Acadia for ladies totes that I am happy with. I got some calf skin from Tandy and although it is thin, it is also very soft. Not firm enough to use on wallets. Recently I got a batch of kangaroo scraps from a member of this forum and I am very happy with the variety of kangaroo pieces that I got. It is about 1 mm. So I experimented with making a wallet and I am happy with how it turned out. Fast forward, I got a kangaroo hide from Maverick Leather and I am happy with the leather, about 1mm, and perfect for wallets. So, I am wondering if any of you in the US are using kangaroo for wallets or is there a better source for a thin leather like calf that is firm? I like the kangaroo hide I got from Maverick Leather but just looking to see if there are any other options. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LatigoAmigo Report post Posted April 21, 2019 12 minutes ago, TomWisc said: is there a better source for a thin leather like calf that is firm? You might ask your friends at Maverick's about their goat... thin and firm. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NVLeatherWorx Report post Posted April 21, 2019 You can also just do what most of us do and use 3 to 4 oz. veg-tan cowhide as it is quite nice for wallets as well. I make mine with 3 to 4 oz. for the backs (exterior) if it is not being stamped/carved & tooled or I use 4 to 5 oz. if it is being stamped/carved & tooled; for all of the interior pieces I use 2 to 3 oz. veg-tan cowhide. All of my leather is from Hermann Oak and it is all very tough yet soft and pliable and with these thicknesses the wallets are never bulky. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TomWisc Report post Posted April 21, 2019 14 hours ago, LatigoAmigo said: You might ask your friends at Maverick's about their goat... thin and firm. Thanks LatigoAmigo I have not used goat before but I will check it out 4 hours ago, NVLeatherWorx said: You can also just do what most of us do and use 3 to 4 oz. veg-tan cowhide as it is quite nice for wallets as well. I make mine with 3 to 4 oz. for the backs (exterior) if it is not being stamped/carved & tooled or I use 4 to 5 oz. if it is being stamped/carved & tooled; for all of the interior pieces I use 2 to 3 oz. veg-tan cowhide. All of my leather is from Hermann Oak and it is all very tough yet soft and pliable and with these thicknesses the wallets are never bulky. I have not tried Hermann Oak leather yet, NVLeatherWorx. From reading numerous posts on this forum it seems they are one of the most popular leather suppliers so I will try some of their leather. When using the 3 to 4 oz. do you do much skiving on the edges or just burnish the edges after assembling all the pieces of the wallet? Thanks for your suggestion. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mikesc Report post Posted April 21, 2019 (edited) I'll second you should try goat. Hermès use a lot of goat. I use a lot of goat, lot of Hermès offcuts, and a lot of goat from the same places that they use. Goat is very strong for it's thickness. Not quite as hard-wearing as calf, and handles differently, not as dense. Not as soft as lambskin, but, still very nice to work with. Edited April 21, 2019 by mikesc Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TomWisc Report post Posted April 22, 2019 6 hours ago, mikesc said: I'll second you should try goat. Hermès use a lot of goat. I use a lot of goat, lot of Hermès offcuts, and a lot of goat from the same places that they use. Goat is very strong for it's thickness. Not quite as hard-wearing as calf, and handles differently, not as dense. Not as soft as lambskin, but, still very nice to work with. Thanks mikesc for your vote for goat! There are 2 Tandy stores within an hour so I have defaulted to their stuff.And I don't want to knock Tandy because they have helped me many times. However, I need to try other suppliers to compare their leather quality to Tandy. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
terrymac Report post Posted April 22, 2019 Rocky Mountain Leather Supply sells various calf skins and will split to whatever you want at no charge. Terry Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tugadude Report post Posted April 22, 2019 Springfield had some nice kangaroo at one point. You might look at their website and/or phone them. They will also tell you about other options that meet your needs. They stock lots of different things and I've had great luck with them. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NVLeatherWorx Report post Posted April 23, 2019 On 4/21/2019 at 12:44 PM, TomWisc said: I have not tried Hermann Oak leather yet, NVLeatherWorx. From reading numerous posts on this forum it seems they are one of the most popular leather suppliers so I will try some of their leather. When using the 3 to 4 oz. do you do much skiving on the edges or just burnish the edges after assembling all the pieces of the wallet? Thanks for your suggestion. I do very little skiving so as not to make the leather too thin but only along the areas that I will have multiple layers on top of each other. I use the T-slot method for my pockets so that I am not building a thick edge. Depending on where you are located, there is a supplier in Napa, CA (www.hidehouse.com) that has calf and I believe that they have some thicker stuff than what you traditionally find. I have a bit of calf, lamb, and goat here in my shop that I use on specific items but most of my stuff is from veg-tan cowhide as the durability is great. I have used some Roo but not much, it is very strong though and I use Roo lace over calf because of this. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nrk Report post Posted July 1, 2019 you can also check buckleguy - they have light weight buffalo skins Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Handstitched Report post Posted July 5, 2019 @TomWisc I'm not from the US ( Western Australia ) , however, I did buy some roo skins whilst on special , mostly black but a few brown. . I have made a quite a few wallets using these roo skins and they are really good go work with, either machine stitch or hand stitch . I make just simple or basic wallets with enough space for notes, and about 1/2 doz cards, some with a coin pouch & room for a pic, some with some without a snap, but not those with a gazillion pockets, about 2" thick that hold everything but the kitchen sink, more pockets & slots means more work . Anything bigger than a ' normal' size wallet, you'll be needing a small purse....or dare I say.... a man bag ?? I find that roo skins do the job. They're not too thin and not too thick either , just right at around 1mm , very durable and fold easily . ( P.S. Roo meat tastes delicious high in iron & protein and very low in fat . ) HS Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nrk Report post Posted July 11, 2019 On 7/5/2019 at 2:51 PM, Handstitched said: ( P.S. Roo meat tastes delicious high in iron & protein and very low in fat . ) HS i would love to taste a steak of roo )) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Handstitched Report post Posted July 12, 2019 Tastes delicious , marinated & done on a BBQ goes well too. ' Kanga bangas' ( roo sausages) are really nice . I have also eaten emu ( pronounced ' eemyoo ' here ....not emooo) . Strong game flavour...yum We are the only country that eats its national emblem.....apparently ...as well making leather goods out of them HS Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
HaloJones Report post Posted July 12, 2019 Well in the UK the national emblems are lions, unicorns & Dragons.... so we must of eaten them all Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rockoboy Report post Posted July 13, 2019 A good kangaroo steak is better then the best beef you have ever eaten. Emu is a strong dark meat, almost like beef IMHO. Very tasty and both are very good for you because they are very low in fat and high in iron. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nrk Report post Posted July 13, 2019 18 hours ago, Handstitched said: Tastes delicious , marinated & done on a BBQ goes well too. ' Kanga bangas' ( roo sausages) are really nice . I have also eaten emu ( pronounced ' eemyoo ' here ....not emooo) . Strong game flavour...yum We are the only country that eats its national emblem.....apparently ...as well making leather goods out of them HS take me to australia - can accept slavery option )) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Handstitched Report post Posted July 14, 2019 (edited) On 7/13/2019 at 1:21 AM, HaloJones said: Well in the UK the national emblems are lions, unicorns & Dragons can't say I tried any of those. Never seen the meat in our local supermarket either. The dragon would come in handy to cook the unicorns & lions....geddit??....flame grilled .....gawd !!! @Rockoboy You nailed it. Roo meat is ideal for those ( meat eaters) on a low fat diet...like I will be soon if I don't watch my waist. The first time I tried Emu, I thought " WOW" the flavour hit me like a brick, but soon fell in love with it @nrk Slavery has been outlawed, but you can get discount flights to Oz I'm sure. Leather leather leather. Had to say that, getting just a lil' bit off topic here Dragon hides....hmmm Its been a long day..... HS Edited July 14, 2019 by Handstitched Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
baroness Report post Posted July 15, 2019 Lisa Sorrell uses kangaroo a lot for the cowboy boots she makes. She is also a sponsor of this website so you should check out her store where she sells kangaroo leather. https://sorrellnotionsandfindings.com/product-category/leather/ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites