Who in the US uses kangaroo

[TomWisc]

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.

 

[LatigoAmigo]

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.

[NVLeatherWorx]

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.

[TomWisc]

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.

[mikesc]

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

[TomWisc]

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.

[terrymac]

Rocky Mountain Leather Supply sells various calf skins and will split to whatever you want at no charge.

Terry

[Tugadude]

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.

[NVLeatherWorx]

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.

[nrk]

you can also check buckleguy - they have light weight buffalo skins

[Handstitched]

@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 

[nrk]

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 ))

[Handstitched]

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 

 

[HaloJones]

Well in the UK the national emblems are lions, unicorns & Dragons.... so we must of eaten them all

[Rockoboy]

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.

[nrk]

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 ))

[Handstitched]

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

[baroness]

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/