Leather from the supplier, what is unacceptable?

[FirebrandPaul]

Hey guys and gals!  I'm new to the site but not to leather work.   I am curious about what other folks as yourselves think is the point of complaint when it comes to receiving your leather hides from the supplier?  Is it the weight that's off, quality of the hide itself, and what specifically about the quality has to not meet expectations before you contact the supplier?  Reson I ask is lately I have received some hides from a couple of suppliers as of late that is less then desirable ( not buying craftsman grade) in weights and overall quality.   Want to make sure that it's not me being too picky. 

 

Thanks in advance

[kgg]

23 minutes ago, FirebrandPaul said:

Want to make sure that it's not me being too picky. 

I don't think you are being picky. I think quality usually correlates to the like most things, price. If you pay top dollar for a top quality item (leather shouldn't be any different) your expectation is to get top quality. If not return it for a full refund and shop elsewhere. During these Covid times it's probably has been difficult for a lot tanneries and suppliers to provide all their grades but this shouldn't be a pass to send a lower quality hide then what you paid for in hopes you don't notice the difference. 

kgg

[FirebrandPaul]

I agree totally.  Just received a hide today that literally looks like half of the flesh side was dragged through gravel which has dramatically changed everything about that part of the hide.  Also if I purchase something, say 10-12oz I would expect (unless otherwise stated) for the thinnest part of the hide to be 10 and thickest being 12?!  Or have I been wrong all these years lol

[Goldshot Ron]

I complain a lot to myself, but seldom do anything about it.  However, recently I did complain to a supplier about the leather that I received.  It was supposed to be Grade A, but the neck and butt were useless.  These sections were so hard, I couldn't cut them.  Unfortunately, this isn't the first time that I have received hides that originated from this particular tannery that had hard spots (rawhide).  Rolled out on the table the side looked okay, but setting out my patterns and cutting them was another matter.  The company that supplied the sides was apologetic, but they aren't the tannery.  Anyway, more people need to yell when something is wrong.  Just my opinion.

[Handstitched]

@FirebrandPaul I have purchased leather from ebay ( Australia ) once before . I had been curious about this particular company  in the east for some time. The only way to satisfy my curiosity was to buy a side, only to be  very disappointed.

While it was the 4mm thickness as advertised,a good size, length , natural , "veg tan" , but  it wasn't what I expected. The colour wasn't right, more like a ' dull  light olive...ish' . I cut some belt lengths, that was sort of  ok. As for dying, well,  OMG !! , you've seen water soak quickly into the sand at the beach before your eyes,  , it was exactly the same as that. I ended up using 2-3 times as much dye . 'Curiosity killed the cat', as the saying goes.   I used what I could, but never again.  Theres a saying here in Oz, " no point in complaining, 'cos  no bugger listens" 

I'll stick to my regular supplier, where I can pick and choose my leather , they look after me,  its a long 2-3 hr drive, but worth it. 

HS

[chiefjason]

IMO, right now demand is up, supply is down, and it's driving quality down across the board.  It probably has something to do with rushing cattle to market to stabilize demand there and that trickles down into the leather supply side.  Helping lower the quality of available sides as well.  

I need to measure some of my sides.  I get them leveled to 8 oz for some of my work.  They just feel softer, less dense, and mold easier than normal.  The feel is just off on some of them.