An expensive mistake

[ScottEnglish]

Hello.

I recently bought a thick, chrome-tanned hide for making unlined boots. Unfortunately, it's too thick. I'm going to need to reduce the thickness a bit. What options are there for reducing the thickness of the hide in its entirety, or for reducing the thickness of parts of a boot pattern once cut out?

Thanks.

Scott

Edited December 23, 2021 by ScottEnglish

[kgg]

3 hours ago, ScottEnglish said:

for reducing the thickness of parts of a boot pattern once cut out?

I think you have two options:

1. Bring the cutouts to a leather shop that has a leather splitter and have them reduce the thickness for you at a fee.

2. Buy a leather splitter, new or used, something similar to a Cowboy 8020 (new for approximately $2900 US plus plus) or Cobra Class 14 Leather Splitter (new for approximately $3000 US plus plus). This maybe an option if you plan doing a lot but will involve a learning curve.

kgg

[fredk]

Two options I'd go with;

1. if its not too much difference, live with it

2. buy another piece of the correct thickness. That would work out cheaper. You'll pay almost as much to get it split as it would to buy a new piece

[ScottEnglish]

kgg: Thanks for your advice. It would be impractical though every time I make a pair of boots to keep visiting a leather goods business. Too much time and money expended. And I can't justify the prices you've mentioned to buy my own machine which may not get much use in the long-term. If I can't have the entire hide reduced in thickness for a reasonable cost I'll have to sell it at a loss.

fredk: At its current thickness the leather is far too stiff for making footwear. Hence my wondering whether reducing its thickness will make it more supple. However, I've learnt from this forum and my own experience that not all chrome-tanned leather is supple anyhow and I'm not confident that reducing the thickness will solve the problem. I'll reduce the thickness with my knife first to see what effect this has. As I only make simple footwear keeping this hide isn't an option. It either needs splitting if this is economical or selling.

Scott

[Dwight]

There is another option . . . called a jointer . . . a carpenter's tool.

You can rubber cement the hair side of the leather to a very flat board . . . typically a 1 inch thick . . . the same width as the jointer . . . 

Set the jointer so it is not taking off more than 1/64 of an inch at a time . . . and in successive passes . . . you can get it down to what you want.

Then "generally speaking" you can pull the leather off the board . . . and thumb off the rubber cement . . . and go make boots.

If the leather is too wide for a jointer . . . the same can probably be done with a planer which is a bunch wider . . . but I've never tried that one.

May God bless,

Dwight 

[Aven]

Scott, how is it too thick? Could you skive the edges where you are going to sew and/or a

the place where it needs to fold?

[jcuk]

You could see if the supplier where got it from if they have a splitting service maybe they might do it for a small fee. 

Hope this helps

JCUK

[chuck123wapati]

i use a belt sander and a block of wood once your patterns are cut out sand them down, or maybe call the company and see if they will take it back and trade you for thinner stuff.

[ScottEnglish]

Dwight: Are you referring to power tools or hand planes? I want to keep the grain side intact so I can't see how your idea will work. I am a bit dim though!

Aven: On average the hide is about 10oz in thickness. The cutting the seller sent me, I listened to your advice about obtaining a cutting, isn't representative of the suppleness, or lack of it, of the hide as a whole. I do skive joins. 

jcuk: J. Wood Leathers is the supplier. I've already asked if they have a splitting service. They don't.

chuck123wapati: Thanks for the unconventional method for reducing the thickness of leather. I can't return the leather as I've already used some. I would do otherwise.

Scott

Edited December 23, 2021 by ScottEnglish

[Aven]

If the leather didn't match the sample they sent, I would have called them immediately and ask why it was different and have it returned with them paying for it.

Since you have cut into it, either get a manual skiver or skive it by hand.