Leather Gauge in Ounces?

[Constabulary]

deleted - sorry

 

Edited January 30, 2022 by Constabulary

[TomE]

3 hours ago, MtlBiker said:

Thanks Tom, but geez, US$180???  That means by the time shipping is added and the dollar exchange to Canadian, it's over $275 cad!!!!!  For that price, I'll stick to carrying my vernier caliper.

 

Yes, you could get something useful for that price like a side of leather.  

[Klara]

4 hours ago, MtlBiker said:

I'm sure that if I had the experience that you and others here have, it would be easier to judge the leather without a proper gauge.  ...

Do you skive by hand?

... So even those in the business very often use a gauge rather than relying on feel.

I don't have a lot of experience with leather, just with crafts in general which has mostly taught me that there's nearly always more than one "right way" (and "wrong ways" also may lead to good results). So I don't sweat the small stuff  - leatherwork isn't precision engineering and generally it doesn't matter whether the leather for a project is the exact thickness of the one seen in the video/book. And if I don't nick my project idea from somewhere, I'm on my own anyway.

Yes, I skive by hand. The trick is to have a really sharp knife - what sort doesn't matter for edges and strap ends. I generally use one from my kitchen (handforged by a friend and possibly more expensive than the rest of my tools together - but I happen to have it). The only skiver I don't get along with is Ivan's safety skiver with disposable blades.

Of course "those in the business" will use a gauge if you ask them for the exact thickness. But would they use a gauge for choosing leather for a project? Or would they just think "oh, that looks suitable for a checkbook cover, I'll take that"?

By all means,  if you want a gauge, get one. But as I said before, I don't feel the need for one or even particularly want one.

[tsunkasapa]

1 hour ago, Klara said:

I don't feel the need for one or even particularly want one.

EXACTLY!! I have no idea what the weight of leather is for any given project, nor do I care. It's completely immaterial. I choose the leather to suit the project. It's easy to tell if this one or that one will be too thick (that can be split down) or too thin (glue in a layer of thin goat or sheep) or just right. For the record, 1oz = 1/64 of an inch. 8oz leather is 1/8". So  1oz+/-  doesn't really make any difference.

[Hardrada]

1 hour ago, tsunkasapa said:

For the record, 1oz = 1/64 of an inch

I was beaten to it!

That's what I use as mental reference. In metric: 1 oz = 0.4 mm.

I too measure with digital calipers because the plastic/wooden gauges are more like a ballpark reference than anything—no precision. And when you're skiving you don't want "more or less"—you want/need precision! Specially since some projects, such as watch bands, need to be pared down to exact thickness.

RML has Calati gauges: https://www.rmleathersupply.com/products/calati-25mm-premium-thickness-gauge-made-in-italy?_pos=1&_sid=6a602fece&_ss=r

Alas, they too report thickness in mm only, but since they're marked for tenths, it's a cinch to convert to ounces.

Edited January 31, 2022 by Hardrada

[MtlBiker]

1 hour ago, Hardrada said:

I was beaten to it!

That's what I use as mental reference. In metric: 1 oz = 0.4 mm.

I too measure with digital calipers because the plastic/wooden gauges are more like a ballpark reference than anything—no precision. And when you're skiving you don't want "more or less"—you want/need precision! Specially since some projects, such as watch bands, need to be pared down to exact thickness.

RML has Calati gauges: https://www.rmleathersupply.com/products/calati-25mm-premium-thickness-gauge-made-in-italy?_pos=1&_sid=6a602fece&_ss=r

Alas, they too report thickness in mm only, but since they're marked for tenths, it's a cinch to convert to ounces.

That's a beautiful gauge!  Still comes to over $100 cdn by the time exchange and shipping are added.  If I had money to spare, I'd consider it, but for now I decided to order the Tandy one which here in Canada is just over $50.  I'm hoping that it's worth the price compared with the $20-30 gauges on Amazon.  But there's no way I could justify $100 or more for this.  If it was my business, my livelihood, maybe.  But as a serious hobbyist, and beginner at that, even the $50 was pushing it.

I would have been happy with a gauge reading in metric only, IF I could be assured of accuracy.  And I didn't have confidence in the cheap gauges and then I started thinking it would be cool to have an accurate gauge that was indexed in ounces, which prompted my question.

Best regards...

 

[Hardrada]

6 hours ago, MtlBiker said:

That's a beautiful gauge!  Still comes to over $100 cdn by the time exchange and shipping are added.  If I had money to spare, I'd consider it, but for now I decided to order the Tandy one which here in Canada is just over $50.  I'm hoping that it's worth the price compared with the $20-30 gauges on Amazon.  But there's no way I could justify $100 or more for this.  If it was my business, my livelihood, maybe.  But as a serious hobbyist, and beginner at that, even the $50 was pushing it.

I would have been happy with a gauge reading in metric only, IF I could be assured of accuracy.  And I didn't have confidence in the cheap gauges and then I started thinking it would be cool to have an accurate gauge that was indexed in ounces, which prompted my question.

Best regards...

 

Let us know how that Tandy gauge performs!

[chrisash]

Does accuracy really matter

You buy leather at a approximate thickness be it in ounces or MM , but you skive down to the required thickness based on the original,. there is no set thickness per item its just what you feel happy with, if you want to reduce by 50% just measure the original and reduce to its half the original, for instance if you buy 2mm thick veg tan and want to reduce a part of it that any guide will show you how much you have taken off, its the feel of the leather not the precise measurement. Different temper requires different thickness

Any gauge will show the original size and the new size it makes no difference if measured in Ounces, MM or any other scale

[toxo]

Why worry about ounces? Sooner or later the whole world will convert to the far superior digital and metric system.

[Doc Reaper]

6 minutes ago, toxo said:

Why worry about ounces? Sooner or later the whole world will convert to the far superior digital and metric system.

The old world still has much to teach you asshopper