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Matridium

Help identifying leather and where to get it

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Hello all I’m totally new to leather working. 
I need to make several small belts/stamps with roller buckles. First question how do I tell what kind of leather this is?  Front has a color (black??) and back looks raw the size is 5/8” wide.  Also the thickness looks like 3/16” maybe.  
many idea on what color this leather is, where can I get leather like this or what is this kind of leather called?  
I have attached pictures for reference. 
 

thanks 

96ADF93D-5934-483F-AC70-C531F9DD4BAA.jpeg

E31EAD6A-7EC6-4FB0-8C93-2C80B70B7E98.jpeg

2CEA21E8-EAB0-4D16-8028-67B323AAE365.jpeg

7F822CB6-6A63-47A1-BFC5-D3B9FFB70A35.jpeg

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WAG here is 4/5 oz veg tan dyed black kn one side. Pretty easy to do.

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I will now admit my biggest shorftall as a leatherworker, after having bought thousands of dollars worth of leather.  

Friends and family who know I make bags often show me their bag and ask me to tell them if it's good leather, or even if it's leather at all.

Aaaaand more often than not, I have no idea :unsure:

I can only really tell veg from chrome if I start working it and see how it cuts, how (and if) it burnishes, how it stretches, what colour is the inside (chrome often has that tell-tale bluish hue). 

Unless I do all that I just don't know, I have actually held a leatherette bag that I could swear was leather.

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With that said, I obviously have no idea what leather this is, but you can make something that looks pretty much identical just with veg tan and dying only one side, like Hags said.

That stitch on the keeper looks like a pain in the butt, I'd replace it with one rivet.

Edited by Spyros

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looks thinner than 3/16th get an accurate as you can measurement. Are you replacing straps or making something else? 

9 hours ago, Hags said:

WAG here is 4/5 oz veg tan dyed black kn one side. Pretty easy to do.

:17:

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Thanks all for your reply

im making a copy of this bag. It’s made of a cotton drill that is painted with boiled linseed oil and lamp black. 
I know where to get the buckles. 
 

I just need a source for the leather.  
so if I get a veg dyed leather and black leather dye I can probably reproduce this?  
 

also when buying leather strap material can I get it smooth on one side and rough on the other?  I’m assuming this means it’s finished on one side and rough on the other?  
 

Also the belt loop look real thin.  
 

I can measure with calipers tonight to get an exact measurement but it does look like 3/16”. 
 

 

Thanks for the great info.  

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You can buy veg tan belt straps and trim them to size they are smooth on one side and rough on the other. you should be able to find them in many widths and thicknesses . Just google vwg tan belt blanks. :thumbsup:

Just now, Bert03241 said:

You can buy veg tan belt straps and trim them to size they are smooth on one side and rough on the other. you should be able to find them in many widths and thicknesses . Just google veg tan belt blanks. :thumbsup:

 

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Now here’s another few questions… are all these belts blanks I find on Google created equal?  Are the ones on Amazon ok?  Sounds like a broad question but in other words what should I be buying if I want good quality?  I’m still learning terminology, but I see lots of things listed as full grain leather, and that sounds legit but what are the things to look for in a good leather? 

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I wouldn't trust any leather from Amazon.  Some American name brands are Herman Oak, Wickett & Craig and Horween.  There are shops that sell straps of those leathers.  There are other brands but those 3 are usually considered the cream of the crop.  Buckleguy.com sells straps and of course, buckles.

Edited by mike02130
add last sentence

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:yes:what he said

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