How and Where I Buy Veg Tan Leather
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- čas přidán 19. 06. 2024
- Where and how you buy your leather can depend on many different factors. The type of projects you are making and the type of leather you need for those specific projects is important information to know before hand.
Are you making bags or purses? Are you making wallets or belts? Do you need a soft and supple leather, or something firm and sturdy? How heavy or thick of pieces do you need?
These are just some of the questions you need to answer before making a purchase and then finding out what you thought you needed won’t work. Unfortunately, this video doesn’t answer all of those questions and it can take some experimenting to get the answers you need.
With the projects I primarily make, I almost always am working with full grain vegetable tanned leather, Hermann Oak to be exact. Hermann Oak refers to the company that tans the hides. I do a lot of hand tooling and stamping which requires veg tan to do so. I often buy different types of veg tan (English Bridle for example) to compliment my projects. I also keep some chrome tan hides laying around, but they aren’t used very often. For those reasons, I have started on the route I mentioned in the video. I remember when I first started buying leather and had no idea where to go and what to buy. Finding a local store can be challenging and ordering online can sometimes be confusing or misleading on what you’re getting.
This is where I find Springfield Leather Company very helpful with making decisions. They are just one of few companies that offer a great selection process online. They even offer making purchases on leather by the square foot. This is huge if you don’t need a full hide or if you are just wanting to experiment with something new. They are always willing to answer any questions and they have an awesome CZcams channel with a ton of information! I highly recommend them and thoroughly enjoy supporting them.
Below are links to Springfield Leather, the other companies I mentioned, plus a few more!
Springfield Leather: www.springfieldleather.com/
Weaver Leather Supply: www.weaverleathersupply.com/
Tandy Leather: tandyleather.com/
Rocky Mountain Leather Supply: www.rmleathersupply.com/
District Leather Supply: districtleathersupply.com/
Traditions Leathercraft: traditionsleathercraft.com/
Panhandle Leather: www.panhandleleather.com/
Maker's Leather Supply: makersleathersupply.com/
Montana Leather: www.montanaleather.com/
Maverick Leather: maverickleathercompany.com/
Buckskin Leather: www.buckskinleather.com/
Buckleguy: www.buckleguy.com/
Girty Leather Co. Website: girtyleatherco.com/
#vegtanleather #leathercraft #leather #buyingleather #leatherwork
This is very helpful to a newcomer like myself. Thank you for taking the time to put these videos out.
Thank you for taking the time to watch them! I appreciate the feedback
I'm right outside kck so buying local would be phenomal. So I'll definitely be giving Springfield leather a look
Very helpful thx man
I’m glad it was helpful, thank you!
Apriciate your content and knowledge. I'm 100 miles NW of you as a fellow craftstmen. Not a retailer as you are but yet a craftman for a known reatiler and let me tell you and your costumers that your using all the best materials and your work is top notch.
I really appreciate that! I’m far from being satisfied with my work but I’m trying to learn and get better every day
@@Girtyleatherco we are own worst critics and that keeps us achieving.
I love that most leather workers respect and honor the animal ❤
Makers Leather Supply just put out a video on four types of veg they sell and the difference between the four. Worth checking out. For tooling Hermann Oak is my choice. I’ll sometimes buy import for experiments on design because of cost.
For sure, I love Maker’s Leather Supply too! They have great options all around the board, and a very helpful CZcams channel for anyone in the craft. They rank pretty high on my list as well.
I'm just getting started working with leather. Bought a leather craft kit from Hobby Lobby. Haven't done any projects yet because I'm still acquiring tools.
I'm also about 4 hours away from Springfield, I live in north central Arkansas.
hang in there bud! it is extremely fun! actually myself and my 15 yr old daughter are getting experience in the craft and she wants to pursue it as a possible business, and our men's wallets seem to be a big hit with anyone who takes notice. a few commissioned pieces an you'll probably have all the tooling necessary to continue it long term. best of luck to ya!!
@@texascityrc8660 thanks.
I won't shop at slc anymore. They held up an order for 3 weeks over a snap package of snaps which screwed up my end of orders. Didn't even respond to be when i tried to find out what the hold up was. Damn 5 dollar item held up $1000 worth of supplies. Stupid. Weaver and Montana leather are all I'll deal with
Oh dang, I hate to hear that! I’ve never had anything like that happen, but I can see where that would be aggravating. Weaver is usually one of my top options too. I’ve had Montana Leather send me the wrong products before but they were easy to communicate with and got everything fixed right away
Great information! By your logo, I'm guessing you drive right by my house (just N of Wichita) on your way home from Springfield Leather. You can just drop off some leather on your way home!! What weight of veg tan leather would you recommend for a knife sheath for myself (not to sell)? Also, what weight for a knife strop surface? THANK YOU!!
I honestly don’t make a lot of knife sheaths, but I would say it ultimately depends on the style and your preferences on it. Anywhere from 7-10 oz is probably a good bet, that’s what I use. For my strop I just have a small piece of 9/10 with some polishing compound rubbed in the flesh side!
@@Girtyleatherco Thanks for your reply! My strop is nearly 30 years old. The top is the smooth side with no compound. The bottom is the roughout side with 2.5 micron silicon carbide powder. I got it from HandAmerica Made, but they seem to be out of business now. I need to replace the top leather as it has gotten scratched and cut over time. I just didn't know what to replace it with. Thanks for your help!! Oh...did you feel the earthquakes yesterday??
Yeah, my strop is about as basic as can be haha! But my swivel knife and a couple other small things are all I need it for. I didn’t feel any this time but I have in the past!
What would you recommend to darken a backpack with Horween Veg Tan Essex Leather! without ruining the leather, I was looking at the description of the bag and it mentioned that the leather was slightly bleached so I was hoping I could tan the leather a bit more if possible.
I honestly don’t know about the bleached part. I would say just adding some type of oil or conditioner to it would naturally darken it since it’s veg tan. But I also haven’t used that particular leather before.
Quick question, if I get the 8-9 once what should I get for the back of the belt? To get a good belt?
I personally like my belts to end up around 12-14 oz in total thickness. 3/4 oz would be a safe bet, but you could go more or less if you wanted.
When you buy the bend leather on Springfield, does is it come in every ounce? I tried buying 8-9oz with 3-4 oz but the website wouldn’t let me.
Yes I have bought them in just about every thickness they offer. Unless that particular weight is listed as out of stock then I’m not sure what the problem would be. I would probably just contact them and ask
When you buy it like this, do you order the half or the full?
I buy the full!
Tooling is not my thing. I can't draw a stick figure. I wan't a veg tan for bags and backpacks that can take the bumps without getting dinged. What am I looking for?
I’m not much of a bag maker, so take this with a grain of salt. Depending on the look and style you’re going for, Hermann Oak could still be a good option. They have a variety of other veg tan options, like bridle leathers and their Heritage collection. Wickett and Craig have a good selection of veg tan options that I see many people make bags with too.
Tandy Leather is a few miles away from me
When are you going to be opening up for orders for 2024?
I plan on taking orders again before the end of this month! Not sure of an exact date but if you would like to be directly notified then you can add an email address to my newsletter and get first access!