How come leather is so high?

[Ace Lungger]

After the post below, on where you buy your leather. I needed to go up town to mail a letter, so i stop my the meat locker, and ask the owner how much was they paying for hides now, my friend used to own this place, the new owner said $0000, said there wasn't any market for leather!
I spent the last 30 minutes looking for a small veg tannery, with no luck! If anyone knows of one please let me know!
Thanks
ACE

[cowboywc]

Howdy Ace
There are only 2 tannerys left in the US. The EPA has run all the rest of them out.
Herman Oak and Wicket & Craig are the only ones left.
The main reason leather is so high is because other countries buy our domestic  hides and ten them in their
countries and then sell the leather back to us.
WC

[Ace Lungger]

Thanks WC,
  I wish I could tan my own, but I know I can't! When My friend was running this meat locker plant, he was getting $50.00 a hide. Now they won't buy them! He gets so much for the waste weight, he told me I could have them for $10.00, for a whole hide!

Thanks again WC.
have a good one!
ACE

All i want to do is have Fun!

[Stitch]

Take heed though ... There is a HUGE diference between USA OAK tanned leather
and "Other Countries" Veg tanned leather ....
Myself I use only Wickett & Craig Oak skirting ..Always have, Always will
The quality is worth the price.

[Ace Lungger]

Stitch,
If I ever get good enough to put things on the market and sell them, I will try the good stuff. But my lifes sisutation won't allow me to pay for the Best.
thank you so much for the Reply!
ACE

[Stitch]

Ace,
We all start out small, Never sell yourself short, Never limit yourself
Reach for the sky, it's there to be grasped ... don't say "If I get to the point"
Think "WHEN I get to the point"
One thing I've learned in 20+ years in this trade is that some stuff I absolutly hate..
My customers absolutly love.
A full side of good Oak tanned skirting in any weight you want can be gotten from Wickett & Craig
for around $135. or so ... It's a good investment.

[Ace Lungger]

I went yo the Wickett & Craig web site, they state on small orders to go to The Tannery Warehouse,
does this place have a web site? I looked but I did not find it!
If anyone has this info, I would like to have it!
Thanks ACE

[Stitch]

PM Sent with contact info
1-800-826-6379
Ask for Glenn at Ext.222

[Marshal Will Wingam]

These last few posts are good. I copied them to our thread on where to buy leather. Thanks for the great information, Stitch.

[ChuckBurrows]

There are only 2 tannerys left in the US. The EPA has run all the rest of them out.
Herman Oak and Wicket & Craig are the only ones left.

There is a third Muir & McDonald in Dallas, Oregon who do traditional hemlock tanned hides....some folks like them others hate them....IMO nice for certain things not so good for others due to various factors....

[Ace Lungger]

I have to admit I am not very good at surfing and find things! And it has to be, the way I word stuff, I looked for a formula to do the oak tanking, because i can get all the oak bark I could ever want, but I know there is alot more to this that that, but If I could of found a formula, I have found a guy that will take willwill remone the hair hide for $5.00 and 50lbs of salt is $2.50, I thought I would give it a try, it wouldn't cost much!
This plan didn't pan

Later ACE
and thats for all the help!

[Mogorilla]

Hey Ace,
Pretty sure it takes ~6 months for a medium thickness hide to soak in a liquor of the oak bark to become leather.  During that time, the smell isn't pleasant.  Not to mention when all is done, you have this nasty liquid to get rid of and that is not something to just dump.  The tanins, specically one called pyrogallo is nasty.  The native indigenous people here used it to fish since no one had invented Alfred Nobel and dynamite yet.   THey would dump walnut hulls (also a source of tannins) into a stream hole, the pyrogallo will kill the fish which float to the top for ease in gathering.  Before you decide to head to the pond, I am pretty sure the conservation department looks on this about the same as dynamite.  Tanneries are notorious for their foul smell and toxic run-off.   Although, between veg-tan and chromium tanning, as a chemist, the veg tan is the safer way to go.   They all smell though.  I have known some chemists in tanneries (there was mabye still is in St. Joe Mo.)  They unfortunately have all left this world, the chemist's lament, cancer.   Harsh places to work.

[Ace Lungger]

Mogorilla,
Thanks for the info! I didn't think I would ever do it! It was just something to kick around, I ca't even pull start a lawn mover, let alone work with a 100 pound hide! ( I have way to much time on my hands, like today high humdity and storms, so I am stucklaying in bed! Fun, Fun)
But I do thank you for the knowledge!.
Thanks
ACE

[Antipaladin]

There are only 2 tannerys left in the US. The EPA has run all the rest of them out.
Herman Oak and Wicket & Craig are the only ones left.

I think Horweens still does their own tanning?