PICS ADDED! What leather vendor have you got good quality leather sides from?

[DUKE DEADEYE NUKEM]

I thinking on ordering from Springfield but also considered THE LEATHER GUY on ebay.
I'm looking for harness leather 10 oz for pack saddle rigging and 8-10 oz HO for knife sheaths.
TIA,
Duke

[ChuckBurrows]

www.wickett-craig.com - it's the only veg tan leather I use anymore. They have monthly sales - right now 8/10 oz tooling sides are $90.00 + S/H an skirting sides in various weights for $100.00

You can also call them at 1-800-826-6379 ext 222 gets you Glen

The only other I would consider is Herman Oak, which I believe Springfrield sells. Import hides for me became too much "guess" work since I have to order sight unseen and since the quality can be good to poor it became too much of a crap shoot - W & C on the other hand is always good!

[DUKE DEADEYE NUKEM]

Thanks for the link Chuck. Their prices look real good too. I'm on it tomorrow.

[JD Alan]

Chuck, when you buy Wickett & Craig, do you generally use the Special grade that they normally have on sale? 

[Slowhand Bob]

I do use lots of leather from Tandy BUT agree that it should be purchased 'in store' only.  In the small markets it can be a challenge to get a true #1 grade leather in their top series due to a lack of selection on hand.  In a bundle of their highest price leather you will get perhaps 50 or 60% true to grade with the rest mislabeled.  Unless you go in after they have just received a shipment, you may be lucky to even find a piece of #1 'true to grade' double shoulders.  Tandy does carry the best selection of double shoulders across all grades I have found and I prefer dbl shoulders and dbl bends for almost all of my leather purchases.  Weaver has been hit or miss also on the double shoulders, some really nice but to many are way over graded.  I am relatively sure that most of these suppliers probably buy from the same big foreign tanneries and just accept the grading as shipped.  There is so much quality variation between the top piece and the bottom piece in a graded bundle that a blind man would have to be grading them, or a Mexican peasant being paid a dollar a day.     

[Dalton Masterson]

I am going to be converting to Wicket and Craig shortly too.
I have had some business with the Leather Guy on the internet. I bought some buffalo hide from him about 2 years ago. He was at a rendezvous type show, and I got to go through his stocks. Very nice guy, but I didnt pay much attention to his veg tan offerings. He had a lot of Tandy tools too.
BTW, the buffalo is very cool stuff, but heavy...
DM

[ChuckBurrows]

Chuck, when you buy Wickett & Craig, do you generally use the Special grade that they normally have on sale? 

Yes - I usually get the 12-13 oz sides of skirting and then have them split them to 8/9 oz which gives me a nice clean back - no fuzzy wuzzys. Since I "age" my goods the range marks add to the patina and according to the folks at both W & C and Herman Oak grading is based mostly on how clean the face is i.e. less range marks - higher grade, otherwise the leather is the same.
For extra special pieces I pay the extra and buy backs.

[DUKE DEADEYE NUKEM]

Yes - I usually get the 12-13 oz sides of skirting and then have them split them to 8/9 oz which gives me a nice clean back - no fuzzy wuzzys. Since I "age" my goods the range marks add to the patina and according to the folks at both W & C and Herman Oak grading is based mostly on how clean the face is i.e. less range marks - higher grade, otherwise the leather is the same.
For extra special pieces I pay the extra and buy backs.

I talked to Glen first thing this mourning and orderd several sides and had them split to 8/9 also Chuck. The blemished grade and price was fantastic for my harness leather on the pack saddles. I went with the dark braown for the harness leather as the only other color was black and I don't plan on making any "Amish-ish" type rigging. lol
I also opted for the darker brown color for knife sheaths and what not's cuz the other color option Glen said was a red-ish orange.
Thanks again for the heads up on the leather company Chuck. 

[JD Alan]

Thanks for that explaination Chuck. Between you and Kid Terico, whom I talk to regularly, I bought some leather from Glen, and I sure am happy about it.   

[Django]

If  anyone is wanting leather in the UK, i use this  Ebay seller .
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Leather-Shoulder-Tooling-Hide-Full-Grain-for-Crafts_W0QQitemZ230446968868QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Crafts_Leathercraft_LE?hash=item35a7b5b024

If you are based in the UK please PM me to say hi.
Django.

[DUKE DEADEYE NUKEM]

If  anyone is wanting leather in the UK, i use this  Ebay seller .
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Leather-Shoulder-Tooling-Hide-Full-Grain-for-Crafts_W0QQitemZ230446968868QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Crafts_Leathercraft_LE?hash=item35a7b5b024

If you are based in the UK please PM me to say hi.
Django.

Sharp looking outfit in your avitar DJ.

[Django]

Well thank you Duke...i do my best!!
Django

[JD Alan]

If I remember correctly, Angel Eyes is from the UK, FEATHERS from Down Under, and BootHill Bob from Sweden. The rest of the "Regulars" are spread out across the US. 

[DUKE DEADEYE NUKEM]

I'll post some pics of the sides when they arrive from Wicket and Craigs. 

[Dr. Bob]

I visited a bit with "the LEATHER GUY' at the NCOWS Convention last Saturday.  He stocks both Wicket & Craig and Herman Oak leather.  Has Skidmores too.  He has been coming to our Convention for several years and is a really nice fellow like Dalton said.

     the Leather Guy
     437 West 5th Street
     St. Charles, MN 55972
     507-932-3795

     www.theleatherguy.org
     sales@theleatherguy.org

[Mogorilla]

I second what Dr. Bob said.  Met him there at the convention.  His Commercial brain-tanned Buffalo looked real good.   Having had a piece of real brain tanned a year ago, I could not tell much of a difference.  Even smoked.   

[DUKE DEADEYE NUKEM]

It all shipped and will be here Wednsday all the way from PA. I had know idea they were in PA.    Probably Amish made.
I also had no idea all that leather weighed that much. OUCH! It sure wouldn't fit in a Flat Rate Box! lol

[DUKE DEADEYE NUKEM]

Here's the huge pics of the leather.

http://i921.photobucket.com/albums/ad54/LEVERACTIONSHOOTERS/LEATHER%20WORK/WC2.jpg

http://i921.photobucket.com/albums/ad54/LEVERACTIONSHOOTERS/LEATHER%20WORK/WC3.jpg

http://i921.photobucket.com/albums/ad54/LEVERACTIONSHOOTERS/LEATHER%20WORK/WC4.jpg

http://i921.photobucket.com/albums/ad54/LEVERACTIONSHOOTERS/LEATHER%20WORK/WC5.jpg

http://i921.photobucket.com/albums/ad54/LEVERACTIONSHOOTERS/LEATHER%20WORK/WC6.jpg

http://i921.photobucket.com/albums/ad54/LEVERACTIONSHOOTERS/LEATHER%20WORK/WC7.jpg

http://i921.photobucket.com/albums/ad54/LEVERACTIONSHOOTERS/LEATHER%20WORK/WC8.jpg

http://i921.photobucket.com/albums/ad54/LEVERACTIONSHOOTERS/LEATHER%20WORK/WC9.jpg

http://i921.photobucket.com/albums/ad54/LEVERACTIONSHOOTERS/LEATHER%20WORK/WC6-1.jpg












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[Dalton Masterson]

Good looking stuff! I hope to be getting some myself in the very near future!
I played with the samples they sent, and it seems to stamp VERY well.
DM

[Irish Dave]

I also bought some tooling leather from "The Leather Guy" at the NCOWS Convention. Very nice fellow, reasonable prices and quality leather, IMHO. I did, however, have the advantage of being able to inspect each piece before making any selections. Out of a pretty good sized pile, there were a couple with noticeable thickness variations and a few that had small areas with a blemish or fat wrinkle, but overall, I thought the leather was very good quality.