Leather working questions #1&2

[Spotted Bull]

Calling all those folks what works with them hides. In an effort to add more posts to this board, and to get folks to talking, EVEN THOSE THAT DON'T NORMALLY POST, I thought that I would pose a series of questions. Here is the first set.

1. What is your favorite type of leather to work with and make items from, i.e veg tan, chrome tan, pull-up or oil tan, bark tan, brain tan, etc?

2. When making the item, do you use a set pattern like from paper or cardboard, etc, or do you just wing it free hand and see what comes out?


I'll go first and answer these myself?

1. I prefer to use veg tan leather in various weights, depending on the project.
2. I almost always use a pattern made from a thick cardboard or from old file folders. Making them from file folders, if you draw half next to the fold its easy to fold it over and make sure that it is the same on both sides. This is really helpful on knife sheaths.


Now its everyone else's turn. And we especailly want to hear from you lurkers out there that just read and learn.

[Bigsmoke]

OK, Mr. Bull, here are some answers from a volume producer of bags.
I have always enjoyed working mostly with oil-tan leather. 
Way back when, like almost 50 years ago, my first bags were somewhat crude affairs, I think I used to make my patterns out of file folders.  I really did not make a lot of bags.  Then fast forward to 1983 and I bought October Country which was delivered to us on New Year's Day, 1984.  I think we had about 8 styles of bags and all the patterns were made out of 1/4" plywood.  This worked OK for quite a while, until one day I bought an old mechanical "clicker" press, and what a beast that was.  That was the start of going from wood patterns to steel cutting dies.  Seems like we spent a small fortune buying dies for each piece of the bags.  Interestingly enough, the place we bought the most dies from was a company that also made hardware for caskets.
Then sometime in the early 1990's when NAFTA went into effect, the sewing businesses located in North Idaho and Eastern Washington relocated to Mexico, leaving behind a lot of equipment.  We were able to upgrade from that monster clicker to a more modern hydraulic one.  That was sweet!  Oh, and a couple more sewing machines and lots of industrial steel shelving and I forget what all else we were able to buy at very good prices.
And so it went, until 2005, when we sold October Country.  I have not sewn a single stitch since then. 
So, sir, that is my story and I am sticking to it.

John (Bigsmoke)

[PetahW]

.

Being a hobbyist, instead of seeking out specific leathers, I use whatever comes to hand that looks like it might make an interesting result.

That includes plastic knife sheath liners, deerskin outer covering, and rough-out whatever in various shades/tomes/weights - and even ( gasp ) wood.

Some examples of knife sheaths & a possibles bag:


   

   


.

 

[BEAVERMAN]

Bull, I ,like you, use file folders for developing a pattern, if the product is a high volume item like the various ball and shot bags that I make; I transfer the pattern to 3/32 thick plastic signage that I have stock piled from when my wife worked at a retail store, I prefer to make my bags from oil tanned leather but have used veg tan from time to time if commissioned from a client, I strictly use veg tan for the ball bags, shot pouches, canteens,knife sheaths etc. occasionally I'll use rawhide when I have a mind to, as always my stuff is hand sewn.

[Nessmuk]

While I  don't  do much leatherwork anymore, back in the late seventies, early eighties I did. I made holsters and belts, vests and mocassin boots. I was newly divorced, broke and living in the barracks, leatherwork  was one of my part time  jobs. My biggest project was re-upholstering the seats in a 1973 MG Midget with suede (not my choice)
       I bought  my leather at Tandy's almost exclusively  from the Clearance table. I used file folder stock to transfer Tandy patterns.