Are there practical ways of telling if the hide had been treated properly and if tanning and colouring went right? I am holding the piece in my hand.
How to tell quality of leather?
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There are so many types of leather it is hard to say really. Some leather has a firmer body, and some has a softer body for the same thickness. Thicknesses vary greatly too. Which you prefer depends very much upon the project you are looking to make. Obviously there are the differing types of tanning, for example veg tan or chrome tan, or even ‘pull-up’ waxed and oiled leather. The article you want to make will determine what type you will use. You can check for dye fastness and dyeing depth by cutting off an oddments corner and testing/observing it. Some leather is top grain, and some pieces are splits from thicker hides, have a google for images Of each to see what you have. If you have a piece, post a picture here. I’m sure someone could tell you what it is right away.
Sorry, a bit unclear question. This is not about a specific piece of leather but a general one. Is there any way to tell if a piece of leather is of high or low quality?
The more you can narrow your question, someone can provide a better suited answer.
Sorry if this seems way off what your after, but what your asking is like saying is there a way to tell if a car is good quality, without saying anything else. Theres such variables from Manufacturer then New High End right through to second hand, drive em till they clap out. Any can be good quality depending on your needs.
Quality can be different things,
If your re using leather from a old item and repurposing it, or have been given off cuts then quality comes down to how suitable it is for purpose intended, in the same way quality can be down to parts of hide & the cuts purchased, which are used for specific projects, a good example would be belts, you could make a belt from any leather.
HOWEVER its quality is shown by what part of hide the belt was made from. Quality Belts wont be made using leather from the belly, its floppy, loose grained and will stretch easily, obviously this would be a poor choice for its intended purpose.
Quality is very subjective, if like me (I am a hobbyist) I purchase leather "if & when" I see it, at reasonable (to me & my budget) prices, from a shop near me, that happens to get it in occasionally.
In my situation, is this leather Im looking to buy, good quality or in good condition... ie. "usable for what I want & looks good"
If its Veg Tan leather, your nose will tell you if its got a mild or strong "leather smell" or if its smell has a"old dusty leather less" smell, this may hint at its age combined with its suppleness... (has it been in storage for ever and just re discovered) I look to see if its supple and flexible and its not "board stiff" dry or starts showing it would crack or split as I bend/fold its edge (bare in mind you may need to wet leather to bend/fold it fully) if its pre finnished it will be stiffer than natural finnished (skin coloured).
Leather being a natural product can have scars even holes, the less scars the better it is graded, I believe.
On the other end of the scale, buying from a supplier.. have they sent you a quality hide for what you paid verses what you expected.
Sorry if this seems way off what your after, but what your asking is like saying is there a way to tell if a car is good quality, without saying anything else. Theres such variables from Manufacturer then New High End right through to second hand, drive em till they clap out. Any can be good quality depending on your needs.
Quality can be different things,
If your re using leather from a old item and repurposing it, or have been given off cuts then quality comes down to how suitable it is for purpose intended, in the same way quality can be down to parts of hide & the cuts purchased, which are used for specific projects, a good example would be belts, you could make a belt from any leather.
HOWEVER its quality is shown by what part of hide the belt was made from. Quality Belts wont be made using leather from the belly, its floppy, loose grained and will stretch easily, obviously this would be a poor choice for its intended purpose.
Quality is very subjective, if like me (I am a hobbyist) I purchase leather "if & when" I see it, at reasonable (to me & my budget) prices, from a shop near me, that happens to get it in occasionally.
In my situation, is this leather Im looking to buy, good quality or in good condition... ie. "usable for what I want & looks good"
If its Veg Tan leather, your nose will tell you if its got a mild or strong "leather smell" or if its smell has a"old dusty leather less" smell, this may hint at its age combined with its suppleness... (has it been in storage for ever and just re discovered) I look to see if its supple and flexible and its not "board stiff" dry or starts showing it would crack or split as I bend/fold its edge (bare in mind you may need to wet leather to bend/fold it fully) if its pre finnished it will be stiffer than natural finnished (skin coloured).
Leather being a natural product can have scars even holes, the less scars the better it is graded, I believe.
On the other end of the scale, buying from a supplier.. have they sent you a quality hide for what you paid verses what you expected.
We might run into some small problems as I am not really aware of proper terminology here but:
New unused material, what I am asking after if there are ways to tell if this particular piece has been properly processed or not. This of course includes the possibility that there is no way to do it and the only way is to make the shoes (or whatever) and find that they fall apart next month.
New unused material, what I am asking after if there are ways to tell if this particular piece has been properly processed or not. This of course includes the possibility that there is no way to do it and the only way is to make the shoes (or whatever) and find that they fall apart next month.
Sounds like you refer to the tanning process, sorry I have no clue how to tell if the process is completed successfully.
I note you are in Finland, have you attempted to tan a hide?
im sure youtube will have some info.
I note you are in Finland, have you attempted to tan a hide?
im sure youtube will have some info.
I think it is a really highly specialised profession to buy quality leather.
I think the buyer usually needs to trust the maker, and the makers are usually known since centuries, if we talk about high end qualities.
Of course one can identify relatively easily really good or really bad leather with a bit experiance. But I even couldn't explain it properly in German without showing pieces.
I think the buyer usually needs to trust the maker, and the makers are usually known since centuries, if we talk about high end qualities.
Of course one can identify relatively easily really good or really bad leather with a bit experiance. But I even couldn't explain it properly in German without showing pieces.
Do you mean the quality of the hide, or the quality of it's tanning ?
If it's the former, well, Ch@rlie pretty much summed that up. Look for even-ness....of everything from the thickness to the surface, from the give (if any) to the suppleness and to the even ness of the colour.
It's a kind of subjective objectivity.
Goat leather isn't cow hide, and neither are buffalo, iimmc ?
So, what have you at hand ?
If it's the tanning, then the feel of the hide, again the even ness of it, the smell of it, the touch (not sticky with alum for instance) or too hard with chrome tanning.....there are so many variables.
What do you believe you have, and what kind of thickness is it ? is it naturally tanned, with either some kind of oil/grease or has it been chemically tanned ?
Give us a clue
If it's the former, well, Ch@rlie pretty much summed that up. Look for even-ness....of everything from the thickness to the surface, from the give (if any) to the suppleness and to the even ness of the colour.
It's a kind of subjective objectivity.
Goat leather isn't cow hide, and neither are buffalo, iimmc ?
So, what have you at hand ?
If it's the tanning, then the feel of the hide, again the even ness of it, the smell of it, the touch (not sticky with alum for instance) or too hard with chrome tanning.....there are so many variables.
What do you believe you have, and what kind of thickness is it ? is it naturally tanned, with either some kind of oil/grease or has it been chemically tanned ?
Give us a clue
A simple thing got complicated. As there are several people here who handle leather often I thought I would ask how to judge the quality of any piece of leather. So a set of rules to judge leather by. If judging the good one is difficult how about rules for what not to get so at least one would be able to avoid the really bad one.
To further clarify: I don't have any leather just now (the old pieces of elk don't count).
As there are several people here who handle leather often I thought I would ask how to judge the quality of any piece of leather. So a set of rules to judge leather by. If judging the good one is difficult how about rules for what not to get so at least one would be able to avoid the really bad one.To further clarify: I don't have any leather just now (the old pieces of elk don't count).
A lot of leather is graded by whereabouts on the animal it comes from, condition,and the purpose it will be used for, visiting some sites will give you an idea of what leather you need for the job you want to do.
I would suggest this one for a start
www.weaverleathersupply.com/learn/leather-101/leather-grades
I would suggest this one for a start
www.weaverleathersupply.com/learn/leather-101/leather-grades
