tooling buffalo shoulders?

[Dreadhead]

One for those who know more about leather than I! I need to know if it is possible to tool veg tan buffalo shoulders? I have ordered some 5mm in a sale without thinking if i can tool it or not for making sheaths, scabbards, bracers and the like. When Le-Prevo are open i will give them a ring and ask but thought i would try my luck here first

any advice would be great cheers

 

[Goatboy]

Dreadhead,

Buffalo shoulder, dreadlock rasta:
There was a buffalo shoulder in the heart of america,
Stolen from africa, brought to america,
Fighting on arrival, fighting for survival.

Sorry it just sprang to mind when I saw the title and author.

Hope you find out,
Goatboy.

 

[Dreadhead]

arf knew somebody would shout that out

 

[Bardster]

Hmm, Roger Harrington uses buffalo for some of his sheaths, and its a waxy oily leather that wouldn't lend itself to carving. If its just veg tanned buffalo then yeah, you can tool it, but if its treated with oils and waxes then it may not. The one on the le prevo site is labelled as veg tan undyed - so is should be fine.

 

[Dreadhead]

thanks Bard i was hoping it would just be fairly simple veg tan that i can tool. i will give leprevo a call and ask them all about it anyway as i always have to buy my leather on a budget and thats the best price i can find for 5mm

 

[Bardster]

I know what you mean about buying leather on a budget, just bought some myself from Tandy in their sale. I do wonder though whether its a false economy. if the leather is poor quality and doesn't stamp well, or is irregular shaped, or furry on the back ( yes i have had such stuff) or wrinkled - as i suspect the neck of a buffalo would be... then a lot of it ends up as scrap or poor quality items. When the largest part of the stuff we sell is our time rather than materials, do we owe it to ourselves to pay a little extra? For example the difference in a tankard in material costs would be a couple of pounds if that, but the difference in quality of the finished product thats stamps and dyes well and has no marks or scars means it looks better in our customers eyes. I dont know but i would love to buy premium leather as i am sure there is a lot less waste involved, just dont have the money up front and not really selling much at the mment.

 

[Dreadhead]

I know what you mean about buying leather on a budget, just bought some myself from Tandy in their sale. I do wonder though whether its a false economy. if the leather is poor quality and doesn't stamp well, or is irregular shaped, or furry on the back ( yes i have had such stuff) or wrinkled - as i suspect the neck of a buffalo would be... then a lot of it ends up as scrap or poor quality items. When the largest part of the stuff we sell is our time rather than materials, do we owe it to ourselves to pay a little extra? For example the difference in a tankard in material costs would be a couple of pounds if that, but the difference in quality of the finished product thats stamps and dyes well and has no marks or scars means it looks better in our customers eyes. I dont know but i would love to buy premium leather as i am sure there is a lot less waste involved, just dont have the money up front and not really selling much at the mment.

I know exactly what you mean. my problem is im working round my health which is pretty bad right now so i havent had any work in a month so im making next to nothing so my materials have to be on a very tight budget at the moment. when i can get back to work and put some orders through hopefully the profit can go towards some better materials. that said, it is not like buffalo hide is horrid stuff it has a beautiful grain to it and will add to my usual gnarly look, i only hope it performs as well with tooling. if it doesnt, i will re-sell some of it and buy some smaller peices of veg tan cowhide for my tooling projects and keep the buffalo for clean cut projects. all in moderation aye

 

[greensurfingbear]

I once had a buffalo leather jacket...... Was bomb proof!

My leather stock is at an all time low since starting but struggling to afford the stuff I want. Next project is a Sami belt.....so will need quite a good size bit

 

[Dreadhead]

I once had a buffalo leather jacket...... Was bomb proof!

My leather stock is at an all time low since starting but struggling to afford the stuff I want. Next project is a Sami belt.....so will need quite a good size bit

probably better off just buying a strip of veg tan bud. can get it pretty cheap from leprevo or even some good sellers on ebay

 

[rancid badger]

I don't make much now and don't make stuff to sell on here anymore anyway, but unless I'm just messing about or showing someone how to go on, I use the best quality hide I can find.

I've never used cheap or poor quality hide for anything intended for sale.

I've always found that good quality hide is easier to work with and often more forgiving than the cheap stuff that may not have uniform thickness, has soft spots or hard spots,scars, blemishes,is too soft or too hard overall etc etc.

The thing to do is to use cheap stuff for your prototypes,experiments and in my case, stuff for my own use!:bluThinki and then use decent stuff for your "real" items.

Using decent materials means that the only things that can lead to "comebacks" are poor workmanship on your part or misuse by the end user.


My experience of buffalo hide, is that it tends towards being quite supple, very durable and strong. Tooling wise it doesn't work like normal veg tanned cow hide and it always has a more natural, wrinkly look to it.

 

[Dreadhead]

I don't make much now and don't make stuff to sell on here anymore anyway, but unless I'm just messing about or showing someone how to go on, I use the best quality hide I can find.

I've never used cheap or poor quality hide for anything intended for sale.

I've always found that good quality hide is easier to work with and often more forgiving than the cheap stuff that may not have uniform thickness, has soft spots or hard spots,scars, blemishes,is too soft or too hard overall etc etc.

The thing to do is to use cheap stuff for your prototypes,experiments and in my case, stuff for my own use!:bluThinki and then use decent stuff for your "real" items.

Using decent materials means that the only things that can lead to "comebacks" are poor workmanship on your part or misuse by the end user.


My experience of buffalo hide, is that it tends towards being quite supple, very durable and strong. Tooling wise it doesn't work like normal veg tanned cow hide and it always has a more natural, wrinkly look to it.

very true. however buying leather is never so straightforward. for a start the minimum i can order is around 17 sq ft. the 5mm buffalo i have ordered is 3.18 a square foot so i can barely afford it but i have budgeted to just manage it. i would love some cowhide instead, but i am then paying 5.16 a sq ft for 3-4mm. if i want 5mm is over £6. I simply cant afford it, i have next to no money and need to pull in some profit fast so its the buffalo for now. YES it is cheap, and it will have holes and weak spots. but i wont be using any of those parts for my work. i will cut it up and sort the good peices from the poor and use the good for my work and the poor for myself.

What i know is going to frustrate me is tooling it. Im going to give leprevo a phone later and ask them a dozen questions about it and if it turns out its rubbish to tool, i am going to pull some hair out and find an alternative. This is the problem we have with such a limited market in the UK

 

[Dreadhead]

in leprevo sale they also have veg tan half butts. description: Half butts. Natural Veg-Tan. Sizes 8 to 12 ft² 3½/4mm. These vary in shade from hide to hide and there are some blemishes hence the reduced price of £3.75 per ft²

any ideas if this would be better than buying the buffalo?

 

[rancid badger]

very true. however buying leather is never so straightforward. for a start the minimum i can order is around 17 sq ft. the 5mm buffalo i have ordered is 3.18 a square foot so i can barely afford it but i have budgeted to just manage it. i would love some cowhide instead, but i am then paying 5.16 a sq ft for 3-4mm. if i want 5mm is over £6. I simply cant afford it, i have next to no money and need to pull in some profit fast so its the buffalo for now. YES it is cheap, and it will have holes and weak spots. but i wont be using any of those parts for my work. i will cut it up and sort the good peices from the poor and use the good for my work and the poor for myself.

What i know is going to frustrate me is tooling it. Im going to give leprevo a phone later and ask them a dozen questions about it and if it turns out its rubbish to tool, i am going to pull some hair out and find an alternative. This is the problem we have with such a limited market in the UK

Of course,Your right!

The shop is only 10 miles away and I just pop in there and select my own hide, belt straps, fittings or even top quality off cuts. It really couldn't be easier for me, while anyone depending on mail order is at the mercy of a faceless voice on the phone or someone reading an email etc. not to mention the delivery costs.

The thing is, you're already thinking about what you'll use for which jobs and that makes for good quality finished items and that's what builds and maintains your reputation.

Good luck and keep doing what you do, it's different and I love it



Steve
PS: just seen your reply pm on its way

 

[Toadflax]

Don't forget that LePrevo are happy to send out (free) samples. Obviously this is only a few square inches, but I've now got a sample collection of pretty much their full range of standard leathers, and have always had a sample of any specials, prior to buying.


Geoff

 

[Dreadhead]

Of course,Your right!

The shop is only 10 miles away and I just pop in there and select my own hide, belt straps, fittings or even top quality off cuts. It really couldn't be easier for me, while anyone depending on mail order is at the mercy of a faceless voice on the phone or someone reading an email etc. not to mention the delivery costs.

The thing is, you're already thinking about what you'll use for which jobs and that makes for good quality finished items and that's what builds and maintains your reputation.

Good luck and keep doing what you do, it's different and I love it



Steve
PS: just seen your reply pm on its way

oh to have such luxury! closest store to me is identity store in matlock but thats a 2+ hour drive which is out of the question. just phoned leprevo but they are on lunch. and thanks for the comments bud i still drool over the pictish satchel you made some time ago



and Geoff, thats a great idea. but then i have to wait for the samples, try them out, reorder, then wait for my order to arrive if i am satisfied. I am far too impatient! when i get through to them i will have a chat and decide, afterall if the buffalo doesnt suit my needs i could always sell some of it on i guess. mail/internet order is a right pain

 

[rancid badger]

Ah! my "gadgie bag"

This is made from European water buffalo, incredibly durable and strong for its thickness.

I keep intending to make another one with some similar buffalo I've got sitting but can't bring myself to get going with it, as I just don't need another similar bag

cheers

Steve