by Reafan » Thu Nov 10, 2011 8:06 pm
The best thing to do is to go to Tandy personally and look at what they have available in the store. Hides always vary slightly in thickness and a single hide, side, or scraps can have varying thickness over the entire piece. They specifically sell "armor grade" leather at the store. Do take care of which piece of leather you buy, and try to map out the project in your head ( or bring your patterns to the store ) Different pieces ( like the one pictured earlier ) have different shapes as well. I recently bought a 10-11 oz small side for about 30$ to make a mask. I went in and browsed through the availability on the table and thankfully found one perfect for what I was making. The other options fluctuated in variety, thickness, and range markings/brands/etc. That is another worry to take into consideration when buying leather. The "barn kept" cow leather is much more expensive, because it has little to no wear and tear on the original owners skin during it's life cycle. Be wary of where the brands and scars are and how they will be placed on your project. I've made armor before and though I prepped everything correctly and such, the brands will sometimes make the affected area weak ( tearing, breaking, and all sorts of problems WILL occur, at least over time; especially if you are fighting in the leather ) Another thing to take into consideration is pricing. If you know someone who has an Elite Club Membership at Tandy, you will sometimes cut off up to two thirds of the price from your purchase. *sigh* sorry for the extended writing on this subject. Leather is an expensive hobby and I know a decent amount. If I can save someone else the troubles I had when first getting into leatherworking, I'll try my best to do so. I hope this helps someone out.