Where to get leather?

[Baiter]

I've been looking around Tandy, but not quite sure which sides are the right ones for armor. Can anyone help a brotha out and point me at the right sides to get?

[Thorondor]

http://www.tandyleatherfactory.com/en-u ... 62-16.aspx is what I got for my suit of leather. It tooled wonderfully and held dye great.

[Derian]

You don't need to go with the expensive stuff. This is what most people use: http://www.tandyleatherfactory.com/en-u ... 47-02.aspx

[Sir Azrael]

You don't need to go with the expensive stuff. This is what most people use: http://www.tandyleatherfactory.com/en-u ... 47-02.aspx

I've been looking at tandyleather for quite awhile now, and have always wondered just how big that piece is. How much armor would you say that, THAT piece would make, Derian?

[Derian]

Quite a bit. Unless you're grotesquely obese or you're terrible at positioning pattern pieces, a side should be enough to fully (or nearly fully) armor one person; probably greaves, torso, shoulders, bracers & maybe a helm depending on a few factors.

It's definitely worth it to buy a full side, but don't buy it at that price. There are often sales that will drop it to $90 or even $80. I feel bad about buying them at anything over $100.

There's no scale here, but this is the last side I bought. The edge that runs alongside the right of the picture is probably just a bit over 6 feet in length.

[Sir Azrael]

Wow, alrighty, good to know! Thanks!

[Valas Hune]

You don't need to go with the expensive stuff. This is what most people use: http://www.tandyleatherfactory.com/en-u ... 47-02.aspx

404 not found for those who will/can use the search function in the future.

[Derian]

Huh. They appear to have removed the product. Sure hope they're not discontinuing it.

[Taxfrog]

http://www.tandyleatherfactory.com/en-u ... 47-05.aspx

says it's the same tannage as the 9047-02, it's 10-12 oz leather. I didn't get a look at the other sides though. What oz should be used?

[Derian]

Minimum legal thickness is 12 oz. That won't be enough by itself; usually you buy 13-15 oz.

[Arrakis]

Apparently Springfield Leather (Google it) has better quality leather for 125 (economy sides) all year round, not just sometimes.

Tandy's sides are often thoroughly underweight. Like a sixth or more of the last one I bought was like 11 oz instead of 13 (bought 13-15 oz side).

[Reafan]

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.