Leather source for hunting pouches

[u_p_country]

Howdy gents,

Another question for you leather crafters. Is there a good source of leather for hunting pouches? What types of leather are the best, buckskin, elk, beef etc? Is there one grade that is better than another? I'm new to this particular hobby, but I want my first attempt to be as good as possible! Thanks for the info !

 

[rkmeyer]

You could try Tandy Leather or hideandfur.com they have most kinds of leather you would want. I have used both.
Good Luck,
Dusty

 

[Bob Riegl]

:bow: Try these links ML links :hatsoff:

 

[omarick1948]

Get yourself some GOOD "How to" books on leather crafting and do a search on this forum for idea's!

PT some of the people who make leather bags and things here on the forum....we have some great craftsman here!!

Leather is expensive and you don't want to make many mistakes by not knowing!

 

[ladysmithtrading]

Some guys like working with elk or moose, the problem there is those hides are usually buskskin tanned and although usually fairly thick; they are'nt very stiff, i prefer to work with cow or bull, full grained in a minimum of 4 oz, the way leather is gauged is every oz is roughly 1/32", so 4 oz will be approx 1/8" thick,I like 5/6 oz when I can find it, but... my favorite to work with is full grained buffalo/bison, not water buffalo,usually is 7/8oz, full grained soft as a babys butt, flexible enough to turn the bag and stout enough to last 3 life times! scored 6 very nice hides at the ML show in Monroe Wa 3 weeks ago from Oregon Leather Company, 5 cow and 1 buff at a smoking price! awesome quality great weight and colors and real nice folks to deal with, tell them your new to leather crafting and what your wanting to do, they'll set you up, they have a website, they have 2 stores, 1 in Portland and 1 in Eugene, the folks that were at the show where from Eugene, great guys!

 

[ameling]

One of the simple and inexpensive ways to get started is to go down to the local second-hand clothing store.

First, go look through the women's purses. Many simple leather purses can be ... tweaked ... into a good hunting pouch. Just strip off the frills, re-cut and re-stitch the shape, and replace or modify the strap. And some styles from back in the Hippy days need very little tweaking - except pealing off the daisy stickers. But also just look at them as raw leather. Just lay out a new pattern on the leather, cut and stitch.

For straps, go check out the Belts - for men and women. Some of the plain ones will work well stitched on, or with a new buckle.

And then go check out the shoes/boots. The tops of many boots can have a lot of good leather to convert into new pouches or knife sheaths. The more beat up the boot bottom/sole, the cheaper you can get them. Sometimes you get lucky and can just cut off the "tube" upper section, turn it inside out, sew the bottom shut, turn it back right side out, and then cut the top down a little on one side and have the other side become the new flap. Then just stitch on a shoulder strap.

Just a few humble thoughts to help you get started without having to spend a lot of bucks on new leather. A couple bucks and a little time, and you will gain a lot of experience - and end up with a new pouch.

Mikey - yee ol' grumpy German blacksmith out in the Hinterlands

 

[mazo kid]

Another source of supply is Leather Unlimited. They have just about any leather you could want, rawhide, straps, buckles, dyes, tools, finished goods, muzzleloading/rendezvous stuff, etc. www.leatherunlimited.com Give 'em a look-see and get a catalog.

 

[Bubba45]

The Leather Factory often has some good sales on odd lots at a good price.
Another source is Siegal of California who have frequent sales.

Both have hardware as well but make sure you get solid brass and not the plated stuff if you go that route.

 

[paulvallandigham]

I think you might find what you want at Tandy Leather. Take a look at these.
http://www.tandyleatherfactory.com/products.asp?number=4607-00

 

[David G]

Up Country, Do you have a Tandy or other leather store in your area? If so , that would be ideal as you could go see firsthand the different types and weights of leather. You won't go wrong with a decent piece of vegtable tanned leather which has the grain on in the 4oz to 7oz range. Also, have you considered tanning your own? In my area deerhides and calfhides are easy to come by cheaply. With a little research and expiermentation you could turn out some nice hides for considerably less than you can purchase them. I guess it's how far you really want to go with it.

 

[OregonDoc]

I was in Oregon Leather today. They dont seem to want the business. I went to the bank and took out $1000 for leather. I went there, walked in and started to pull out a roll of elk skin. The little guy came over and spoke to me in a tone of voice like you scold a dog and told me not to. He said the 4 skins above it was the same and that rolling the other 10 skins was a pain in the ass. I decided i wasnt going to buy the elk, but would buy the deer I already had picked out. He kept his tone of voice talking down to me. I put the deer back, counted out $1000 cash , picked it up and told him I would spend it in Washington and never come back. As close as I can figure I have spent almost $3000 in the past 15 months. I am changing to Centralia Hide and Fur. Better prices, and I am sure better service.

Jon

 

[Bubba45]

OregonDoc have you tried The Leather Factory on Whiticker in Portland ? I've had good luck with them .

 

[ladysmithtrading]

OD was that the portland store or thhe eugene store? sorry to hear that, i dealt directly with the eugene manager at the show in monroe, got 30% off 6 hides,real friendly guy, hmmmmmm

 

[OregonDoc]

I was at the Portland store. I guess I wasnt dressed up to thier standard or something. I am sure that like most businesses, you can have good help or bad. I got the bad. I wont be back there. I havnt been to the Leather Factory, but I will give them a try. I am looking forward to the Centrailia Hide and fur as well. They have a nice website, and they are not to far away.

Jon

 

[omarick1948]

The leather makers in this area of the woods like this supplier! www.theleatherguy.org

 

[El Lobo]

Here is the URL for Centralia Fur & Hide: www.furandhide.com

They are just down the road a piece from where I live.

 

the way leather is gauged is every oz is roughly 1/32", so 4 oz will be approx 1/8" thick,I like 5/6 oz when I can find it, but

That is wrong info (Sorry Beaverman) - 1 oz of leather is equivalent to 1/64" not 1/32" - 8 oz leather is thus approximately 1/8" thick - original bags when made from bark tanned cowhide generally were in the 3 to 5 oz range whether lined or not.
"Softer" tanned hides such as brain/smoke tanned buckskin and elk hide were widely used west of the Mississippi post 1820 or so and are best lined either with a second piece of leather or with tightly woven cloth such as pillow ticking, linen, or canvas.
"Modern" tanned leathers (aka chrome tanned which actually dates from the 1860's) such as commercial tanned buckskin, elk, buffalo, etc. can also be used by lining or using the heavier weights. Whenever using any "softer" tannages in standard weights it is best to pre-stretch the hides - just wet them and stretch - leave stretched for at least 24 hours and 48 is better.
For any one interested in shooting bags - I can do no better than recommend Tim Albert's book "Recreating the 18th Century Hunting Pouch" you can order it direct from Tim at http://www.thehuntingpouch.com/ or several vendors carry it..best $26.00 you'll spend if you're interested in shooting/hunting pouches (which ARE NOT possibles bags!!)

 

If I may offer a suggestion - I would find out who the employee was and notify the upper management - if the management never hears complaints like this than those employees will continue to act like that.
I worked as a small business manager for 17 years (mostly for retailers) and in 98% of the cases upper management wanted to know about such things - losing business due to arrogant/stupid/anal retentive employees is not a good thing and most of the time management does want to know.....
No it is not easy for most of to file such complaints with the store but it is the only way to fix such things......

 

[braintan]

Letting management know how you feel is good for everybody including the idiot. It will help him grow mentally. :wink:

 

[ladysmithtrading]

the way leather is gauged is every oz is roughly 1/32", so 4 oz will be approx 1/8" thick,I like 5/6 oz when I can find it, but

That is wrong info (Sorry Beaverman) - 1 oz of leather is equivalent to 1/64" not 1/32" - 8 oz leather is thus approximately 1/8" thick - original bags when made from bark tanned cowhide generally were in the 3 to 5 oz range whether lined or not.

Yep! I knew that, brain fart!