This week i eventually got time to look through the new leather i had shipped in three weeks ago.  I have already used the English Tan leather in the Suitcase No 03 XXS that i blogged last week.

It’s really beautiful leather, to touch, to smell, and to work with.  It really stands out and yet is warm and refined.  It’s the thickest leather (12 oz) we use at Palmer And Sons Designs, it’s also a Vegetable Tan and so makes the most rigid bags and suitcases. 

A minor digression: leather is made from the skin/hide of animals as a by product. If just left it will rot.  So for thousands of years Humans have “tanned” it.  There are various ways and means of tanning but as a consumer you need to know that VegTan is tanned by vegetable extracts like tree Bark, is tough, and semi rigid.  Chrome tan is tanned with Chromium salts and is very soft (folds easily).  Veg/Chrome is a bit of both were one process takes place first and then the other.....

So here is my regular Oil Finish 10 oz VegTan Chestnut (although i think it’s more a lighter Burgundy!)

This works very well and is quite rigid and as such makes great semi-rigid suitcases.  You can darken the color of most leathers by applying a conditioning oil such as mink or neatsfoot (these also extend the life of the leather, which is their main duty), and you can lighten the leather by applying a surface varnish such as  Bag Kote or Resolene.  But i like it just the way it is.  This is the leather i built my first suitcase from, and i use the same supplier still.

The only pure Chrome Tan i use is this.

It’s a Vintage Brown Oil Finish 4-6oz Chrome Tan leather than is very supple and makes greats messenger bags and shoulder bags.  What i like about Oil finished leather is the way they age very quickly.  Areas of high wear form a sheen.  This leather is used in the movie industry a lot to achieve an instant “vintage” look, and that’s the main reason i use it.  It also has a beautiful warm feel.  However as it’s not as thick as the other leathers it can’t be used for items such as suitcases and Gladstone/Kit bags which need rigidity.

I have also brought in a really stunning Black leather.  I call it Black Brown as it isn’t the type of black that you would see in a black shoe for instance.  This is much smokier, slightly brown..

Again it is a VegTan 10oz, and is tough, thick and great for rigid work such as suitcases.  I have yet to use this type on a projects but i have a mind to try a suitcase in this black which i think would look very cool indeed.

Finally we come to one of my total favourites.

This is Havana Brown.  It’s a 10 oz Veg/Chrome Tan leather that is both thick and heavy, supple and strong.  It’s sort of the best of both worlds. I just got time yesterday to start work on a Gladstone Bag or Kit Bag, and today i will be back in the studio to continue with it.  What i love about this leather is just the opulent feel you get on your hands when you work with it.  This leather will be great for everything we build.

What’s all this 10 oz talk.. well in North America and other parts of the world Leather is measure not by how thick it is, but by how much is weighs per square foot.  So 10oz leather weighs 10oz per square foot.  To convert to a sensible measure 1/64th = 1oz approx.  Here is the leather i use all lined up...

In the movie of Palmer and Sons Suitcase No 03 XXS the bottom one of these leathers is used, English Tan at 12oz. On the corners of the suitcase there are three layers of this leather folded and riveted, thats more than 1/2” of leather!

And finally whilst i had the macro lens out i thought i would show you what leather really is....in it’s glorious/goriest details..

Till next time....

Nik.

PS here is a nice link to wikipedia about leather...here