Best place to buy leather?

[Arrowhead_92]

As far as buckskin, glove tanned cowhide, suede, Buffalo splits etc.. What has been your best go to for leather? I’ve done some shopping on crazy crow and a place called distant drums, just wondering where to get good deals… Thanks.

 

[TDM]

Crazy Crow was going to be my suggestion.

 

[Rod Man]

Since I don’t make a lot of leather goods I get most of my stuff through crazy crow as well. @andy52 makes lots of stuff, he can probably point you in a better direction or at least provide some options.

RM

 

[oldwood]

Crazy crow is one, but Leather Unlimited ,Belgium , Wis. , has , "bargain bundles", I use for slings and other thicker projects.

 

[andy52]

I suppose much of this depends on what you're willing to spend. Crazy crow and the others like them really don't have a large selection by comparison to some of the major leather distributors. If you are just looking for the best leather out there try " The hide House" they have an enormous selection of hides. Leather prices have escalated a bunch over the years and for me to try and make leather goods for people at a fair price requires a lot of my time looking for leather at the best price. Sometimes eBay or Esty has quality leather at good prices, but you really have to know what you're looking at in what to buy. A lot of people ask me if they can get a pair of brain-tanned pants, why yes you can and the leather alone will cost upwards of 400 bucks, not including the labor cost of hand sewing the pants. There are just a lot of variables when buying leather.

 

[user 48679]

Andy, thanks for providing the background that most folks don't know about

(maybe now some will stop griping about prices)

 

[64Springer]

Tandy Leather.

They carry everything under the sun.

 

[Arrowhead_92]

I suppose much of this depends on what you're willing to spend. Crazy crow and the others like them really don't have a large selection by comparison to some of the major leather distributors. If you are just looking for the best leather out there try " The hide House" they have an enormous selection of hides. Leather prices have escalated a bunch over the years and for me to try and make leather goods for people at a fair price requires a lot of my time looking for leather at the best price. Sometimes eBay or Esty has quality leather at good prices, but you really have to know what you're looking at in what to buy. A lot of people ask me if they can get a pair of brain-tanned pants, why yes you can and the leather alone will cost upwards of 400 bucks, not including the labor cost of hand sewing the pants. There are just a lot of variables when buying leather.

Mostly I’m looking for the cheapest leather possible to make buckskin style shirts and or pants. Even sueded soft cow leather or glove tanned.

 

[david w]

It depends upon the project. Herman Oak is the best leather for tooling.

 

[Notchy Bob]

I go to different places for different leathers.

For vegetable tanned belt or strap leather, I like Crazy Crow. Their natural strap leather is more supple, easier to work with, and less likely to crack when doubled over than Tandy's belt leather. However, I bought some willow buckskin from Crazy Crow a while back and was disappointed. It was full of holes.

Tandy is the only source I know of for milled veg tan leather. If you have a project for which vegetable tanned leather is indicated, but you want softer, more supple leather, as for a shot pouch, milled vegetable tan is the way to go. I have not read much about other people using it, though.

It is tempting to buy "remnant" bundles, but I would be cautious. Some places will include some usable material. Tandy's remnant bundles have been mostly scrap, with hardly anything of usable size.

I like Centralia Fur & Hide best for rawhide.

I have gotten "commercial brain tan" leather from The Leather Guy. He sells it by the piece. The leather you see pictured on his website is what you get. I have also gotten some chrome tanned buckskin from him that was very satisfactory.

Wandering Bull has brown pre-dyed strap leather that I like a lot. They will sell it as straps cut to width, or by the square foot. The price is reasonable.

That's my experience, but you'll encounter lots of leatherworkers on this forum, and they all have valid recommendations.

Notchy Bob

 

[Brokennock]

I like Zach White Leathercraft Supplier | Zack White Leather
For precut straps that I use for shot pouches and such, they offer them in longer lengths in the lighter weights than Tandy does. (Most of my bags have has one long strap instead of two piece straps.)
I have a Tandy nearby so I do buy a side or bend of veg tan there, and some other pre-dyed/finished leathers, occasionally.
The shot pouch I've been using most often for the past year or more is made from veg tan goat that I got on sale at Hobby Lobby. Not really the 1st place I would recommend, but if you know what you are looking for and happen to find it there, grab it.

I've gotten buffalo splits from Crazy Crow, sizes have varied greatly. By ordering a few pieces when on sale I've managed to get what I need.

Traditional Tanners is good as well, but not cheap,,, no place selling stuff like this is,
https://braintan.com/
Centralia Fur and Hide gets very high marks from a few craftsmen and artisans that I deeply respect and admire, I have not ordered from them yet,
https://furandhide.com/

 

[garypl]

Springfield Leather, Wickett & Craig, Tandy, American Elk & Deer - all have nice selections

 

[andy52]

Mostly I’m looking for the cheapest leather possible to make buckskin style shirts and or pants. Even sueded soft cow leather or glove tanned.

Suede is some of the most reasonably priced leather out there. Suede is the second cut of the hide that's the reason there is no grain side to it, so the tanneries are getting paid twice for one hide.

 

[Icemanxxxv]

I've ordered from Weaver, Springfield Leather, and Rocky Mountain Leather. All have been reasonable and had what I need.

 

[BozoMiller]

I have found three really good places. Montana Leather, in Billings MT, they have email specials just get on their list, very large selection. Brettuns Leather Village, in Maine, lots of little stuff and leather, not a large selection but they are always updating their inventory. The best prices I have found is EC Leather in Tulsa, OK, great prices. Hope this helps.

 

[ZUG]

I've been buying my leather and supplies from Springfield Leather for some years now. They got to know me, and they have steered me right when I asked them some questions that I needed an answer that was honest. There prices were as good if not better than most of the other leather suppliers out there.

 

[Alexitt]

I've picked up a fair number of good hides from Moscow Hide and fur...

 

[stephenprops1]

As far as buckskin, glove tanned cowhide, suede, Buffalo splits etc.. What has been your best go to for leather? I’ve done some shopping on crazy crow and a place called distant drums, just wondering where to get good deals… Thanks.

I like Tandy Leather. If there is a store close to you it is easy to look over their product and pick the stuff you want.

 

[LRB]

Tandy Leather.

They carry everything under the sun.

"IF", you have a store near by so you can hand pick. I have a store just a few miles away and use only them, but they are not the last word in quality. The last I heard there are no tanneries left in the USA. Tandys' leather comes from Mexico. It is usually good, but best hand picked.

 

[Alexitt]

I've also picked up some really nice Buffalo recently from the Leatherguy.com in fact I just ordered another hide and it should be here by the end of the week... That's what this bag was made from, he had 1-2 more left when I ordered on Friday and they were 50% off for a 20+sq. ft hide...