Replies

1. 
   Quickstep | Jul 18, 2011 03:39pm | #1

   I've gotten leather from Tandy before. They were helpful and the prices seemed reasonable.

   http://www.tandyleatherfactory.com/en-usd/home/home.aspx

2. 
   BruceS | Jul 18, 2011 04:20pm | #2

   leather source

   Whenever I need a piece of leather I go to my local Amish harness shop,  I can get full thickness steer hide.

   Makes great vise liners as well as honing strops, even hinges.

3. 
   roc | Jul 19, 2011 12:13am | #3

   Yep Tandy or there may be other working leather shops around

   A working shop will have a scrap barrel that they may sell from.  If you order on line you may have to order a whole side (half a cow ).  Great to have around for other stuff but then I am a nerd and get into all kinds of projects.

   Get the hard tanned leather not the soft, dyed, supple stuff.  For instance don't get "black smith's leather" it has oil in it and is hard to glue.

   Vegetable tanned tooling leather is good.  Horse butt is too expensive for your use so watch out for that.

   The stuff you want you will be able to knock on it with your knuckle and it will sound like thin wood.  ALMOST.

   Don"t get rawhide though; that is too hard.

   For thickness get at least eight  ounce = 1/8 inch thick

   For instance six ounce = 3/32 inch

   I would glue it on with hide glue then when you want to remove it, if ever, then just soak it and wait.

   Just for grins that is my helper in a "black smith's leather" apron.  Nah we don't drink and work.  She just did not know what to do with herself for the photo so picked up an old  Samuel Smith"s bottle from the shelf.  Silly rabbit . . .

   Ha ha ha ha

    

   Black smith's leather apron sheds saw dust thrown by say . . .  a router ( or the bandsaw in some rare cases like that day),  better than cloth and doesn't get staticy like vinyl.  Don't think it will stop a sharp blade thrown by a belt grinder ( some people think that ).

    

   It won't.

   
4. 
   gdblake | Jul 21, 2011 12:04pm | #4

   Go to Goodwill

   CJ:

   I bought an old heavily worn leather jacket from Goodwill and cut it up for the leather to line my vise jaws.   I used Titebond III to glue the skin side of the leather to the vise jaw (this left the rougher flesh side to serve as the clamping surface).   Works great and only cost $5.

   gdblake