Great Leather!

[tmattimore]

the way jeff at W&c explained it to me Warm tallow and hot wax on warm leather rolled to remove excess and force penetration. This firms it up considerably such as harness leather. The best evidence of this is spew when the surface appears to have a mottled coating of wax and tallow and is almost impervious to water. I have only seen it on 8 oz and heavier. Most tanneries gaurd their latigo secrets like gold but some of the lighter "latigo" I have seen of late is chrome tanned and oiled heavy with perhaps a piece of bark waved over it. It is true you are limited in finish and color with veg tanned.
There is some excellent stuff from germany being imported by Tom Eberle with a mossbach glazed finish that is top notch but it is undyed. Im am trying to see if colors may be availabe from the tanner. I have used some rough out and it burnishes up like smoothout. They use still vats and their lighter weights are from cows and heifers. The 5-6 oz I used last week shows great promise.
Tom

[davidw]

Sharon,

The Hide and Leather House has some leather they call "burgundy hot stuff" in a 5-7 oz weight. (It's listed under saddlery, latigo at the Hide House). I did get a sample once, and it was softer than most latigo I've seen. It would probably work pretty well for unlasted stitchdown work, if that's what your doing. I know it's a little heavier than the 4-5 oz. you were looking for. Hope this helps.

[cmw]

Any and All

I once wrote that we use a gode quality sole leather for it's price. I now take that back. We have been getting some bad batches of Ruccoflex.

CW

[dw]

Tim,

Getting back to you on the Horween Beaumont...here's some 4 1/2 ounce up on the "cruel" boards.

2466.jpg

Tight Stitches
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[Michael Anthony]

To All,

Howes tannery will close the doors to production effective 31 August 2003.

Another sad day for America's tanneries...

Michael

[bct]

Michael, yes it's a sad day when another American Leather Tannery closes. I was told that there is only one American Tannery left that makes sole leather. Anyone have any facts on this? Michael see in October with your flashy boots.

"Riding For The Brand"
Brian C. Thomas

[Mick Nesseim]

DW
Alittle info on the beumont you crimped. Is this a veg tanned, chrome, or a combination retan? How was it to crimp? I have been having a little trouble with the leather that I have been getting from Horween. It just isnt the consistant quality that I got when I first started using them.
Thank-you
Mick

[dw]

Mick,

Maybe, I got lucky, or maybe I just don't have any expectations.

The Beaumont is one of Horween's "dress" leathers. It is a veg/chrome retan and has a slight oil or wax on the grain of the leather...nothing that would create problems with cement, nothing that would resist putting on a good, after-they're-made, wax finish.

I ordered a four ounce and got a *heavy* four ounce...more like four and a half. I crimp everything inside out initially and was a little disappointed at not being able to clear every last vestige of wrinkles. I want to see the leather "painted" on the boards. But when I turned the leather grainside out there wasn't even a hint of the wrinkles I thought I saw on the flesh side and when I re-crimped them on the "cruel" boards the leather was indeed "painted" on the board with no excess. During the whole process I had no problem with the leather that I didn't expect and there was no "checking" in the grain nor any sign at all, of damage to the grain that I could see.

The Beaumont comes in a number of earthy colours and in all weights. I would order 3 1/2 - 4 ounce next time just because I think I'd like to use this leather for dress boots.

John Culliton, at Horween, told me that the Beaumont and the "latigo" (another nice "casual" leather and not at all like the "latigo" saddlemakers use) are basically the same tannage, but the latigo has more oil stuffed into it. The latigo is interesting, also, and I am thinking it would make a great casual/work boot. Better than all the so called "work"/oily leathers that I've used. However, Horween has a regular selection of heavily oiled leathers but I didn't see anything in those swatches that I was particularly interested in.

If Horween can maintain the quality that I got in the Beaumont, and it wears as well as I am hoping it will, I will be happy. The quality of leathers that I've been getting from my regular suppliers...the same leathers I've been buying for ten and twenty years...has gone down in quality or become so unreliable as to make it a gamble just to make boots from it. So, it's not just Horween...I am down to one or two suppliers that I trust and even there the quality is sometimes "iffy."

The Beaumont is a different look (I think it will end up looking like a good grade of calf), a different feel, and must be dealt with a bit differently than the standard chromes. But I'm hopeful. All Horween has to do is keep on keeping on.

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[Mike Strong]

Hi All,

I need some help on a couple of items that I need for my shop. First does anyone have any Barnsley inseam awls? I need both for welt and sewing around the shank and heel. Also is anyone wanting to put together an order for celluloid type cement? Please contact me at cmstrong@fmtc.com

Thanks for the assist.

Mike

[Sharon Raymond]

Greetings, I am looking for a source for many colors of pigskin, smooth (except for those little hair holes) on one side; not sueded on both sides. thanks, Sharon

[paul]

Sharon,
I don't know, but I'd start in The New Big Book, www.newbigbook.com. It's from the Shop Talk folks. I just looked there for the phone number to: LEATHER-SUEDE-SKINS,INC. They're phone number is 212/967-6616. They've got a big variety, and list pig skin in their ad. Give 'em a call.

Hope this helps.

PK

[Sharon Raymond]

Thanks, Paul. Unfortunately that business just carries pig"suede", as does Hide & Leather House. But I did get my Big Book out after your reminder, and have a few places to call on Monday. I used to get it at Berman's, but of course they're no longer in the leather business. Sharon

[jake]

Sharon,

Try contacting Coey Tannery:

Coey Tanning
ATTN: Joyce
441 Bugscuffle Rd.
Wartrace, TN 37813
(931)385-6473

The phone # may not be correct. The scan of my invoice was not the best in the world.

Hope this helps.

Adios

[dw]

All,

I'm curious...I've been using Horween's Beaumont for about six months now and I've had an number of people ask me about it. Has anyone else tried it? And, if so, what do you think of it?

I don't know anyone who has used the Beaumont for any length of time (?) but after, oh, roughly five-six months on my feet as an every day work boot, so far it's holding up real well. Looks great, too.


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[jake]

Dee-Dubb,

I have not tried it yet, but I'm going to.

[das]

DW,

I test-lasted that chunk of Beaumont you sent, and was very pleased, but I've not ordered any to try in shoes or boots yet. Chasing a waxed-calf possibility at the moment, 'cause that's what we use the most/need the most. If it pans out, I'll be glad to tell you all about it

[dw]

Al,

Missed this post entirely...sometimes I think my email provider is a bit sloppy.

I wish I could get some feedback from other people on the Beaumont. I just can't get over how plain and unexciting it looks yet how well it handles and makes up. And with a nice acrylic wax finish it dern near could be French calf. I even called Horween today to see if they might make up some lining leather using the same chrome-retan process. Of course, no dyes or oils or waxes and, if they decide to do it, it might be milled as well.

Thing is, anyone interested ought to add their voice...let them (Horween) know that there's interest out there. I hate to see such a good option go by the way in the present environment of ever decreasing options.

Oh well, by ourselves (you, me, maybe a couple of others) we're probably never gonna make such a difference that a product line would be added or discontinued. [sigh]

Tight Stitches
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[gazzaniaccessori]

Dear all
we have been operating in Italy for more than 40 years (two generations) in footwear industry as leather agents. We operate in the Marche region, that's the most important shoe district in Italy. Our customers are Italian high quality shoemakers.We have been looking for a tannery making Cordovan leather for shoe. We know the famous Horween tannery from Chicago but it's already represented in Italy. Given your wide knowledge in this subject, we would like to know if you can help us by indicating some other tannery making this famous and valuable leather. Do you think really that there is only one producer in all over the world?
Thank you in advance for your kindness and cooperation
PS: congratulations for your great forum!
Gazzani Guido (gazzaniaccessori@hotmail.com)
Managing Director Gazzani Accessori s.a.s

[das]

Gazzani,

Twenty years ago there was another Cordovan tanner in NY, but they are gone now. A friend of mine imports very nice horse-fronts [not the shell/butts as in cordovan] from Italy. But where there's fronts, there must be butts too. His name is Shaul Dover, and his firm is U. S. Authentic, usauthentic.com. He makes fine leather flyers' jackets, and might share his source with you there--he won't tell us here naturally.

[dw]

Question...I'm working on something, no promises...

If a high quality valonia tanned, fleshside stamped, leather sole of a quality similar to, or identical to, Rendendach were available from a source here in the US, in one or two dozen pair quantities, how many people would be interested?

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http://www.bootmaker.com

[sorrell]

D.W.,
I use domestic tanned outsoles most of the time, but I like to keep the German on hand. So I would be interested.

Lisa

[jake]

Dee-Dubb,

Count me in for two dozen.

[bultsad]

Would these outsoles be tanned domestically, or is your source an importer?
Jim

[dw]

Jim,

Tanned in Germany, flesh branded by request, imported by a finder, and ordered direct from him. Maybe shortly after the end of April.

Tight Stitches
DWFII--Member HCC

http://www.bootmaker.com

[Mike Strong]

DW,

Count me in for a couple dozen pairs. Thanks!


Mike