The Leather

I currently work with the following different leathers:

• British veg tanned cowhide,
• British oak tanned cowhide,
• British oak tanned bridle leather,
• Spanish veg tanned horse and goat leather,
• Italian veg tanned cowhide.

Here’s a description of each.

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British Veg Tanned Cowhide

Tanned using cowhide from Scotland and various leaves and barks. The tannery is based in Derbyshire.

I use this leather the most as it is very versatile and comes in various thicknesses, from solid 5mm (used for billhook sheaths) to flexible 3mm (used for gadget cases, etc).

I can either dye this leather or leave it natural. Here are the choices:

Natural – just oiled and waxed
Dark Brown
Forest Green
Oxblood Red
Charcoal Black

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British Oak Tanned Cowhide

Tanned using cowhide from Devon and oak bark from Wales and Cumbria, using a very ancient and traditional method. I visited the tannery in the summer of 2016. Read my blog about it.

I dye this leather with the same dyes as for the standard Veg Tanned Cowhide (above), however the colours tend to come out slightly darker. The oak bark tanning process gives it a tougher feel yet is still flexible and ages beautifully. As this tanning process takes longer the leather is a little more expensive.

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British Oak Tanned Bridle Leather

This leather comes from the same tannery as the standard oak bark tanned cowhide, in Devon. It is usually very thick (4 to 5mm thick) and comes pre-dyed and heavily waxes from the tannery.

If you want something very sturdy that will last a long time then this is the one to go for.

There are different choices of colours, which can be seen on the tannery’s website: http://www.jfjbaker.co.uk/products/

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Spanish Veg Tanned Horse and Goat Leather

This is a new leather that I’ve recently started working with. Flexible and dark in colour. Spanish leather is well renowned for it’s soft and beautiful quality.

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Italian Veg Tanned Cowhide

Italian leather is well known for it’s amazing, high-end quality. There are lots of colours to choose from (I don’t dye them as them come pre-dyed). I can order samples for you, or we can work with a couple of colours that I already have (Amber and Coal).