Leather quality.

[alexkuzn]

I am still on my first double shoulder 8oz. from Demers Leather. It is supposedly the best or pretty close to that. Still about 20 % of it has excessive fuzz on inside and also has some big time wrinkles where the backbone was.

I've used both fuzzy and smooth pieces. My experience that fuzzy pieces are not worth using. It not just the fuzz it's also that leather itself feels like it is much less dense. Smooth, dense pieces work so much better!

Also fuzzy leather accepts more glue and make sheath edge looking bad due to the fact that more glue exposed between two layers on the edge.

The fuzzy leather especially bad when I make a loops. I end up sanding off half of the thickness to get to smooth part.

Do you guys use fuzzy leather or it's just me being too picky?

[MtMike]

Couldn't agree with you more ! Unlike some of the other makers, I have a local source (Colorado Leather Goods in Colorado Springs) so I get to inspect each piece; even then I find I get an occasional "hard spot" that I missed when buying the piece.
The alternative is to find a really good supplier and trust them to send you primo pieces. I know that that Sandy, Chuck and Paul all have their preferred suppliers (not sure where Dave gets his).
Yes, it's maddening, and the fact that the quality can vary so much from one supplier to the next doesn't make it any easier, especially if you're buying at retail price !

Mike

[Chuck Burrows]

The smoothest, densest leather is backs - NO belly leather (that's what the soft fuzzy stuff usually is). I order backs (as does Sandy IIRC) from Wickett & Craig - price is more, but IMO well worth it.......by buying backs you also have less waste so the price is actually not that much more......
I will say I am surprised about the Demers shoulders - I used to buy from them quite a bit before I "found" W & C and never had a bad one.......