New Embossed Leather Croc!

Hey folks,

Just a quick note on a new item our leather techs just designed...the Rustic Croc Gold.  This is a knock off of our very popular Rustic Croc except it is made a on a maize colored hide instead of the usual cognac color.  The maize has an antique gold hue and then we hand accent the print ("tipping") to create a dynamic look with lots of warmth and personality.  We hope you like it!

To see the Rustic Croc Gold just type in Rustic Croc in the search at www.leatherhidestore.com

How Does the Leather Hide Store Inventory System Work

Hi,

We get lots of questions about what the different numbers in our products mean and how our inventory works.  Well here it is short and simple:

• ES or CP in the title are in-stock leathers that we make 
• K#s in the title are Premium Closeouts - multiples hides available until sold 
• Brown 121, Green 34, Orange 6 and items that begin with a color are 1 hide only
• Items with an identical name but different K#s (k1265 Spice and k1266 Spice) are the same leather just different sizes

See, not too complicated after all!

 

How do I get out the wrinkles in my leather?

Yes, I have been intending to make a video on this. The trick is to iron the leather at 200 degrees. We have a huge heated roller that does this for us but remember that we are applying the heat to underside of the hide or "suede side."  While this will improve all hides,  this works best on hides with a wax based finish.  One more tip.  Using a hand spray bottle or mister on your iron to mist the area with the worse winkles about one hour before you iron...it really works.   Good luck!

My upholsterer says I need 3.5 yards….how many sq/ft do I need?

Three and one half yards (linear yards 36" X 54" I assume ) is 78 sq/ft of leather. Please remember that only about 85% of the sq/ft is usable due to the hide being asymmetrical and any minor blemishes (15-20% is standard in the industry). As such, you will need to determine whether your upholsterer has factored that in so 78sq/ft will suffice OR, whether you need to factor in the waste (.15) when you buy....so you will need 78 sq/ft x 1.15 = 89.7 sq/ft (approx) for your project.

See the link (How much leather do I need) below to go to our Project Estimator page. 

Thanks!

Do you have rustic / worn looking leather

Yes, many of our hides would fall into the
vintage / rustic category because they are full grain versus heavily corrected
pigmented leather. Thus, the original grain and many of natural markings are
visible plus that rich patina that come from the aniline dyes. We have hundreds
to choose from in the Brown Gold Singles category under the Premium Closeouts on the site (note there is only
one of each of these available). If you need several hides from the same dye
lot you can look under the regular brown categories under Premium Closeouts or the Custom Leathers category. Of course,
we will be glad to send you samples of anything that is of
interest.

What is the difference between Upholstery leather and Automotive leather?

I get this question a lot from visitors to www.LeatherHideStore.com so let me give you the short version.  Additives are included in the tanning and finishing process that give automotive leather a higher UV protection than regular upholstery leather.  Also, these additives help make automotive leather more durable in extreme temperatures. 

That said, a lot of folks redoing classic / vintage cars often use upholstery leather.  Why?  Well many folks want the authentic look and feel of fine upholstery leather.  This is hard to find in automotive leather which is typically pigmented (painted) and has a harder finish.  A second reason is cost  -  discount automotive leather is hard to find. 

We recommend that anyone who buys upholstery leather for this purpose apply a protectorant to give the leather more UV protection (if the car is always under roof don’t bother)  While we do not endorse any product, we have heard good things about Blackfire Hi-UV brand leather conditioner.  In fact, we will be testing Blackfire later this month under a UV light to see if its claims hold up. 

Finally, we have noticed that some car upholstery shops use regular leather instead of automotive leather on their jobs.  You should make certain that you car upholsterer is using the type of leather you want and have paid for!