Splitting leather
Hey peeps,
I would like to get your thoughts on an issue I have, namely: having too thick leather.
I'm mostly making watch straps for the time being, and usually use a maximum thickness of about 2-2.5mm in total without padding. A lot of leather is too thick, and I've tried using a cheap-ass manual splitter, but it just stretches the leather and damages it all over the front surface.
For example: I really like Zermatt by Haas as a liner, but that's about 1.6mm thick I believe (without splitting). Which only leaves about 0.9 for the top part. And I'm not even talking about the keepers, which must be even thinner.
Let me also say: this is a hobby and even though I don't mind spending money on it, there is a limit, haha!
What would you suggest to me?
- Getting a bell skiver (probably most versatile, but also costly and takes a lot of space. And how well does this work if I'm going to make a bit larger items?)
- Just buying the leather pre-split (disadvantage is that I know that RM does it, but I'm from Europe and I'd rather buy directly from for example Tanneries Haas, than buy all the way from the US)
- Just buy leathers that have the exact max. thickness I want. Disadvantage is that it limits my options quite a lot. Zermatt won't really be an option for example.
- Any other ideas?
Thanks a million!
Thin splits on manual splitters.
To get a really thin split (watch straps n keepers) with softer leathers: why not glue the softer piece to a firmer veg tan then pull this through the splitter with the firm bulk under the blade and the desired grain face (and desired thickness) above the blade. This will stop the thin split from stretching as the tension from the pull is taken by the veg tan laminated base under the blade. Hope this is helps.
John