Hello, I'm hoping this is posted in the correct forum and appropriate to ask. I've been doing a rash of DIY projects, including a wooden scabbard. Now, I want to put a custom color leather on my Atrim's handle. The current leather is glued, but not stitched, which is fine with me. I was hoping to get a specific color of leather, which I couldn't just get at the local craft shop. So, I was wondering if anybody could recommend an online source of color leather and also a good glue to use for this project.

You might try Tandy Leather. I've never bought from them, but they have a good rep in the community. :) ....McM

www.tandyleather.com

I'll second the recommendation for Tandy. I get most of my leather from them. I've also gotten some on eBay, and you'll often find better prices and more selection there than at Tandy. I still prefer Tandy because they have a store here so I get to look at and feel what I'm getting.

As for glue, I like to use Beacon Quick Grip. It's a contact cement that has a fairly quick, but not too fast, dry time. Slow enough that you can rearrange things before it sets, but fast and tacky enough that the leather doesn't move around after getting it on right. Also, it comes off of skin fairly easily, a big bonus for me.

Hope that helps,
Alan

Check Uncle George on Facebook although his selection is not that great at the moment.
https://www.facebook.com/Uncle-Georges-Discount-Leather-Hides-128586873233/
He sells mostly goat which in my opinion is what you want for sword handles.


Also try the Hide House in Napa, CA
https://hidehouse.com
They sell all types of leather. I recently bought some nice 2oz black goatskins from them.

and maybe Zack White Leather but I haven't bought from them for years so I can't really say what they have right now.
http://www.zackwhite.com

In my opinion Tandy's selection is sub-par and their prices are way too high, but you can find them all over. The only leather I really buy for them is 8 oz veg-tan for belts and scabbards.

If you're only doing handles I've had some luck in the past finding cheap leather jackets in thrift shops and cutting them up.


What color are you looking for out of curiosity?

Thanks for your help, everybody.

Lloyd, I'm thinking a deep green of some kind. Or perhaps A deep blue or blue-green. The thrift store leather clothing sounds like a great thing to look into as well.

-Jay

I have scavenged leather from thrift stores from old leather clothing and handbags for these small projects. It's often the most economical and you can often find excellent thin leather for hilts and even small leather craft projects.

Once you know what type you want, try www.theleatherguy.org

Great folks and very helpful.

Randy

Wow, Randy!

Thanks for the leather guy option! Most places require you to buy a rather large amount, or to buy a lot of random scraps. The leather guy lets you purchase a 12x12 inch square in one color for an economical price (11$) (with a good variety of colors). Just the place to order for a sword grip.

-Jay

I use chamois from an auto parts store, and dye it whatever color I need. You can use the rest of the chamois for dye color experiments to get your color correct.

I've done the same thing with a 'chammy-cloth', as I call them...and had excellent results. I'd forgotten all about that. Truly strange how the memory comes and goes. :\ .......McM