What is the BEST tooling leather? 

Thank you so much my friend ❤️

Thank you so much Jo! I appreciate your feedback ☺️

Thank you so much Jack! I appreciate you checking out the video, and they kind words 😊

Thank you for your comment and checking out the video Ian ☺️ honestly I push or pull the blade depending on whatever feels comfortable for the project. I find sometimes there’s a lot of “it HAS to be done one way and not the other” info out there, and I’m just going to come out and say it, it’s not always true. The key to producing your best work is always comfort. Back when I was still doing fine detail welding, I’d always do a dry run pass just to make sure I had the movement down before I commit. I do much of the same with leatherwork too. If I have a complicated line or to cut, I make sure I can make it before I commit the cut. Haha sorry for the long winded response, I hope it was somewhat helpful. I hope you enjoy the Herman Oak when you get your hands on some, it’s quite honestly my most consistent favourite to use. The place I shop for it, Buckskin Leather in Nanaimo, often has really great bellies available too. Some of it isn’t the most usable for tooling, but makes for good small projects like key fobs. It’s a good budget alternative to buying a whole side.

That really means a lot! Thank you so much! I appreciate you kind thoughtful words, and your sharing 😊 I am very lucky that I live a bit over an hour (and a small ferry lol) from Buckskin Leather in Nanaimo. They have locations in Calgary and Edmonton too. They’re phenomenal to talk to about leather, especially Herman Oak. The owner, Michael has a long history with Herman Oak, and has educated his family and staff on their tanning processes. I had the pleasure of meeting him last time I was in there, and he told me they’re the first and only suppliers to be official Canadian HO reps. PThey’re very worthy of a phone call, and they offer shipping. They sell bellies at a fraction of the cost of sides, they run at $9.99’square foot. Some of them have a great yield, and I really like them for smaller projects, like card slips, key fobs, or as interior pockets or liners. A couple summers ago they had also gotten in a haul of Wickett & Craig double shoulders that went for $11.99/sq foot. hahahaah sorry for the ramble, I’ve spent loads of hours sourcing and finding suppliers that are trustworthy and knowledgeable. I rely heavily on having stuff shipped to me where I live. Longview Leather in Alberta is also really wonderful, they carry a line of tooling stamps by a Canadian maker named Richard Brooks. They cost a lot less than Barry King stamps, and are also stainless steel, and in my experience, WAY nicer. If you ever wanna have a chat, hit me up on instagram, I’m always so happy to share 😊

@@dadhands You're not rambling! LOL. HO is arguably the best veg tan leather out there. I can't say enough good things about it. I sure wish Buckskin has a in-this-century-webpage. It is unfortunate the Nanaimo store isn't carrying Weaver product (it wasn't selling) so you have to order from Alberta, but Weaver's pricing has shot thru the roof lately so I guess it ain't a bad thing. 😅. I always make a point of stopping in at Buckskin when I'm heading up Island. I have heard good things about Brooks tools. Even Bruce Johnson has a few of them for sale onbis website. Barry King tools are good but I would much prefer to support local talent. I must say the Barry King snap setter is the cat's arse tho. There was a time he couldn't keep the #20 or #24 setter in stock. Thank you for your reply and please keep up with your helpful vids when you have the time. I think you filmed this one at Corter's HQ? I love Eric's content. He is so authentic and offers up confidence and helpful advice. The two of you make for a great collaboration.

@@kboleather ahhhh thank you so much! You are correct, this one was shot at Eric’s house when I was visiting him on the east coast. i will head back as soon as I get cleared to travel again by my dr. Having this video posted recently has gotten me excited about filming for this channel again, so I will certainly be posting a lot more often. I appreciate your kind words and encouragement! It really goes a long way. The Buckskin webpage is for sure a little bit of an oldie hahaha I ember the first time I found it I was like…..ummmmmm, luckily the store is close enough to go to? When you say heading up island, are you on the west coast too?? Are we neighbours(ish?!)

@@dadhands I live in Vanshitty. 🤣

@@kboleather ahhhhhh yes haha my old hometown, until I got priced out of the city and said “smell ya later.” If you ever find yourself out this way, or on the big island, lemmie know, I’m always very stoked on maker’s meet ups ☺️

If you ever want to, you know where to find me boo ❤️🤗❤️ Thank you for checking out my videossss

I have, yes, when I was first starting out. It was an affordable way to practice, but I later found I prefer quality over quantity when it comes to tooling specific leather.

That’s great question! Tooling leather is just unglazed, natural veg tan ☺️

@dadhands I only ask as I'm in Australia and while we can get herman oak here, it's over 3x the price of local a grade veg tan. From what I gather, herman oak has something added so a good strike on your tool brings up a brown burnished mark. Where other ven tanages don't have that additive. Im no expert lol. Just something I'd read somewhere. Maybe on the herman oak website?

@@sloth_e so from what my friend that works at the store I buy the Herman Oak from told me, Herman Oak is tanned in big vats. The leather is hung, and the tanning solution gently works it’s way around, versus most other veg tans that are barrel tanned, and chucked around a bunch. I’m in Canada, and it’s not definitely not the most affordable option, but it’s been my favourite to work with so far. They also sell bellies that are a nice economical options. The yield is a bit lower, and I often use a fair bit for smaller projects like key fobs and what not.

@@dadhands this tanning business interesting stuff. I think I go down that rabbit hole with google today 🤣

@@sloth_e haha yesssss! It really is! Let me know if you find anything super interesting ☺️ I always love learning more and more about this stuff!

Hey James, Thank you for taking the time to tell me what I was doing wrong. Love it. First off, I don't personally use a traditional swivel knife for the most part. I have explained in other videos that I have damaged hands from years of metal fabrication. I had also made this video when I was very far from home and my own tools, so I was just working with what I had available, and in a way that was comfortable for the demo. Second off, and this is just coming from a fellow maker/crafter, it's not a great look to criticize any one's methods, the way they hold their tools, etc. if you don't know them personally, and especially not so publicly. You never know what someone else has tried, gone through, or injuries they may have that keep them from doing things "the proper" way. Art, crafts, fabrication, etc, its all subjective, there is never one straight line or clear path. Don't be the reason someone loses confidence in the ways they've found to do things. Maybe start up an email chain, ask if they would like some advice from a seasoned pro...my answer would have been a very polite "no thank you." Third off, I never said anyone HAD to tool boutique hides, just sharing an opinion and testing out some different options I was gifted to do so on. This also wasn't my first video reviewing a potential tooling leather that I had been given the opportunity to try out. I started out on cheap hides too, and always encourage folks to try out a plethora of different types, price points and what have you. Just a little bonus...incase you haven't seen the video I did with some fellow leather crafters citing that unsolicited crafting advice is the new unsolicited d*ck pic, thank you for providing an example for me to share in future conversations.