Usually a wood is featured here, but I thought an article on leather would be of interest to folks.

Leather is one of the oldest materials that human kind has crafted into articles and clothing. The long history of leather use and the many aspects of defining leather, can be a little puzzling at first. This short article will give you some basic information that can be used when specifying a leather article.

First is the "type" of leather. There are many sources of leather from common cowhide to the more exotic kangaroo. Leather can be obtained from about any animal source. When making leather the hide is split into two layers, with the layer closest to the hair called the "top grain." Top grain leather is the strongest and most durable than the other "splits," or split grain leather.

Leather is treated ( tanned) to protect it from the elements. There are 2 main types of tanning, vegetable and chrome tanning. Vegetable tanning is preferred for pyrography ( burning of images onto it, since it is non-toxic. The chrome tanned is softer and used in clothing and furniture that is not decorated with pyrography. Remember..it is 'toxic" to burn on the chrome tanned!

Leather is usually classified by where it comes from and/or how it is used. Hence terms like, such as back, belly, double shoulder, bend ( top portion of a side) refer to the source. Terms such as saddle, glove, tool, and upholstery leather refers to the intended use.

Leather is sold by it's weight. The thickness is measured as a function of weight. Little confusing, but a good rule of thumb is that one ounce is about 1/64th of an inch thick. So if you want a belt made from 1/16th of an inch leather, you would be looking at somewhere about leather of 4 ounces.

Burning on leather appeals to a lot of pyrographers. It is smooth and easy to do, although the tips do get gummed up easily and often. In addition, mistakes are not as forgiving as on wood where you can sand or scrape down to remove the error. Another aspect is the strong odor, although some folks actually like the smell.

I have seen some excellent burnings on leather but find shading can be difficult because it burns at a very low temperature as compared to wood. However it is a very good medium to burn on because it has so many practical uses, from belts to pocket books and numerous applications in between.

I sell leather on the http://pyrography.southwestwoodcrafts.com site and if you want some scrap pieces to play around with, send me 2 dollars for the postage and handling and I can mail a few small pieces. If you want to order larger standard pieces, then check the site out for prices. Prices are roughly about 6 cents per square inch for larger quantities. ( cost=.06 X inches squared). So a 9 inch by 10 inch piece would be about 90 x .06 which is $ 4.50. The leather I sell is about 1/8 inch thick, smooth on one side, and vegetable tanned.