Leather Supplier and Type

[A Hay]

I'm wanting to get into making leather things (belts, sporrans, etc..) but I don't know anything really about leather or where to get it. What type and thickness do you guys recomend for specially belts and sporrans? I was looking for belt blanks online and I haven't found anywhere that sells blanks wider than 2 inches. I would like one in the 2 1/4 to 3 inch range. Finally what general list of tools do you recomend to have on hand? A Hay (or anyone one else living in germany) where do you get your leather in Germany? I know its alot of random questions, but I thought it might make for an interesting and informative thread. Thanks

Sean

I think Cavscout and Tartan Hiker have given good advice to look to Tandy Leather for a basic starter kit and some supplies. You can order on-line from their web-site. There are also other stateside suppliers, but some of their stuff comes from Tandy also.

I buy most of my supplies in Munich, from a little shop called Leder Baumann. It is not as cheap as Tandy, but since I'm selling some of the things I make, I can't ship supplies or finished products through the APO system. With the leather itself, I like to see the skin. One piece of leather about 3 mm thick and about 8 square feet costs about 45 euros.
I don't know if there is anything on that side of Germany. If I get a chance, I'll look on google.

Tandy has books and DVDs on how to do stuff. Start small and work up. If you have specific questions, send me a private message and we can link up.

Tom