Xander Wildeisen Posted September 23, 2016 Share Posted September 23, 2016 I am looking to purchase some leather hides for the interior in my Hudson pickup. Looking for a nice quality distressed leather. Any advise on where to go would help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
46 woodie Posted September 23, 2016 Share Posted September 23, 2016 If you are going to Hershey in a couple of weeks there are venders that have hides for sale. If not I would try looking on line for one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 23, 2016 Share Posted September 23, 2016 As you probably know, many suppliers only sell to "the trade." I just bought 7 hides from Coast to Coast Leather, but had to do it through my upholstery guy. ( which was fine, since he's going to do the work.) Carroll Leather in NC has a decent selection, as does Discount (Peachtree) Fabrics in Atlanta. These 3 are on the web. Discount will send samples/sell to anyone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xander Wildeisen Posted September 23, 2016 Author Share Posted September 23, 2016 Do not mind buying through a upholstery shop. Just trying to find the leather product that I want to use. The guy I use for interior is busy, So asking him to research it out, would take awhile. I guess what I am looking for is leather that looks like a old base ball mitt. (nice worn feel) Leather from a cow that had a hard life, but died happy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Restorer32 Posted September 23, 2016 Share Posted September 23, 2016 Like everything else leather varies tremendously in quality from supplier to supplier. Hirsch and Lebaron Bonney will sell to anyone. Expect to pay a minimum of $3.50 to $4.00 per square foot for the cheapest leather. $7.00 and up for good quality hides. You can sometimes buy half a hide. There is a lot of waste in a hide since you are paying for the legs, neck and part of the tail, parts which you likely can't use. I doubt 1 hide would do a pickup. Best quality leather is vat dyed, lesser quality is spray dyed on one side only. There is an enormous variety of leathers available, from faux snake skin to hides with the steer's hair still attached. Killeen and Garetty are 2 of the best known suppliers of the more exotic hides. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 23, 2016 Share Posted September 23, 2016 Carroll Leather has a line of "Distressed Leather" on their web page that might give you some ideas, and I think Discount is a dealer for their stuff. On Carroll's web page, click "Leather" at the top, and then "Distressed Leather" on the drop down menu. Click "automotive" for other leathers. The distressed hides appear to have come from cows that had a hard life, but I can't speak to whether or not they were happy about the prospects of becoming part of your Hudson. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Restorer32 Posted September 23, 2016 Share Posted September 23, 2016 Mel's also has a selection of distressed leathers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xander Wildeisen Posted September 23, 2016 Author Share Posted September 23, 2016 15 minutes ago, 31 Caddy said: Carroll Leather has a line of "Distressed Leather" on their web page that might give you some ideas, and I think Discount is a dealer for their stuff. On Carroll's web page, click "Leather" at the top, and then "Distressed Leather" on the drop down menu. Click "automotive" for other leathers. The distressed hides appear to have come from cows that had a hard life, but I can't speak to whether or not they were happy about the prospects of becoming part of your Hudson. At the time of birth, all calves dream and talk about maybe, just maybe. At the time of their passing. Part of them living on! Being honored, by being displayed/showcased in a fine automobile like a Hudson. It is the greatest achievement a cow can accomplish over the course of it's life. So many great and historic cows have been honored in this way. And only if we all set aside our differences and come together as a united people. Can we assure that all cows, no matter their back ground, their beliefs, their bred, what herds they run with, or past failures. All have a equal shot at this great symbolic achievement. And at that point, we as a county can finally get past this cow discrimination, that has been such a black eye on the face of our great nation. I believe so strongly, deep with in my heart. That if we would just reach out with our hands. They would reach out with their hooves. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 23, 2016 Share Posted September 23, 2016 Good fun!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trimacar Posted September 23, 2016 Share Posted September 23, 2016 No worse fate can befall a cow intent on immortality, than being able to run, but not hide...... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xander Wildeisen Posted September 23, 2016 Author Share Posted September 23, 2016 40 minutes ago, trimacar said: No worse fate can befall a cow intent on immortality, than being able to run, but not hide...... Moooove on down the road with that one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john2dameron Posted September 23, 2016 Share Posted September 23, 2016 4 hours ago, Xander Wildeisen said: At the time of birth, all calves dream and talk about maybe, just maybe. At the time of their passing. Part of them living on! Being honored, by being displayed/showcased in a fine automobile like a Hudson. It is the greatest achievement a cow can accomplish over the course of it's life. So many great and historic cows have been honored in this way. And only if we all set aside our differences and come together as a united people. Can we assure that all cows, no matter their back ground, their beliefs, their bred, what herds they run with, or past failures. All have a equal shot at this great symbolic achievement. And at that point, we as a county can finally get past this cow discrimination, that has been such a black eye on the face of our great nation. I believe so strongly, deep with in my heart. That if we would just reach out with our hands. They would reach out with their hooves. Yeah, reach out for their teats on a cold morning and they will gladly reach out with their hooves and kick the fire out of you. I found that out when I was still a young boy and was assigned milking chores. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trimacar Posted September 23, 2016 Share Posted September 23, 2016 I've never seen a purple cow, I hope I never see one, But I can tell you, anyhow, I'dneverusethathideonanycarthatIupholster,son (With apologies to Mr. Nash...) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xander Wildeisen Posted September 23, 2016 Author Share Posted September 23, 2016 No bull likes to be mistaken for a dairy cow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Friartuck Posted September 24, 2016 Share Posted September 24, 2016 I too have used Coast2Coast Coast to Coast in Central NJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trimacar Posted September 24, 2016 Share Posted September 24, 2016 Coast to Coast sets up at Hershey, older Chocolate field in the row closest to the Chocolate World building. They have hides for sale there, very limited color selection. If you can get in with them, they have a great little box of leather samples they'll send you, that isn't the end all/be all but sure gets you close in most situations. I've bought from them and been very pleased with service and leather quality. I recently bought hides from Keleen, they will send you a cutting from the actual hide that they plan to send you. This is an excellent service, I was looking at an odd shade of red, and the cutting they sent didn't match the sample piece at all, so they found a different dye lot that was correct. Leather was very nice. Mel has nice leather, he brings a pile of (mostly black) leather to Hershey, so you can pick and choose hides if you wish. I believe Hirsch brings some leather to Hershey, a number of years ago I was buying 5 hides, and picking through the pile, when Bill Hirsch walked up and asked me what are you doing? "Picking the best hides" I answered, at which point he informed me ALL his hides were the best! Well, some are bester than others...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
61polara Posted September 25, 2016 Share Posted September 25, 2016 I've had excellent results with Carroll Leather. Look at all of their lines, automotive, aircraft and furniture leather. The only difference between all of these lines from all suppliers is that automotive leather is the thinnest and lightest weight. You can use any of this in you restoration. Remember that today automotive leather is much thinner than 40 years ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C Carl Posted September 25, 2016 Share Posted September 25, 2016 (edited) On September 23, 2016 at 2:58 PM, Xander Wildeisen said: No bull likes to be mistaken for a dairy cow. In checking some notes I wrote , there may be some annecdotal evidence to the contrary : Clara Austin recorded a tune called "Clara's Boogie" in 1952 in 'Frisco with the Turk Murphy* band. Might be right. But I am a city slicker , so consulted with a country gal , my own Sandy. She was raised on the family Hereford bull ranch out of LaGrande , Oregon , inherited since homestead , HH is the brand. Stock in trade is bull , and the genes they carry. She says the young 'uns are as horney as a teenage lad , and appreciate affection where they find it. - Carl * I just realized I better get some relevant automotive content in here. I had a paper route which had a couple cool Jags living across the street from each other. Dr. Karl May had a black XK150 , S , I think , leather upholstry of indertiminant gender origen. Bob Clark had a white SS100 , red hides , bull ? cow ? Bob's son Maury possessed Turk Murphy's two tone blue Rolls-Royce. Early '30s ? I say "possessed Turk Murphy's" because there was some complexity or reason for Turk to RE possess it. I was very impressed with it , and then it was gone. A reference was made to this less than genteel relationship in Road and Track later when it was the monthly classic. What did they call it ? Salon ? Would have been very late '50s , maybe 1960 or so. Oh , yeah , it had an abundance of high quality leather too. Edited September 25, 2016 by C Carl Insert automotive content (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trimacar Posted September 25, 2016 Share Posted September 25, 2016 9 hours ago, 61polara said: The only difference between all of these lines from all suppliers is that automotive leather is the thinnest and lightest weight. This is simply not true. The science of processing animal hides is quite involved, and there are hundreds of combinations of ways that a hide can be split, processed, dyed, and finished. This is the equivalent of saying "all paint is the same, it just comes in different size cans". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R Walling Posted September 25, 2016 Share Posted September 25, 2016 The best place to get distressed leather is to go on craigslist and buy an old couch or find one on the curb for a better price! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xander Wildeisen Posted September 25, 2016 Author Share Posted September 25, 2016 Looking at samples, furniture leather seems to have more choices in the distressed line. I understand the UV part to anything exposed to the sun. But a couch sitting by a window gets some sun. How much sun will a door panel get in a truck cab parked in a garage with tinted windows. And then driven in the summer with the window up and the A/C on? I would guess furniture in the lobby of a bank or hotel will take far more abuse from people, then the front seat of a car/truck. Also guessing that the softer the leather is, the greater chance to tear? I am not saying that you want to cover a seat with leather from a belt. But you do see some very nice restored cars, that when you look at the seat. You can see the leather stretched out where one would sit. Can this be solved by a thicker leather? And is furniture leather a little thicker? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seldenguy Posted September 25, 2016 Share Posted September 25, 2016 I am not an upholster, but I always thought the back of the animal was the thickest. And was always used for the seat bottoms. The rest was for door panels, seat backs, kick panels and misc. Is this not the case? --Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now