# Leather for mallet faces?



## diito (Jan 15, 2014)

I'm building some joiner's mallets and need some leather for the faces. The suggested leather seems to be heavy duty (6oz 1/8"). Having never bought leather before, what sources do you guys use to buy this stuff from?


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## vikingcape (Jan 3, 2013)

I bought the leather I used for my own hammer at Michael's craft store. I tripled it up to get the thickness I needed. Used gorilla glue to attach it.


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## bondogaposis (Dec 18, 2011)

PM me w/ your address and I'll send you some scraps.


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## johnstoneb (Jun 14, 2012)

I used the local Tandy store they have a scrap barrel. Any local leather, saddle shop should have scraps.


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## Tim457 (Jan 11, 2013)

People say tack shops for horse riding supplies and such are a good place, but the only one near me didn't have any scraps large enough for a mallet. Tandy online is supposedly decent, but a little hard to figure out what to get.
I ended up picking up some scraps from a garage sale but I'm running out of the thicker stuff. I should have bought the whole box when I had the chance.

Contact cement works really well to glue leather.


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## WoodNSawdust (Mar 7, 2015)

I have a friend that makes custom guitar straps he always has scrap in the 5×5" sizes. See if you can find someone in your area.


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## Dan658 (Dec 3, 2014)

> I bought the leather I used for my own hammer at Michael s craft store. I tripled it up to get the thickness I needed. Used gorilla glue to attach it.
> 
> - Kaleb the Swede


I frequent Michaels for small items as well and just to add to your point, make sure you search for coupons before you buy there. Michaels has a tendency to over charge for their regular priced items, but +/- 50% off coupons frequently come out. As an example, my local Michaels sells small cans of Varathane stain for just under $20 a can…...

Some fabric stores may also sell a bit of leather.


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## JoeinGa (Nov 26, 2012)

Depending on how big the mallet heads are, look for wide leather belts at goodwill. I remember years ago finding a white leather belt that was almost 3" wide. I used it to make a wide neck-strap for a saxophone. Only cost me a buck.


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## Dan658 (Dec 3, 2014)

> Depending on how big the mallet heads are, look for wide leather belts at goodwill. I remember years ago finding a white leather belt that was almost 3" wide. I used it to make a wide neck-strap for a saxophone. Only cost me a buck.
> 
> - JoeinGa


Of course….. Sometimes its so easy to over look the most simplest of options. You might even be able to get an entire leather jacket at a Goodwill for the price of a small strip anywhere else.


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## Gentile (Jun 3, 2013)

I used a piece of a rubber conveyor belt. It was a salesmans sample.


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## sawdust703 (Jul 6, 2014)

Depending on your location, take a look at the shoe section while you're at goodwill. Sometimes the leather boots folks donate have better leather soles than the shoes are. And the shoes are cheap.


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## BurlyBob (Mar 13, 2012)

I've rummage thru the same barrel that has Bruce. I really like that conveyor belt idea.


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## HillbillyShooter (Feb 15, 2012)

Horse hide is the best in my opinion, and it is usually a good 5/32" to 3/16" thick. Tandy Leather is the original go to source, but Springfield Leather has a far better selection and they do business all over the nation through mail order, http://springfieldleather.com/ .


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## Tim457 (Jan 11, 2013)

John I heard that too about horse hide, but it seemed a little tacky to walk into a tack shop and ask about getting some horse hide.

That source looks good, but they sell 10 lbs of it.


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## conifur (Apr 1, 2015)

I get my leather from a shoe repair shop, I buy leather shoe soles, it is about 3/16" thick and hard, I have dented soft wood when I have hit it a bit off of "flat".


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## HillbillyShooter (Feb 15, 2012)

Tim, Springfield Leather usually has a scrap bin, so you might call and talk to them to see about that or if they might sell less. I bought a couple square feet some 15 years ago and still have a little, having used it for mallet faces, stropping leather and as a liner for the wood jaws on the machine vise I use for gunsmithing, among other things-great stuff! As for tack shops, you never know unless you ask (despite your clever pun)-they may be glad to sell some scrap they were just going to throw away. Good luck, John.

P.S. Springfield Leather also sells a professional, shoe grade, rubber leather cement that can't be beat, I've used it without any complaints or failures-even used it to re-cement the soles on a pair of shoes that came loose after being "re-crafted" by Allen Edmonds last summer.


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