doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Leather for a pad

CJO,
Thank you for the pics. All of the pads look fantastic. We all have different tastes and I prefer the softer edges of the old pad with the heavier grain. But then, I like 25/26" barrels too.

Thanks everyone for the help.
Bill

Bill, you might try the Tandy Leather stores in and around Houston. I saw leather on a pad that looked very much like what you want and asked the owner where he got the leather. He said at a Tandy Leather store. BTW, his pad wasn't very good bt the leather was cool!

Doug

Found almost exactly what I was looking for. Was cruising the Good Will store and found an Italian leather purse. I just finished cutting it up and there is enough leather for 4 pads and a bunch of plugs. Can't beat it for $3.79.

Pig is by far the best leather for that. Those examples represent the work of the very best in the business. I am OK at it but not in the same league as those guys. I buy my hides as an entire skin but only the softer parts (not the backs but more towards the belly) are really usable for pads. The rest I use for other things like recovering bicycle saddles/seats that don't have the relatively sharp bends (look at the toe esp. on a buttstock or pad). If you don't have a very pliable leather especially at that point, you get a big wad of leather with wrinkles and it looks terrible. Gil

The stock for my M21 is too short so I ordered a 1 1/2" pad from Galazan and some goat skin as well---the idea being to cover up the pad. My smith got the pad on ok but said he couldn't cover the pad---the Galazan leather was too thick and his personal supply was not wide enough for the 1 1/2" pad.
I suggested that he cover only the sides of the pad with the Galazan leather. He said no---he knows of no adhesive that would stay "put" for long.
Anyone have experience with leather sided pads, rather than leather covered pads? Would appreciate your experience, good or bad.

I've seen pads with the face covered with leather but not the sides.

Two thoughts come to mind re: this discussion:

1) Some years ago now in a thread of similar nature someone posted about using ladies goat skin gloves for their pliability & second hand stores being a good source. Nice solution w/the hand bag!

2) Regular old time 'contact cement' will do nicely to affix leather to many surfaces, inclusive of the side or butt end of a rubber recoil pad. Will it last forever? No, or I should say probably not, but it is easily reaffixed should it ever become necessary. And it is removable, when wished.

BTW, lovely work depicted earlier.

TW,
Barge cement is the glue of choice for leather work as it remains flexible when fully cured, on the other hand contact cement will dry hard and won�t allow the leather to flex with the base material, which might result in separation� with time the leather will stiffen up creating creases or cracks

All Best,

CJ

CJO,
Thank you for the information on the better cement. I'm sure it will benefit all reading the thread.

kind regards, tw

Claudio is very much correct on the Barge cement. However not all Barge cement is created equal. The current offering that comes in a Blue tube with white lettering is NOT the same as old version that comes in a yellow and red tube. The old version is much better, at least IMO. The last time that I bought Barge cement I purchased a quart of cement and a pint of thinner - I do not want to run out of cement.