doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DIY Gunsmithing @ doublegunshop.com Skiving leather to .020" thickness -recoil pad

First let me say that SKB's method of cutting a groove in the buttstock to allow full seating of the leather covered pad to the buttstock, is real genius.

The covering of leather on a recoil pad is much less difficult if you will skive the leather to .020" thickness before you soak it in water. The skiving process can be tricky. Use the very best quality razor blades in your leather skiver--I use the Japanese" Feather" razor blades. Also some leather has been "tanned" with chemicals that will dull a razor blade quickly and you will have to use 2=3 razor blades to skive the leather. If you want to see how the skiving of leather is done watch this video:

Kind Regards;
Stephen Howell

I've been on a search for a skiver that isn't expensive, but haven't had much luck. any suggestions? or is that just the price of doing business?

Jim;

A Chinese copy of the German made leather skiver is available from Tandy Leather for $200.00. I bought the same Chinese skiver some years back on eBay for $90.00. These Chinese skivers require that you carefully ensure everything in the various adjustments are put right and work properly. You are a craftsman and can do it.
https://tandyleather.com/collections/machines/products/tandypro-skiving-machine.

I looked on eBay and cannot find the cheaper leather skiver, but I am going to pull up my old purchases from eBay and see if I can find who I bought my skiver from and if I do I will add it to this post.

Kind regards;
Stephen Howell

I covered quite a number of pads with Kangaroo leather and Hair Sheep leather.
It came/comes in thicknesses down to a .005/.007 thickness.
I bought it from Columbia Organ Leather in Columbia,Pa.

Their product is primarily targeted to the restoration of,,you guessed correctly ..pipe organ instruments.

The Kangaroo leather is incredibly soft and stretches as if rubber. Very easy to shape to the pad.
The Hair Sheep not quite as 'stretchy', but still very easy to work with especially at those thicknesses.

Kangaroo leather wasn't available in brown or maroon a few yrs back,,only white and black. Hair Sheep leather was avail in maroon and brown at that time.
Colors available for each leather vary.

(A Hair Sheep is a breed of sheep that doesn't grow 'wool' as you commonly see on them. Just a hair covering like most other mammals.)

Here's a price sheet from their website. It may be outdated as it's marked 2024.
You can order small amts/pieces as well as an entire skin.
Might be a helpful source anyway


https://columbiaorgan.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/COL-Price-List-2024-Complete.pdf

under 100$

https://www.amazon.com/YaeTek-Leath...ell+skiver&qid=1775350378&sr=8-1

I bought pigskin liner leather from Traditions Leathercraft. $40 for about 15 sf

I believe they told me it was 1.5 - 2oz. I just measured and although it's not entirely uniform, the thinner parts are just under 20 thou. I think someone on here might have recommended Traditions, but I don't remember exactly.

Thanks Stephen for the video, I was not aware of it. It will help me as I am currently covering some pads.

Thanks Steve for the link, now its on my "wish list" jajajajaja

Pacomb;

It is a pleasure to be of help. Think of me the next time you are having a bottle of Gran Reserva Rioja.

Kind Regards;
Stephen Howell

Veg or chrome tanned gentlemen? The previous skins I have ordered have been chrome tanned, I just ordered a veg tanned pigskin and am anxious to try it out.

A tip from a friend: hone your scalpel blades, crazy how much sharper that you can get them and how much longer that they last.

As far as I know, chrome tanned is very stiff and not for this kind of work, always use veg tanned.

Any suggestion on how to hone new scalpel blades???

Of course!!! I love Rioja wine. But trust me in Spain there are many many good wines other than Rioja, There are so many people in this forum I owe them a lot!!! great information and always willing to help.

Most of the skins offered here are chrome tanned, they work as can be seen above but better options may exist.

I should have said scalpel blades can be stropped, not honed, on a piece of leather with compound added. Same technique for keeping inletting chisels razor sharp.

I am not a leather option. Best way is to try 2 versions and see which one is best.

Yes I have seen people using leather to sharpen knives, but never tried it. Would like to see a video on the process. I am sure it is great way of sharpening the blades for the skiving machine and Xcto blades

The polishing compound added to the leather is what does the job. There are a bunch of videos on Youtube about stropping blades. I just bought a strop kit from ebay for very little. It is quite simple really, and it does make a big difference.

I've got a little 1x30 harbor freight grinder with a leather belt and also a leather wheel on a slow grinder. they make keeping an edge sharp between full sharpening sessions quick and easy.

but the same can be done with a scrap of leather and some polishing compound. You are just polishing edge (between sharpening ) and also removing any remaining burr when used at the end of sharpening.


Here's a good hand sharpening video:

thanks, I was not aware of the stroppin word!!!



I have jewelry bar compound and leather, so I will try to "stroppe" new blades

Black veg tanned leather drying.

Linen was also used on razor strops, mostly by barbers. They used straight razors and stropped them numerous times a day.

I have an old . . .nay, very old razor strop that has a leather strop and a linen strop joined at the top, with a swivel. I have not a clue as to the age of it, but at the top it is stamped "Independent Russia".

If I can remember I'll get a pic of it for posting here.

I like the looks of that veg tanned leather, Steven. Is it pigskin as well? Doesn't seem to show the "pores" as much as the chrome tanned you showed previously.

I dont think it is pig skin.. Pig skin has plenty of small holes, no?

Yes, this is pigskin as well, a very different look after being stretched. Oddly enough, the leathers look almost identical before being stretched. The veg tanned leather gives a much smoother finish. I'm fitting one up for a well known author and collector at the moment and he requested a smoother look. I try to please. I like the look of the veg tanned myself. The holes do not seem to show up the same way on the veg tanned leather.