Leather for covering cameras

[npeters]

I thought that I might share this with you all. I have been scrounging around for a new thin leather cover for a Canonet I have repaired. All local ideas drew the same answer - too thick!
Then I had a brainwave - I contacted a bookbinder to see if he could help.
Following a visit to his factory, I managed to get a good supply of a leather called "skiver" used in bookbinding.
It is very thin goatskin, <1 mm thick, very nice to touch. I managed to get a few colours - reds, blues, browns, black, all in great natural textures. The offcuts are all from skins over 40 years old, and about 10 square feet cost me $10!.
Apparantly skiver is "traditionally used as a lining material in footwear, as bookbinding and for table tops". I recommend you try your traditional bookbinders for skiver offcuts next time you need a new camera leather skin.
Cheers, Norm, Canberra

 

[Kim Coxon]

If you speak to any good tanner, you can normally get any leather thined down. The best thickness is 0.6mm. Skiver is actually sheep's leather. Calf or goatskin leather works best on cameras.

http://www.hewit.com/

Kim

 

[FallisPhoto]

You can pick up .3mm thick kidskin (goat) or baby lambskin on ebay for about $1. The guy I get mine from offers whole hides and portions. The whole hides are usually too thick (about .5mm to .7mm) -- the smaller pieces though, tend to be about .3mm to .4mm thick (just right). His ebay ads state how thick the pieces are and how big they are. http://stores.ebay.com/Fashion-Leather-International_Special-Price-Hides_W0QQcolZ4QQdirZ1QQfsubZ10QQftidZ2QQtZkm

 

[FallisPhoto]

I thought that I might share this with you all. I have been scrounging around for a new thin leather cover for a Canonet I have repaired. All local ideas drew the same answer - too thick!
Then I had a brainwave - I contacted a bookbinder to see if he could help.
Following a visit to his factory, I managed to get a good supply of a leather called "skiver" used in bookbinding.
It is very thin goatskin, <1 mm thick, very nice to touch. I managed to get a few colours - reds, blues, browns, black, all in great natural textures. The offcuts are all from skins over 40 years old, and about 10 square feet cost me $10!.
Apparantly skiver is "traditionally used as a lining material in footwear, as bookbinding and for table tops". I recommend you try your traditional bookbinders for skiver offcuts next time you need a new camera leather skin.
Cheers, Norm, Canberra

Sorry to tell you this, but 1mm is about 3 times too thick for most cameras (Zeiss folders, Retinas, most SLRs and etcetera). They were originally designed with leatherette in mind, and that is a lot thinner (pretty much just embossed paper, saturated with resin). Ideal for most camera coverings is about .3mm to .4mm. with 1mm thick leather, you'd have to bevel the bottom edges in order to have the leather not stick up past the metal rims. I get mine from fashion leathers international, which sells hides and sample pieces on ebay. His ads state how thick the leather is and I look for the .3mm to .4mm hides in kidskin or baby lambskin. The kidskin has a small pebbled texture, like what you would find on a Retina. The baby lambskin has a texture more like what you would find on a Russian camera, a Yashica or a Leica.