What’s going on everyone? The weekend is finally here, I bet your glad of that! I thought I would talk a little about leather handbags and purses today. I try to make this a leather site about all things leather, so I’ll include purse and handbags, at least once. Now, almost no where else is the problem of cheap and fake leather more common than in handbags and purses!

Most of the leather handbags out there are not real leather at all. There are a wide variety of “synthetic” leather that is passed of as leather. That means it’s rubber or plastic, with some fabric thrown in. Simulated real leather, leather-like, leather grain pattern, leatherette, all those names are fancy fronts for non leather fabric.

Even the real leather purses can be really cheap. Of course we have the patchwork leather purses too, which are even worst than the fake leather knock-offs! Don’t get a patch work, bonded leather purse or handbag. They will fall apart almost as soon as you start using them. They also often use leather so thin it rips just dragging a fingernail over it. (more…)

Hi everyone, hope your having a good weekend. I always go through my stats, which tell me what people are typing in to get to my little site here. That gives me a good idea of what people want to know. A lot seem to ask if a leather jacket will keep you warm. So I’ll explain a bit about that today.

Of course right now in the middle of summer you don’t need a warm jacket, but it will not be long before all you folks up north will be feeling cold. Since I’m from Vermont I know all about being cold! Plus I’m the type that gets cold easy, which is why my ass is down here in Florida. So, does a leather jacket keep you warm?

I wondered myself about that before I ever got my first leather jacket. Now as with anything, it depends on what kind of leather jacket it is, and what it has for a liner. Let’s just assume it’s a basic leather motorcycle leather jacket, or a bomber jacket. Those are the most popular and what most people are asking about. (more…)

What’s going on everyone! I’ve got another one of those crazy days, so I thought I’d just share some cool and crazy motorcycle pictures with you. After all a lot of leather jackets and other items I talk about here are motorcycle related. I got these from several websites, hope nobody minds.

The top one is a lawn mower that someone converted into a riding motorcycle mower! Damn that guy really knows how to have fun even when working huh! That takes some skill to do that, looks like it works great.

This next one is a real crazy one, looks like one of those big bugs from Alien! Once again you have to admire the skill and work it took to make that baby. I bet that gets a lot of heads turning.

The next two are those new one wheel motorcycles, if you can call them that. They look cool, but I’m not sure I’d want one. I’ll have to find out more about them. Are they really for the road, or are they a racing motorcycle? Or maybe just a prototype? Anyway I think I’ll stick to my Harley, thanks.

Well I hope you enjoyed the little break and liked looking at the motorcycles. I’ll have a more meatier post next time about leather jackets or something. If you ever have a question about leather, let me know and I’ll reply or even make a post about it!

Do you know how to braid leather? How does leather braiding stay on a leather jacket? What is leather braiding made from? Oh I suppose you want me to tell you huh? Hehe, well ok, I’ll let you know what leather braiding is all about. Now they also call it that when they braid a leather whip, but we are not talking about that type here.

What I’m talking about is leather braiding you find on a leather jacket, pants, shorts, saddle bags and all that other leather apparel and motorcycle gear. Leather braiding on a leather jacket can really make it look a lot better, as long as they don’t go to far with it. Often when they put leather fringe on a jacket they sew a leather braid over it so the fringe comes out under the braiding.

It makes it look a lot better that way. You can find leather braiding on just about everything made of leather. From leather jackets to every type of leather apparel, motorcycle gear bags such as saddle bags, even leather purses. So what kind of leather do they make leather braids out of?

Well most of the time it’s the most common types, like cowhide, buffalo and pigskin. They use the split leather so it’s smooth and uniform. They try to use leather that is thick and tough so it will not wear out too fast. A lot of belts are used with leather braiding. The leather is fully treated, just like a jacket. (more…)

Hi everyone. I’m having a lazy day today, so I thought I’d throw up a youtube video on leather carving for a saddle. It’s pretty cool to see a leather tooling artist doing his work. I know I could never do this without going through a dozen saddles! The key seems to be having a really sharp leather tool.

It looks like having steady hands helps a lot too. So this youtube video on carving designs in a leather saddle might get you going to studying up on it if your interested in stuff like that. I’ll find more youtube videos on leather tooling, airbrushing and other leather youtube videos for you.

Watching a master airbrush artist painting a leather jacket is really something to see. You might also want to see some youtube videos on how to put studs and conchos in your leather jacket or leather apparel. So anyway have fun watching this youtube video on how to carve designs in a leather saddle.

So why does leather have that strong leather smell? Should it smell at all? Is there a bad smell you should be careful of? Well I’ll try to answer those questions in a short and sweet way! Anyone who has gone into a leather store has noticed the smell of leather. For most people it’s a pleasant smell.

Leather is organic, it use to be living, as it was the skin of an animal. Anytime you take a hide from an animal it starts to break down. Now, if you just let a hide rot in the air, it would smell, but not in a good way! It would smell just like a dead animal, maybe not quite as bad. When they make leather they start treating it as soon as the hide is off the animal.

There are many steps in treating a leather hide. You need to preserve the hide so it does not start to rot, like it naturally would. You also break down the fibers a bit so it is not really stiff. All the dyes, treatments, leather bathes and chemicals most leather goes through all have their own smell. (more…)

Happy Monday,,, oh wait,,, Monday’s are not happy days, are they, hehe. Well do the best you can, your not alone. Today I wanted to talk about leather fringe. Just what is leather fringe made of? how is leather fringe made? What animal is leather fringe made from? How is leather fringe attached to leather jackets? Well let old Bill here tell you all about it!

Leather fringe is very popular with western leather jackets and coats. They also are found on leather fringe chaps, leather fringe vest, leather fringe halter tops and even leather bikini outfits. Leather fringe is purely for looks and decoration, nothing more. They serve no practical function at all, unless you want to argue that catching the eye of a hot cowgirl at the local western bar is practical!

Some people love them, others hate them. Most agree that leather fringe is pretty and adds a nice touch to a leather jacket. They do require a little more care and upkeep. If your the type that just wants to throw on a leather jacket and hit the road, going out in all kinds of weather and maybe pushing your jacket to the limit, then leather fringe is not for you. But for others they can make them feel better. (more…)

What’s going on everyone? Now that the heat of summer is here I thought it would be a good time to talk about leather bikini’s, bras and panties. They look damn good on a well built biker chick! Most women just don’t think they have the body for them, so they don’t wear them.

But there are plenty more that do, at least around the house or maybe on that night when she and the hubby are alone. I plan to stock them when I get my little store open in here. Now, some people really don’t know just where the heck a woman would wear these types of outfits. Well, it depends on the woman! Some just wear them around the house.

Some sexy biker chicks wear a leather bikini and panty outfit going to the beach, out on a ride on the Harley or even at a get together. Some even wear them in the water like a swimsuit. I myself think they are crazy to hop on the back of a motorcycle just wearing a thin leather bikini outfit. If they fall off they will just be red meat. But I see that all the time down here in Florida. (more…)

Hi everyone, hope you all had a good fourth of July weekend. Mine was peaceful,,, another words, boring, haha. Well, I have been noticing on some key words that people type in that a lot of you really want to know just how pigskin leather jackets compare to cowhide leather jackets.

Is pigskin as strong as cowhide? Is pigskin or cowhide tougher? Is cowhide or pigskin thicker or softer? Do pigskin hides have different markings on them than cowhide? Which one is cheaper in price, and which one is just plain cheap? Well let me try to explain all that so you know once and for all!

First, the three most common types of leather animal hides for leather jackets are cowhide, buffalo hide, and pigskin. These three are the most common for tuff motorcycle leather jackets. Leather jackets are also made from goats, sheep and lambs, but they should only be used in fashion or dress leather jackets.
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