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Tried goat skin instead of calf for a journal cover and wow what a difference
I've been doing leather binding for about 2 years now, always using calf because that's what I learned on. Last week I had a customer request goat skin for a 6x9 journal they wanted. I was nervous because goat is thinner and supposedly trickier with the grain. But after cutting and folding it, the flexibility is insane. Way easier to turn corners and it takes tooling marks cleaner too. Cost me $28 for the skin versus $35 for calf. Has anyone else made the switch or stuck with one type?
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cooper.nathan19d ago
I read somewhere that goat skin has a tighter grain structure which is why it takes tooling so well. Might have to give it a shot for my next project.
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brookep2718d ago
Oh, I have to disagree with you there, @cooper.nathan. I've worked with goat skin quite a bit and found it almost too stiff for detailed tooling - it fights back more than cowhide does. The grain might be tighter, but it's also a lot harder to get that smooth, even stamping without the leather cracking or showing every single mark. If you're going for a rustic look with deep cuts, sure, but for clean, precise work I'd stick with a good veg-tan cowhide every time.
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