Getting Started with Denny

We’ve told you before that Denny teaches short classes on Friday mornings for the members of our staff that don’t get to make cool leather products daily. A few weeks ago, he taught some members of our marketing and e-commerce team how to make their first stamped projects. Today, we present to you this simple craft that Denny was able to teach several rambunctious ladies in about 45 minutes. 

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The craft in question are coasters made with just a few simple stamps and pre-cut circles. The student pictured went off-book and used a tap-off pattern, which you can read all about in this blog post


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What You’ll Need: 


The Process

This project is simple! You can have your first stamped coaster complete in a matter of minutes. 

Step 1 – Wet the Leather 

How much water to use is just one of those things you have to try out for yourself, but less is more in the beginning. We recommend using a spray bottle to get even and light coverage. Try a little water, wait a few minutes and see if the leather is soft enough to make an easy impression – if you have scrap leather of a similar weight, it should work well for testing. 

Step 2 – Set the stage 

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Use winged dividers or a compass to create a line around the perimeter of the circle. Make this circle go in as far as you’d like – we stuck to about 1/4″. 

Then, place your ruler in the center of the circle. Use your ball point stylus to make a light impression down the center of the circle from one end of your newly marked circle to about ¾ of the way down. If you end up taking the line all the way to the end, it shouldn’t make a big difference as it’ll be covered up in subsequent steps. 

Step 3 – Stamp away 

Grab a patterned stamping tool of your choice and start somewhere near the center of your circle taking care to align your tool with the center line. Use this tool repeatedly to obtain the desired pattern. Test this out on a scrap piece of leather if you have one! It’ll help you get the alignment right and help you with things like a basket weave tool which requires rotation. 

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Denny is breaking the rules here and starting near the edge, but he’s an expert and knows how far to keep it away from the edge. You are free to try this method too, we just don’t recommend it for your first time. 

Repeat your stamping steps and lean your tool to the side when you get near edges to get a faded effect. You want to leave some space between the ends of your stamping and the line you made with your winged divider in step two. This will allow your border tool to make clean impressions that won’t cover all of your awesome stamping work. 

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Here is one of Denny’s coasters. Notice how the faded-out the edges of his design allowed the border stamp to come in seamlessly. 

It doesn’t totally ruin it if you go to close to the edge but it looks a lot cleaner to fade the edges out.

Step 4 – Decorate that borderline 

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Here’s one a class member made. Inconsistent spacing and running over the original stamped design because it was brought all the way to the edge.

Take your camouflage or border stamping tool and line it up with the guide you created in step two with the winged divider. Repeat the pattern along the edge until it’s complete. You may want to practice how you will line these stamps up as that can get a little messy too – check out the image above to see what we mean. 

Step 5 – Have fun with it! 

You can leave the coasters as they are and allow the environment to have its way with your work or you can color/seal it. We didn’t do the coloring and sealing in the class, but that doesn’t mean we can’t tell you how. 😉 

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We recommend using dye or antique paste if you’re going for a uniform and classic look. For those of you who want a bit more color and design, we recommend using some paint like Angelus acrylic paint

You can use any finisher you prefer, but we recommend Master’s Quick Shine – it has a glossy, long-lasting finish that dries quickly and won’t bulk up your project. 

Step 6 – Bask your own glory

For you are done! It may not look perfect, but it was made by you and we’re sure there are plenty of cups that would be honored to rest upon your coaster, even if it looks like this…

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We hope you enjoyed that simple little lesson. We sure did! We love learning at SLC and there is always something new to pick up. If you have any tips, tricks or suggestions to add, feel free to let us know! Did you try this project? Please do show us here on Tumblr or share it with us on Facebook and/or Instagram. Until next time! 

New Things Above

Well folks, things are always changing at SLC! We are upgrading some of our storage space with a new roof! We’ll also be moseying on over next door to store even more products very soon. 

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Of course, getting things ready for the roofers caused us to move some things around and you’ll be seeing the fruits of that labor very shortly. With all of the purchasing Kevin and Rusty do, there is bound to be more than a few things that slip through the cracks. But that just means that we have even more new products just waiting to be made available for purchase. 

The roof isn’t the only thing getting more secure. You may have also noticed that our website is now fully secure as well! With that increase in security, you should also see improved load times during your visits, If you are experiencing performance and cosmetics issues on our website, please clear your cache! 

In the mean time, we’re still rotating staff around here and there trying to find the perfect fit of personnel new and old, but that’s an update for another day. 

Until then, we’ll see you around the internet. Happy days!  

Kevin & His Craft Deerskins


Stories have been a part of SLC since the beginning. Heck, we even named our blog after one of Kevin’s favorite pass times. Today, we bring you a story that’s full of passion, determination, and ingenuity with results so miraculous, there’s no way it could have ever happened. Join us for a narrative about a man named Kevin, his arrows, and an absurd amount of deer. 

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Hey, Kevin! What’s up with all these holes in the deerskins? The skins are pretty nice, but how’d the scratches, holes, and tears get in there?

Kevin was hoping to keep this a secret, but since you asked- he’s decided to share the story, an absurdly fictitious and completely untrue story. A very embarrassing tale of a man who really wanted to try his hand at bow hunting one deer season. You see, Kevin is normally a rifle hunter. But this time he wanted to really get down to basic hunting roots. For we all know the hunter with a bow is the real hunter.

For years, Kevin has relied on his tried and true 30-06 to help him get the best buck around. But, as we said, this year he wanted to try the bow approach.

Let’s all get in the scene- it’s early morning right at day break. The air is crisp and there’s just enough chill to remind you winter is coming. Which is also why we hear so much bleating from does and grunts from those prize-sized bucks. Kevin has selected his favorite blind, at the tip top of the highest peak overlooking a large hay field below.

Kevin’s been patiently waiting for his buck to show himself. It’s getting to be lunch time and he’s hoping the deer can’t hear his stomach growling over the slight rustle of leaves slowly falling to the ground.

He decides it’s time to go in for a quick warm up with his wife’s tasty chili, but then he sees it. He sees the culmination of all deer, the granddaddy of them all, the prize he’s been waiting for all morning: the 37 point buck he’s eyed all fall is right at the end of the hill. About 35 yards away.

Rats! He thinks to himself. He knows if he is going to drop this deer with an arrow he has to be closer.

As we know, Kevin is a somewhat crafty man and never lacking in ingenuity. He has a brilliant(?)…flash! He’s brought way too many arrows with him. There’s a large sinkhole not far from the base of the hill.

Perfect for a punji pit! What’s that you ask? Stay tuned and you’ll see.

Kevin scrabbles down the hill without a sound, and surveys the sinkhole.

Then he begins his task of creating a large punji pit with all his arrows… well all but one. He starts crafting the pit by sticking the arrows, pointy part up towards the sky, in the bottom of the pit. He finishes and looks over to check on his prize buck, who’s still lazily grazing in the afternoon sun.

Kevin takes his one arrow left over and lines up his shot. He’s not aiming for the buck though, he’s aiming behind it. He’s hoping to startle this big guy into the pit.

He takes one long steady breath and holds it as he sends his arrow flying through the fall air. It lands perfectly just behind Mr. Big Buck. As it lands Kevin notices something he didn’t before. He’d been too focused on the buck to see the huge herd of deer in the cedar trees.

All the deer begin running towards Kevin, and his gigantic punji sinkhole. Before he can count the deer they all begin falling into the pit.

When it’s all said and done, Kevin has to drag over 200 deer out of the woods, skin them, and process the skins. What a mess! Needless to say the skins have holes, drag marks, scars, and rough areas on the grain side of the skins…but the flesh sides turned out pretty darned good!

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The details: These special purchase deerskins come in a variety of pleasing natural colors (gold, smoke, and saddle tan). The skins are pretty nice, but many have scratches, holes, and tears. But with a deeply discounted price we know you can forgive us for their less than perfect condition.

We call this craft grade, and it means it’s perfect for all you visionaries out there. You can make many items which you want to have a soft feel. Think pull-string satchels, moccasins (these won’t hold up for longtime wear, but will be very comfy), festival clothing, gloves, and wallets just to name a few.


Be sure to keep up with us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest for more stories and peeks into the worldful world of leather! You can also buy from us any time at our website, SpringfieldLeather.com.

Gator, Croc or Caimain? | Identifying Crocodilian Leather

If you’re anything like me, you might have trouble when it comes to identifying an alligator…or was it a crocodile? These water-loving reptiles look strikingly similar and can be tough to name. While it may take careful consideration to distinguish between them when they’re alive, they can be even tougher to ID in leather form.

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That is why we spent this week diving into the world of crocodilians and unearthing the secrets behind recognizing their leather. 


Wild Distinguishment 

We get nerdy about live crocodilians 

First, let’s get the obvious part out of the way. Being that crocodiles, alligators and caiman are all reptiles, they all share distinct reptilian features like scaly, armored skin and long, low bodies with tails that are great for the amphibian lifestyle.

Now that that’s out of the way, let’s chat about the classification of crocodiles, alligators and caimans. To start, they are all part of the same Order: crocodilia. While they may look the same, they are different enough to be split into two families: Alligatoridae and Crocodyloidea. Caimans and alligators belong to the same family, though they are split into different subfamilies that are very similar to their common names. For that reason, alligators and caiman are often grouped together when discussing physical traits – just like we’re going to do in this post. Their leather is pretty different, but we’ll get to that part later.

So we’re still going the science route, but this part is less stuffy. Do you know how to tell the difference between an alligator and a crocodile? A lot of folks will jump to head shape. Crocodiles tend to have a thinner jaw, while alligators (and caimans) have a wide jaw. While this test is a fairly safe bet when discussing American crocodilians, it doesn’t apply to them all. There are crocodiles and alligators with both head shapes. 

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Some folks will note size, as caimans tend to be smaller than both alligators and crocodiles.

It’s important to note that size is not necessarily indicative of genus or species as crocodiles and alligators are not born gigantic. So, just like head shape, this rule doesn’t apply across the board and should not be the lone factor in identifying crocodilians.

The best way to tell the difference is by looking at two things: the setup of the jaw and little bumps called Integumentary Sense Organs or ISOs

The way alligatoridae’s jaws are setup has a smoother look. These guys sport an overbite, much like us. It makes only their top row of teeth visible when their mouths are closed and gives them a look akin to a smirk. Crocodiles have a bite that rests their teeth right on top of each other so that both rows of teeth are visible with a closed mouth. As a result, their mouths look jagged and more dangerous than smooth-jawed alligatoridaes. While this difference is perhaps the easiest to spot, it’s not at all helpful when talking about leather because teeth are removed during the tanning process. 

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A caiman shows off its overbite. Doesn’t it look like a cheeky smile? 

The final distinguishing feature is the location of ISOs, little sensory-detecting bumps that make crocodilians truly formidable opponents. These ISOs make heavily armored crocodilians more sensitive to movement and touch than human fingertips. While all crocodilians have ISOs, only crocodiles (and the nearly extinct gharial) have them all over their bodies. Alligatoridae just have them on their faces. ISOs are absent from the top of the head of all crocodilians. These bumps can be tough to see after tanning, but pronounced ISOs are easy to spot.  

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See the little black dots on this croc? Those are ISOs!
Image via Vanderbilt.edu


Leather Differences 

Now that you know about the wild side of things, let’s get to the material

So, you know the basic way to spot the difference between alligatoridae and crocodyloidea, but what’s the situation with leather? From here on out, we’re switching to street names and we’ll stop grouping caiman and alligators together.

Why? Well, it may surprise you to learn that when it comes to leather, alligator and crocodile are very similar. It turns out those alligatoridae family members are not as similar to each other once they’re tanned. 

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These wee little things are crocodile, though many SLC staffers ID’d them as caiman at first. IDing was tough because ISOs were not easily spotted either. We used some of the tips below and had some help from the tannery. 

 All of these animals are pretty darn similar after they’re tanned, but there are three key factors that will help you ID your leather

ISOs

No, this leather doesn’t have acne

We talked about ISOs earlier in this post. These little bumps, that sometimes look like blackheads, are found on all three of the reptiles in question, but only crocodiles have them all over. While some tanning practices can render ISOs virtually invisible, some tanners keep this distinguishing feature in tact as a sign of authenticity. You can still find ISOs on alligators and caiman that have their facial features left in tact. 

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Notice the darker, pimple-like marks on this alligator piece. Those are ISOs. This section is  the side of the alligator’s head – think of it as a cheek. They can be tough to see, but are notably missing from the rest of the skin.

ISOs aren’t always around when you’re trying to identify leather, but if you can spot them all over, you know you’re rocking with a crocodile. 

Pliability

With great softness comes a great price tag

You can rank our crocodilian friends based on value that is determined by one major factor: workability. When it comes to leather, ISOs aside, crocodiles and alligators are actually more similar to each other than caiman. This is not because of size, but because of their rigidity or hand

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The back and belly of an alligator. Notice how this leather doesn’t lay as flat as a lot of the caiman we have pictured. It’s due to the softness and size of these pieces. 

Caimans have calcium rivets in their scales making their fibers denser and more rigid. That rigidity causes caiman leather to be a bit tougher to work with. While the degree of rigidity is partially determined by tannage, caiman spinal scales  will pretty much always be tougher than those found on alligators and crocodiles. For that reason, caiman will often sport a much lower price point.  

Crocodile is in the middle of this heirarchy as it is more pliable and easier to work with than caiman, but not as soft as alligator. Crocodile leather will be priced pretty similarly to alligator for this reason. 

Of course, that puts alligator at the top of the list with the most workable skin and the highest ticket price. Alligator is also easier to tan, so you may find that they have a more consistent color and finish.

Caiman Complexion

Something we’ve noticed

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We gathered just about every iteration of caiman we could find in our warehouse. From full skins to tails large and small. We even found some spines! While it may be tough to spot, nearly every piece of caiman here has a different hand to it. 

One thing we noticed when working with caiman is that it’s easily identified due to some mysterious little markings on their scales. They may be tougher to spot on the belly, but they’re visible on just about every surface of a caiman except for their sides. 

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Notice the pore-like dots on these scales? Not the dark marks, but the small groupings of holes. They almost look like feathers plucked out of a bird or a bad skin day. This is a feature we noticed on all of the caiman pieces we had and couldn’t find them on any crocodile or alligator. Unfortunately, we’re not aware of any scientific jargon associated with these marks, so we’ll just refer to it as complexion. 

In Short

A quick recap for those in a rush

A crocodile spine

If you want to know what leather you’re dealing with look for ISOs, check price and pliability, and check your leather’s complexion. If you’re lucky enough to come across a tannery sticker, the work’s been done for you! 

The truth is, IDing this leather can be tough, even when you have each kind in front of you. But, with a little practice it’ll all come together. 

If you’re interested in learning more about crocodilian leather, be sure to use the links provided throughout this article.


If you want to purchase some crocodilian skins from us, please visit our website or visit us in-store where our selection is wider. If you have any additional crocodilian leather facts or questions, please use the Inbox button at the top of this page or send Kevin an email by filling out the form on our website.

Oscar Saves the Day

At SLC, the love for humorous narrative is as essential to our business as leather! Kevin has always loved telling fanciful stories that highlight how interesting the world could be with a touch of imagination. These days, he doesn’t grace us with as many as he once did, but we got lucky this week. 

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Each week, Kevin personally picks out a Flash Sale item for customers. This week, he decided on an exotic pack that has such wild patterns, he just had to tell a story. Keep reading to see just how a brave little corgi was able to save the world. 


While on vacation in the wilds of Arkansas, Oscar and his owner, Emma, stumbled across a potential disaster for mankind. While sniffing around the local nuclear power generator, Oscar disturbed a large herd of extremely poisonous mutated lizards! Being intelligent, as well as being a natural herder, Oscar realized the danger and quickly scurried around and began herding the rascals toward his owner who was across the valley on top of a hill. 

In a flash, Emma realized what was taking place, and quickly used her cell phone to notify Kevin and Rusty of the need to save mankind. Kevin and Rusty promptly hopped in the SLC helicopter and rushed to the scene to find a very tired Oscar herding the dangerous reptiles in a circular manner. With their Leather Disruptor Stun Ray Guns set to “terminate” they quickly dispatched the venomous critters as they raced past and provided Oscar with a much needed and much deserved rest. 

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Rusty came up with the brilliant idea of skinning the large Reptiles, and after skinning and tanning the hides to their surprise discovered that they had in their possession some of the strangest, uniquely patterned and beautiful lizard skins imaginable!!!! Anxious to make these rare and valuable skins available to leather crafters across the country, they quickly directed the crack marketing team of SLC to offer them to the public at prices that are just too good to pass up!

Now with all of that being said, there’s another story about finding a bunch of these things in part of the warehouse that hadn’t seen the light of day for a couple of years, but it’s not as interesting.

– Kevin

Paint, Dye or Paste?

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There are lots of ways to customize your leather with color! Some of the most popular ways to do it are painting, dyeing, and antique pasting. Of course, we’ve talked about paint, dye, and other coloring methods on the blog before but they’re not quite like this. Here, we’re bringing together just about every stitch of information on dyes, paints, stains and pastes that we have on the web! 


Dye 

Dye is a popular and permanent way to transform your leather. It is fairly easy to apply and gives a rich and even color to leather of your choosing. We have a wide array of leather dye available on our website. There is standard, low VOC dye, then there’s oil dye (Denny’s favorite) that can be mixed or thinned with oil to condition your leather while you color, there’s also suede/rough out dye that is ideal for the textured and porous surface of suedes and leather splits, and, finally, water-based dye that is safe for kids to use and not flammable. 

Note: Denny has tried using oil dye on suede and it went over terribly. 

The important thing to note about dye is that it will always make the material you started with darker. You cannot use dye in a vibrant color like green and expect it to lift the overall brightness of your piece. It will add some darkness while changing the hue. Dye is a permanent, so you want to be very careful and confident when you use it. Dye is also buildable if you thin it. Once dye is on, you can’t lighten or lift the dye as it does penetrate the fibers of your leather. However, if you’re worried that your project turned out too dark, let it dry before you chuck it in the bin! It will lighten some as it dries. 

Learn more about using dye with Rusty and Kevin below! 


Stains and Antique Paste 

Stains and antique pastes are a favorite among toolers like Denny. Antique paste and stains allow you to add depth and color to your project without drastically changing the look of your leather…unless you want to. Antique pastes and stains tend to be earth tones and reds. The color change for stains and antiques is considered permanent as the stain will penetrate the fiber of the leather. It is oftentimes used in conjunction with resist to lessen the intensity of the color and allow for easy wipe off. It is ideal for embossed and tooled leathers, but can be used on smooth surfaces just the same. The main difference between the two is the consistency, though you will also get different color results. Stains are liquids while antique pastes are, well…paste! The color of these are somewhat buildable. The longer you allow antique paste to sit and dry on your surface before you wipe it, the richer the color you get. 

Learn more about antique paste in these videos


Paint

The best paint for leather is acrylic paint. Acrylic paint comes in the widest array of colors we have available and features different finishes as well. Paint can be long-lasting but is not considered permanent like dye or stains. Paint generally will sit on the surface of your leather, but if applied correctly and given time to dry properly it can last for years to come without cracking or peeling. Paint is a popular way to transform the color of sneakers, but it is also a way to add vibrant designs to projects of any kind. In short, the best way to ensure you get the most out of your paint is to use thin coats that are allowed to completely dry between applications. Paint can be removed after it is applied, especially when wet, but that removal may prove difficult if you let it dry as it is acrylic paint. 

Watch the video below for even more useful information about using paint with Rusty! 


As you can see, there are a lot of ways to change your leather after you get it home and experimentation is key. Be sure to keep your scrap leather in times like these! If you’d like to see the videos above and maybe a few we didn’t include here, be sure to check out our Dye, Stain, Paint playlist and subscribe to our YouTube page to see new videos. If you have a specific question about paint, dye, stains or antique paste, be sure to search the blog for any of those terms, check out our Ask Kevin questions or ask your own here. Until next time! 

Can you make a video on how to add rivets/spots with 2 prongs on the back? Also, when adding prong-back rivets/spots to stitched layers of leather, is it ok for the prongs not to reach all the way through the back of the leather or should the prongs be long enough to go through completely and be folded down on the back side?

Those two-pronged rivets are called harness spots and they do need to reach all the way through the leather and bend to be secured fully – just like brads. 

Setting spots is pretty similar to setting snaps. You want to use a maul or wooden/poly mallet. You need a hard surface, but in this case, you’ll want to make sure you that you are using some metal to reinforce your spot so that the tails bend back securely. For that, you can use the nifty metal piece that comes in our spot setting kit along with poundo/poly board and marble/granite or just use a piece of steel (or other hard metal), like Denny. No matter what you use, keep in mind that it needs to be very hard so that it will bend the tails of your spot. It may take you a few tries to get the proper hang of things, so be sure to test setting a spot on some scrap leather first.

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Your setter definitely needs to match your spot size since you’ll be placing the spot inside the setter. Last, you’ll have to put some power behind your mallet or maul. Due to the rounded nature of the setter, giving your spot a few extra taps should not distort its shape.

Here you’ll find a very roughly cut video of Denny demonstrating setting spots. You’ll notice that even a master craftsman has a tough time getting things right every time, but you can always start things anew. 

Happy setting! 

International Orders at Springfield Leather Company

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The ability to serve a global audience is something that we take pride in, so we’ve changed the way we serve our customers from afar.

We are still taking international orders big and small, but we want your experience to be custom, just like you!

To ensure that you get the best service available, we ask that you place your orders by email or over the phone with one of our representatives to make sure that you’re getting the best shipping rates and you’re not ordering something that we can’t mail to your country. 

We have a toll free number that won’t run up your phone bill and an online form for you to fill out if the phone just isn’t your speed. 

You’ll corresponding with people like Monique, a member of our customer service team. Our team will help you find the items that you’re looking for and find the lowest shipping rate available for you. 

Here are some things you need to know for international orders.


There are a few ways to contact us 

You can place your international order using our online form, or by sending an email to international@springfieldleather.com or call us toll-free at +18006688518

There may be things we can’t mail to you

We don’t have a definitive list of these things as they vary by country. Here are a few things that are commonly not allowed: 

  • Flammables – flammable chemicals generally cannot be mailed internationally. Many shipments are sent via airplane, where chemicals are not allowed on board. 
    • If you’re not sure if the chemical you’re looking for is flammable, check the product listing or check out our catalog. There is a digital version available. 
  • Exotic Leathers – this one varies quite a bit by country, but exotic animals include reptiles (snakes, alligators, etc.), kangaroos (including lace), ostrich, elephant, warthog, camel, giraffe and other specialty leathers. 
    • Most countries have restrictions on animals that are not farmed there. For example: kangaroo would not be considered an exotic leather in Australia, but is considered exotic for nearly ever other country. 

If you are interested in any items like these, be sure to check your country’s postal service guidelines. If, for some reason, we ship an item to you that is not allowed in your country, that package will likely not be returned to us and we will be unable to issue a refund. 

We must declare the full price of the items you are ordering

Some countries apply a tax, tariff, or customs/duties fee to packages that are shipped into the country. The cost of those fees are the responsibility of the recipient of a package (you) and are often based on the value of the package. We must declare the full value of the package as dictated by the invoice included or we could face serious legal consequences. That means we cannot declare your shipment as a gift. We cannot estimate the cost of any of these fees for you. We encourage you to look into your country’s postal service guidelines for more information on additional fees for receiving international packages. 

Payments are primarily processed through PayPal

PayPal is the simplest and most secure way for us to process payments from customers. We will always send a full itemized quote before sending an invoice (or payment request) via PayPal. Of course, there are always exceptions. If you have questions, be sure to mention that in your email or over the phone. 

Shipments are primarily sent through DHL 

Most of our international shipments are shipped via DHL as they offer good rates and allow more detailed tracking information. Other services often don’t offer tracking outside of the US and make it harder for us to help you with your order once it reaches your country. If, for some reason, DHL is not a good option for you, please be sure to mention that in your email or over the phone. 

If you’re in a rush, pick up the phone

If you need your order submitted as quickly as possible, give us a call instead of ordering through our online form. Email correspondence takes time, especially when you consider time differences and availability. Your ordering process will go much more quickly over the phone. Be sure to give us a call between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. CST Monday – Friday (take note that phone lines may not be available on Wednesdays until 9:30 a.m.).

This statement does not mean that ordering over the phone will cause your items to be shipped faster – only that placing your order will be quicker.

Please note that nearly everyone in our office only speaks English, so if you know that you will have trouble communicating in English over the phone, email is a better option for you.

Ordering more might save you money in the long run

Shipping internationally is expensive because vehicles have to travel very long distances. So, whether you order $50 worth of merchandise or $5 worth of merchandise, your shipping fee will cost more than the domestic average. If you are ordering less than $20 worth of merchandise, there is a strong chance that the shipping fees will cost more than the items you are ordering. You may consider waiting to order more items at one time to cut down on shipping costs.


If you have additional questions, be sure ask them! You can either ask your questions while you’re placing your order or you can contact us here. We have answers to more general questions like buying leather by the square foot, leather types and much more on our Frequently Asked Questions page

Tooling with Denny

Springfield Leather Company is comprised of many moving parts, but they all come together around leather. Recently, Denny has been spending time with the women who are at the heart of the company: our office staff. 

He has been teaching them how to tool their own projects and they simply can’t get enough of it! Here are some photos of today’s session. 

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A Quick Word About Change

At SLC, we embrace change as much as possible – it’s what keeps us afloat in an ever-changing economy and industry. 

We have been putting more resources into our production work and, as you may already know, we’ve also acquired more space. With growing demand for production work and newfound space, we’ve decided to make some changes that we think will increase productivity and serve our customers.

We are converting a seldom-used work area into a storage facility. This will come in handy when Kevin and Rusty jump at the next great deal. 

We have moved some of our production efforts over to Research and Development. Now we have more space for clickers! And boy, we love our leather shapes. 

Denny and Clayton, from Research Development, are enjoying their expanded work areas in one of our former storage spaces. 


There are more changes on the horizon, but we thought we’d let you know more about some of the things we’ve accomplished along the way!