Ok everyone here is the leather mouth plate topic i talked about a while back. I hope this helps anyone who was intrested. Feel free to ask me any questions you have.

Jay

Very nice Jay.... Thank you so much. I will add this to my Dr.Puppet folder, yes you have a folder.
Your pictures show one important thing.......... You must have the right tools to work with when possible.
I don't have a saw yet but hopefully soon.

Billy D.

You can cut them with a utility knife. I did it for years before I got the saw

I did want to ask what type vinyl do you use... can it be bought at the hardware store. does it come in sheets or a roll.
Can you use floor vinyl as a substitute.

Billy D.

Where can you get the leather for the mouths? I'm always up for a new technique.

Sonny you get leather from a cow silly................

I buy some of my supplies from Ebay
http://stores.ebay.com/Texas-LeatherCraft_W0QQssPageNameZstrkQ3amefsQ3amesstQQtZkm

Jay are they different grades of leather... Could you use a cheaper grade vs a top quality leather, ect.

Billy d.

UPDATE: I stand corrected leather comes from many different animals.

You can use cheaper grades all my leather is the cheapest I can find. I wait until it goes on sale then buy a whole cow hide for about 65 bucks. Enough to last for several years! Literally. The vinyl I can get at any fabric store. I use the vinyl with the material backing so the glue has something to bite into. I buy my leather from Tandy leather and I do wait until it goes on sale. I buy the scrap soft leather from Micheal's Art and craft store if you have one near you. They have a small leather making section with bags of scrap for a reasonable price.

As for using floor vinal I never tried it but I thin it would be to stiff. The vinyl I use is soft for chairs and clothing.

Jay

Sonny, are either of these close to you? http://www.tandyleather.com/Locations.asp#Illinois

I did a quick Google Map search and it looks like the Edgin location is closest to you. 41.4 mi (about 53 mins) would not be too bad if you purchased enough for a year.

Oh yeah, Tandy is the best! They run some pretty sweet sales...... Mmmm... leather sales....

Jay--Thanks so much for sharing the pix! It's so helpful to see how folks are doing things. I've got some scrap leather and a few projects on the table. I'll have to give it a try!

Anytime I have a few more tutorials to put up when I can some for sonny on the body's I do and so forth. Good luck!

Jay