Do I "need" 1/4 laces or is 3/16 just fine?

Please share your knowledge on how to keep your vintage gloves in great shape and looking sharp.

Postby wjr953 » October 16th, 2008, 11:59 am

rmiller wrote:Triple C leather has great people to deal with also, and a very good, high quality product. They will send out samples as well- they have several options in thickness, width, and color. My understanding is that they custom cut the leather to customer specifications. Triple C actually has a bit better price on bulk than Tanners, and they come highly recommended from a few members of the forum.


I just received my first order from Triple C today, and I have to say that the quality and consistency of their rawhide products are absolutely terrific! They do prefer minimum order quantities of 100 laces, but there is a real price savings when compared to Tanner's laces (in this case, about $30-40 less!).

For the record, I'm a huge fan of Tanner's products. However, I also need to stock rawhide widths in sizes narrower than 3/16", because there are times when 3/16" wide lacing is just too wide. I had been buying spools of 5/32" wide tan (50') and 1/8" wide chocolate (25yd) from Tandy Leather, but I was finding that Tandy's leather quality and consistency were just terrible, especially when comparing their stuff to Tanner's products. The difference in quality between the two suppliers was like night and day. I had found great variances in the past with the color, thickness and stiffness of Tandy's products as well, sometimes even on the very same spool! There were stretches of rawhide that I ended up cutting off and throwing away, because it just wasn't usable. I also ran into problems with color inconsistency on their "chocolate" rawhide from one order to the next. When I called them to complain about this, I was told that they had changed suppliers and that there was nothing they could do. In other words, take it or leave it. Well, I felt that was an unacceptable answer, so I immediately started looking for other suppliers. RMiller in an earlier post had recommended Triple C as an option, and because of that, they're now my new supplier of quality products in widths under 3/16". Goodbye Tandy Leather! In addition to a product that is of very high quality and is very consistent in color and thickness, the price and delivery were also excellent. With shipping and handling charges included, the price came out to about $1.05 per 72" length of rawhide. Excellent pricing and very nice people to deal with as well. I'm completely sold. I highly recommend Triple C for all of your rawhide lacing needs. Thank you RMiller, and other Forum members for suggesting Triple C, your input was a big help, and I really appreciate it.

br
wjr953
 

Postby BretMan » October 16th, 2008, 6:58 pm

I got Triple-C's catalog and lace samples back about two years ago and was impressed with their offerings. At the time, I wasn't ready to order such large quanities- wish you could "pick one from column A and one from column B"- mix and match colors and widths and order, say, 25 of one style, 25 of another.

But you are right- ordering in quatities of 100 does knock the "per lace" price down about as low as it can get. 100 similar laces from Tanner's would run about $150 with shipping.

On the Tandy laces- I know what you mean. The quality was kind of shakey. I really think that their spools of lace are aimed at people making simple crafts- like wallets or necklaces- as opposed to the high-quality laces we glovers are looking for. They work in a pinch, and are a good size for older vinatge gloves, if you're lucky enough to get a good spool. The color isn't a huge issue for me as I would usually dye them myself to match my old gloves.

There is a Tandy retail store just a few minutes from my house and I stop in every so often. Last week when I was there I noticed that their 5/32" lace looks completely different from the lace they were offering in the past. Totally different color and texture. I might have to try some out.

One more lace-related note: I posted this link awhile back, but have never actually seen the laces in person. Has anyone ever had experience with this company? http://www.leathercordusa.com/
Click to Visit >> The Glove Shop On-Line
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Postby wjr953 » October 16th, 2008, 7:52 pm

Bret,
I was looking at that Leather Cord USA website last night off of the link that you included in your post. I'm going to order a couple of laces from them in the smallest order size they offer so I can give them a good look-see. I too am very curious about their quality. Based on the pix from their website they look pretty good, but I won't make a final judgment on them unless I have them in my own two hands. Maybe I'll order a couple of pieces in the next week or two. When I do, I'll send you a sample piece to check out. Since I just got that big order from Triple C, I'm going to be very, very busy for the next two or three weeks! LOL I just have got to get some gloves moved, they're taking over the basement. The wife has been very patient and understanding for the last couple of years as the number of gloves continues to multiply, but I really do want to get a handle on them before it becomes a major problem.

br
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