What’s New?

What’s New at Columbia Organ Leathers?

We are constantly striving to improve our products and extend the range of items that we offer. Be sure to check this page often to see what we have added or changed in our online catalogue.

Skin Sizes – The skin sizes of many of our leathers sometimes change with each new batch of leather we receive. Certain times of the year, younger animals are harvested and the skins will run a bit smaller than usual. At other times, the older animals are taken and the skins will be big. Check our Leather Skins Page regularly to see the average sizes of the skins we have in stock now.

None of the leathers that we sell come from animals killed solely for their skins. All of the products that we offer are made from the skins of animals that were raised or killed for food. The skins are a byproduct. We do not sell skins from any endangered species.

April 1, 2024 – Price Increase on Most Items – For almost three years we have resisted increasing our prices.  Due to inflationary pressures we have been forced to make some modest price increases which will be effective on April 1, 2024.

April 6, 2020 – New Pricing on Some Leathers – Due to the shutdown of many tanneries and leather processing facilities, our cost for leather is rapidly increasing.  We are sorry to have to increase the prices for some of our products for the first time in five and one half years.

March 23, 2020 – Columbia Organ Leathers is granted a waiver by Pennsylvania governor to remain open during Covid-19 Shutdown – Due to our involvement in the manufacture of Orthopedic Leather used in medical devices, we were designated as a “Life-Sustaining Business”.

August 10, 2016 – Kangaroo available again at a much lower price – Thanks to the strength of the US dollar and a new supplier, we are able to offer Kangaroo skins once again. Pneumatic Leather is available in a single thickness ranging from .012″ to .015″ and our super strong Kangaroo Gusset leather is approximately .025″ thick. Both are now priced at $14.95 per square foot.

November 5, 2014 – New Price List takes effect on November 15, 2014 – Our new price list will become effective on November 15th. Items ordered after November 14th will be charged at the new rates.

July 6, 2009 – New Shipment of Kangaroo has arrived!

May 8, 2009 – Kangaroo Leather is Out of Stock – A huge order of Kangaroo Leather has cleaned out our supply of this product. More has been ordered but it is not expected to arrive until Mid-July of this year.

February 15, 2009 – New Price List takes effect. – As with most things, the price of leather fluctuates on the world market. As the cost of raw skins, tanning chemicals and freight increases, so does the cost of our products. We held our prices steady during 2008 in spite of significant increases in our material costs. Unfortunately, we must now pass some of those increases along to our customers.

February 13, 2009 – Tan Pneumatic Leather (Chrome Tanned) – This leather is very similar to our Æolian / Morton style leather. The pores have been sealed and the leather has been dyed tan for projects where a tan colored leather is preferred. Prices are the same as our new CML™ Leathers. Like all of our leathers, this product is Chrome Tanned for the longest possible life.

September 8, 2008 – Maroon “Aeolian-Morton” Style Leather available – Click Here to learn more about our new, Maroon colored “Morton” style leather which has undergone a special process to seal the pores in the skins.

January 1, 2008 – New Price List – Our new prices will go into effect today. If you have not received your new price list in the mail, call or e-mail us or use the prices on this website.

October 12-17, 2007 – AIO Convention – Please visit our exhibit booth at the upcoming convention of the American Institute of Organ Builders in King of Prussia (Philadelphia), Pennsylvania.

Limited Supply of Kangaroo Leather is in stock! – We have about 300 square feet of kangaroo leather left. Place your order before it is all gone. At the present time, we only have medium thickness.

July 14, 2006 – Kangaroo Bounces Back – We will be receiving a limited quantity of high-quality Kangaroo skins the end of August. Place your order now to reserve these skins before they are all sold.

June 13, 2006 – Flap Valve Leather Now Available – Due to multiple requests, we are not pleased to offer Chrome Tanned Flap Valve Leather for Reed Organs, Player Pianos and any instrument with pumps that require flap valves. Since these skins are so large, we are offering to sell this item pre-cut to your specifications and priced by the square inch. Click here for more information.

May 1, 2006 – Austin Organs Open for Business. – Now that Austin Organs Inc., is once again making and releathering their own actions, we are providing them with our leathers. If you need components for an Austin Organ, visit their website www.austinorgans.com.

January 15, 2006 – New Price Lists go out this week. – Our new price list for 2006 will go in the mail this week, via First Class Mail, to all active customers. The new prices will take effect on February 1, 2006. If yours does not arrive by then, let us know.

June 27, 2005 – Kangaroo Leather Out of Stock. – Due to poor weather conditions in Australia, it has become all but impossible to find supplies of the high-grade kangaroo leather that we usually purchase. Furthermore, when the leather becomes available again, expect a huge price increase (in the $24.00 per square foot range). Visit this page for future updates on the price and availability of Kangaroo Leather.

March 14, 2005 – Austin Pneumatic Releathering Components Available! – We are pleased to be able to offer the industry pre-cut components for releathering Austin Pneumatics. We use the same chrome tanned leather that Austin Organs, Inc. has used since 1989 and we guarantee you will be pleased. If you would rather not releather these complicated pneumatic motors yourself, why not have us do it for you! Click Here to learn more about our solutions for Austin Organ Pneumatics.

September 1, 2004 – New Catalogue & Price List Available! – After months of planning and assembly, we are now taking orders for our greatly expanded Catalogue of Leather Samples. This new catalogue has samples of every leather we sell in every available thickness. There are also samples of all of our standard Assembled Pneumatic Note Pouches plus a whole lot more. Established customers will be mailed a new price list along with a catalogue request form the first week of September. If you are not already a customer, use our Catalogue Request Form to get yours!

May 3, 2004 – Price of Kangaroo Leather Climbs! – Due to a 30% drop in the value of the US dollar against the Australian dollar, our cost for our very high-quality Kangaroo skins has increased significantly. We apologize that we must pass this increase along to our customers.

April 22, 2004 – Oval Pouches for Schantz Organs! – We are pleased to offer oval pouches for Schantz Pipe Organs. Please see our Pneumatic Pouches Page.

July 13, 2003 – Saxophone Valve Leather – Due to numerous requests, we have developed what we believe to be the finest leather on the market for use in the covering of Saxophone and other reed instrument valve pads. The skins are made of very strong, top-grade African Hairsheep and are dyed and coated with a moisture resistant finish. Although we have a few hundred square feet of this material in stock, it is generally made to order. Prices depend on quantity ordered. Call or e-mail us today for a quote!

May 30, 2003 – Kangaroo Skins are here! – The much-anticipated shipment of Kangaroo Skins has arrived and they are ready to ship!

May 21, 2003 – Kangaroo Leather is on the way! – We received word today that our first production shipment of Kangaroo Skins have been shipped to us from Australia! These are absolutely the finest quality Kangaroo Skins we have ever seen (and we have seen everything on the market today). These skins are full Chrome Tanned and will be tested by an independent laboratory for Chrome Content and Tensile Strength. We are now taking orders for Kangaroo Skins to be shipped in Mid-June. We do have sample swatches of our CKL™ leather available now. Call or E-Mail us for a free sample swatch. Kangaroo is the strongest leather in the world. Now that you can be assured of receiving full Chrome Tanned skins, you can be confident that your next leathering project will last for a lifetime or more.

May 20, 2003 – Osborne Arch Punches at 10% off list price! – We are now able to offer all arch punches and other Osborne Leather Working tools at 10% off of list price. If you know what you want, call us or order online. We will have our new Osborne pages online late this summer!

April 22, 2003 – New Products Added! – We are pleased to add two new types of Chrome Tanned Leather to our product line! Black Cowhide (CCLtm Black) – is now available in the two thicknesses for use as ribbing, on suction pump motors, swell shade engines, Modern Casavant Reservoir Gussets and anywhere a strong black leather is desired. Our second new product is the return of our CCLtm Gusset in White Cowhide. This leather is available at approximately .050″ and has a lovely white finish. It does have some stretch for forming gussets and is also excellent for use on large motors and swell shade engines. It has a bright white finish like our CPL Gusset and is sold in 1/2 hides. Please see our Leather Skins Page for more information.

March 28, 2003 – New Product Added! – We have had numerous requests from hobbyists and craftspeople to provide small pieces of leather for small projects. We are now offering both our traditional white and our new black CPL™ Pneumatic Leathers in 6″ x 12″ strips. These are available in all of the thicknesses that we offer and the details can be found on our Leather Skins Page.

January 13, 2003 – Contract Splitting Services Offered! – We have begun offering custom splitting services to other companies. Please see our Splitting & Buffing Services Page for more information. Our new band knife splitter along with our Spanish made Soft Roll Leather Buffing Machine have made these services possible.

November 19, 2002 – New Splitting Machine Arrives! – Several months ago we ordered a new, precision band knife leather splitter. The machine was built in Europe and shipped to the United States where we had it modified to split leathers as thin as .005″ or .125mm thick (that is about 1/4 ounce in leather tannery jargon). As far as we know, this is the only such leather splitter in the United States capable of splitting whole skins with an accuracy of approximately +/- .002″. This will soon allow us to provide most of our leather products in “made to order” thicknesses. If you have a need for a special type or thickness of leather that is not listed in our online products pages, contact us to see if we can make it for you.

September 3, 2002 – Width of Gummed Paper Changes – The company that makes our gummed paper has informed us they will no longer make the product in 36″ wide rolls. From this point on, our gummed paper will be available only in 26″ width. The price per linear foot remains the same.