What is Buttero Leather?

Looking to buy buttero? You can find our full range here

 

No doubt you have heard of the famous buttero leather, and if you haven’t then you will soon be amazed by this world-renowned leather. 

But what is it that makes buttero such a high-quality material to work with? What separates it from the rest of the leathers on offer?

Well firstly, buttero is an Italian leather from the Conceria Walpier tannery, a recognised tannery of the Genuine Italian Vegetable Tanned Leather Consortium.
The Consortium is made up of over 20 of the finest tanneries in the region of Tuscany. To be a part of the consortium is to be recognised for your quality.

Seen here is their handprint marker. Click here to view their website

All buttero hides will come with this seal of approval somewhere. Yet Conceria Walpier exceeds even the high standards of the Consortium. Thanks to the rigorous quality control checks they put their leather through, Conceria Walpier is able to produce one of the finest wallet leathers in the world with incredibly consistent results.

What features make Buttero so appealing?

The first features anyone will notice about Buttero leather are the colours. Traditionally, veg-tan leathers only come in the standard array of browns and blacks. 

But not this leather.

With a huge array of strong colours, there are options here for any project. From deep greens to vibrant yellows, not many other vegetable tanned leathers can achieve the same vibrancy.

The colours are dyed through to maintain the look from grain side to flesh side.
Buttero is cut from the shoulder of the hide, which gives it a fantastic tensile strength and quality.

Next is the feel. With a superbly smooth top finish, buttero gives a feel in hand like no other leather. Over time this gathers patina that makes the leather glossier. We will note that the leather can mark and scratch easily, but it is this wear that makes the leather only get better with age. So when working with this leather we recommend being extra careful not scratch with a fingernail or sharp corner.

 

Check out some buttero on Thendara Leather's workbench here.

The grain (top side) of buttero is also fairly resistant to water in all colours except for natural. This makes it easy to work with when burnishing edges, as any agent that gets on the face can be quickly wiped off and won’t leave a mark.  

Once again thanks to the consistent quality of Conceria Walpier, artists will find Buttero incredibly responsive to work with. 
A quick list of its perks are:

• Burnish to a high polish in one coat
• Bevel without skipping or bunching
• Cut clean without any loose fibers
• Allow stitching to slide through easily
• Hold punching and heat treatment

What project is buttero ideal for?

Being a vegetable tanned full aniline leather makes buttero suitable for products intended to age beautifully over time. The weight and firmness of the leather makes it perfect for briefcases or duffel bags in the 1.8-2.2mm range, with guessets around 0.8-1.0mm.

Meanwhile, it can be an incredible wallet leather in the 1.0-1.4mm range.

 

Image credit: Thendara Leather

For turned bags such as totes or dopp kits we would advise you to be familiar with buttero before deciding if it is right for these projects. Buttero is firm, so while it isn’t impossible to make a turned bag out of, it may be a challenge when turning for beginners.

As the tannery only offers buttero up to 2.2mm it typically would not be ideal for belts or straps.

So how does it age? 

Buttero patinas wonderfully. Just as any veg tan leather will, the natural colours darken and show their wear over time. It absorbs oils, scratches and has a slight stretching. As with any leather it can and should be regularly waxed, buffed, and polished to maintain a premium look. 

Or if you prefer the aged look, then let it go without maintenance and it will do just fine!

The brighter colours will resist stains enough to keep their original colour, but will instead get a deeper and more intense look. 

Buttero; famous for a reason

In short, Buttero is one of the best leathers going around. From its variety of colours to the excellent finishes that can be achieved, there isn’t much quite like it. 

So next time you’re looking for leather for your next project, then keep an eye out for Conceria Walpier’s veg tan Buttero leather.

Final profile

Finish - Smooth

Shine - Semi-gloss

Dye - Through

Tannage - Vegetable

Firmness - Firm

Cut - Shoulder