Hi Bill
Thats an old picture, my pads have somewhat evolved and dont look quite like that anymore, I was not entirely pleased with the way they looked so I changed my process I find that for the pad to be aesthetically pleasing , the curvature at the back of the pad, the placement and correct size of the plugs, the stock projection lines and the sharp edges of the leather are more or just as important as the grain of the leather itself.
BTW sorry fellas...the leather on that pad is pig skin, unfortunately I was not able to find any more hides with that particular grain structure, I do have a couple of sections left, I've saved them for a double rifle project.
Here is more or less what they look like now
All best,
CJ