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Shurgosa

Can You Help With A Tool Pouch?

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Im in the process of creating what I hope to be a heirloom grade tool belt. my goal is to focus on all the tiny little details so I end up with the durable item I can build.

please allow me to emphasize though, im not interested in how nice it looks. I just want it to be obscenely durable.

I want to ask a few intricate questions first. I can look up answers to the basic stuff on my own.

SO heres what im curious about:

1. im using solid copper rivets. how long do they last? do they rust? are they the strongest type of rivets?

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2. im looking for a leather conditioner. what I want is a lotion or oil or something that "moistens" the leather. some types of conditioning products people have advised me will work well at first but are allegedly not good for the long term. if i wanted to keep a cowhide tool pouch looking new for YEARS. what is the best product?

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3. when punching the holes for the rivets. is it better to make the hole slighly smaller than the rivet for a very tight fit? or should the rivet slide easily into the hole? does one way cause undue wear on the rivet hole?

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4. how tight should the rivet and washer be? like pounding a nail into a deck board? or just fairly snug?

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5. I'm considering riveting the whole thing because the pockets do not have to have to be stictched fully closed around the bottom and sides. but a friend of mine mentioned contact cement. so in a few sentances. how to specialized leather adhesives hold up over time?

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6. all the thread is listed as "strong"....but what kind of thread is the strongest? which thread would be the best to tow something with?

Thanks in advance!

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Like most metals, copper will corrode. If it's a ferrous metal, that corrosion is called rust. Copper will turn green, and start flaking.........depending on the conditions it is exposed to.

A good quality saddle oil is what you're looking for. You'll have to oil -AS NEEDED- over the long haul. There isn't a magical 'condition it once and it lasts for ever" conditioner.

A little tighter is better than a little loose, but either is okay, as long as you don't get too far away from the size of the rivet....i.e., you shouldn't use a half inch hole for an eighth inch rivet.

It should be tight enough to hold the leather together, but not so tight that it badly deforms the leather.

It depends on the cement. Some cement will pull loose fairly easily, others have been used in place of stitching and have done well. Glue won't be as secure as glue and rivets.

Use thread to sew things, straps to tow something. There isn't a 'thread' strong enough to tow with, but a good heavy thread made of nylon or poly is very strong and will last a very long time.

For a good durable leather for a tool belt/bag, you might consider using something like Oil Tanned, or perhaps Latigo leather. Bridle leather is also very nice.

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Thanks for the info.

1---------When wet forming leather, is it possible to soak only the section I want to form and get the same result? ( The front edge of the tool pouch dipped in water to rather than submerge the whole front piece...)

2--------also what are the typical times i should adhere to? how long should the leather be left in the water?

3--------how long should the clamps be left on to hold the leather in shape? 5 minutes? or more like 10 hours? a lady at the leather shop said if you leave it clamped overnight it will mold.........is that true?

4.--------can you by stainless steal rivets? designed to outlast leather?

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