leathervan

and what is the process called. I have seen briefcases that have rolled edges and the stitches are hidden in the rolled part. Anyone know how it is done?

I always thought that the thicker the leather(the more ounces/more mm) also was an indication of how firm and rigid a piece of leather might be. But as I was viewing 'The Leather Guy' web page I saw that some hides were as much as 5oz and appeared soft and flexible. I need leather of about 6oz that is firm and inflexible because I am going to use it for briefcases, So what determines how soft and flexible or how rigid and inflexible a piece of leather is? And what is the terminology used in an order to convey what a person wants in that respect.

I googled deer skinning knives/images and saw a whole bunch of deer skinning knives that I thought some might be a possibility to use as a round knife. Some of them looked like they had a good gripping handle unlike the round knife where you press the handle against the palm of your hand. But the blades don't seem to have the right shape for cutting leather hides. I don't know maybe some do. Just thought it might be interesting to know if anyone uses deer skinning knives for their leather work.

I am going to make a briefcase and I am confused about what leather to use. That is which part of the cow that the leather comes from. I assume I wouldn't use butt because I think it is too heavy(in ounces). I want to use around 6oz leather. I wouldn't use belly because it is too soft. Any suggestions?

I find that my round knife doesn't work well on around 6oz leather give or take a few ounces. When I push the knife to make a cut the leather bunches up and I have to stop and straighten out the leather before proceding with the cutting. I think a round knife must be for real thick leather. It was real expensive to buy(Stohlman knife at Tandy). So if I don't use it then becomes wasted money. Also I think that I have more control with a regular utility knife. Anyone else have that experience or maybe I am doing something wrong when using it.

I bought a Tandy stitching pony and am disappointed.

If you do not glue the lining to the leather how do you get it attached? I am thinking in terms of a piece of leather with no lacing.

How did you attach your lining. Cement? It looks great and I am anxious to try it. My problem with the expedition kit is when I tried to put some stain on it the result was it got all smudgy so I did the whole thing with a smudgy look to it but it doesn't look too bad that way. I wish I had a pic but can't upload one right now.

What I do is pound the rivets flat so they sure and catch right. If it is done right there are no marks on the rivet head. Otherwise I am never quite sure wether it will hold or not. In my view a flat headed rivet looks just as good as a domed head on a rivet. But maybe it looks more machine made that way, I don't know. A rivet popping out has happened to me before also and it is frustrating and embarrassing sometimes. Actually a Chicago screw would probably be better in those places where there is a lot of stress.

I assume there are some limits as to what what ounce leather to use and what kind of leather. I don't think saddle skirting would be a leather to use for a briefcase. It seems 6-7oz leather would be the right thickness.

For myself being a newbee I am doing stitching because its too early for me to invest in a leather sewing machine and there is really no other alternative except lacing. But I will probably do sewing as the primary means some day as I get more intuned to leather making.

I am going to start and glue the pieces together like a puzzle. It would look nice for a book cover or something.

I looked at a red can of Weldwood and it didn't say anything on the label about using it on leather. But there was a small bottle of Weldwood cement and it said on the label that it can be used for leather. But that small bottle was almost $5.

Or is using shoe polish beneath a professional leatherworker, which I am not. Anyone use good ol shoe polish for their finish?

I wonder if Wellwood has the flexability that is a must or the leather pieces will eventually come apart. For instance a shoe soul is constantly being bent as one walks so something like Barge which is especially made for that is a must for a shoe repairman. I meant Weldwood, not Wellwood

Wow! That will raise some eyebrows. It looks beautiful.

That really looks nice. How long did it take. I am working on my first briefcase and its going to be a real challenge.

I'm a newbee when it comes to staining leather. I used Eco Floe that I bought at Tandy to stain a piece of leather and it just streaked and was uneven. What did I do wrong? Maybe a different stain or dye would work better. I wish I had a pic but don't have the tools to download one. I got a cellphone but don't know if I can download a pic onto a web site via a cell phone. I suppose most people that show pics use a camera to load it onto a web site. Anyway I see some of the pics of work done here on this site and it is amazing how nice some of that work is.

I am going to start making a briefcase which I will hand stich. The pattern shows hundreds of holes that have to be punched. If I try to punch those holes one at a time it will be a days project. Any tools that do it? I may have to rig something up myself. I did put a row of nails in a piece of wood and attached an iron backing and then hit it with a hammer but the leather is too thick for the nails to go through. Any ideas?

I use Tandy contact cement and it lost its runny quality and globs up and is thick. The caps always start to leak on those cans of cement. Any way to still make it usefull. Like maybe adding something. Next time I buy some I am going to put some in canning jars. Maybe that will help the cement to keep longer. Anyone else had that problem.

I bought the kit on a special and it went well following the instructions until the last part. I wonder if anyone has had experience with this kit. I tried utube but they don't have instructions on that site. I also checked the Tandy site and they didn't have any instructions there. If you have done it I didn't have any trouble until step #13 and that step is unclear. Anyone know how that step is done?

I am going to make a leather case and do double hand stiching. The leather is 8oz and I want to use a 4 or 6 prong chisel type tool to punch the holes for the stitching since there are a lot of holes that have to be made and it would take forever to use one punch on all those holes. The trouble is that the chisels I see advertised aren't for 8oz leather and the holes that they punch are too small for the stitching needles to enter easily. I need something that will punch fairly good size holes and do 4 or 6 holes at a time. Tandy has a 4 in 1 punch but it is only for 3 to 4oz leather. The one that I would want would be like the Tandy one but for 8oz or around that size. If no one makes such a chisel I suppose I will have to rig something up. Any ideas?

a cutting board may be one of those things that a person doesn't have to go out and buy. Maybe something laying around might fit the same purpose.

I have a New Home which is a pretty common home sewing machine. So what oz is the max on that? But I think what the problem might be is that to use a heavy weight thread won't work. I tried a thick thread and it did something that made the machine not work. The leather that I want to sew is 3mm thick and I can't find my chart to see what oz that is but it is too thick for my New Home to sew. Any home sewing machines that you know of that can sew that thick leather?

Of course sunlight is the best but what about electric lighting. What is the best for details?