DavidL

hand skiver (skife, super skiver, japanese utility knife, book binders paring and a few others) , sandpaper, sanding drum attach. on a dremel, japanese wood working skiver. Best all around knife if I had to choose one would be japanese utility knife, it can cut perfectly straight lines without a ruler, cut curves, pull cut, push cut and used as a chisel for a perfect straight cut and skive edges. Only the first watch is wrapped (maybe) but the leather if thin enough .4mm 1 ounce doesnt need to be skived. Needs to be .4mm or at least .6mm it could be 1mm thick at the most. Youtube has a few good examples search around you will find out how to do it in a few minutes.

and mine.

Great Ideas! I'll try them all. Thanks.

I'm having difficulty cutting out chrome leather my knife is pretty sharp (has no secondary and primary bevel) it sort of just curves to an edge. This knife is a clicker knife and it works well on veg but when cutting on chrome or pull up it pulls the leather to the side while I'm cutting and the end result is bad. Is this an issue of the knife or can leather with stretch only be cut with the use of a die cutter?

Box calf is the toughest type of leather to stitch on according to an article about hermes. Is the leather super soft and formless like regular fabric? or a has a bit of shape like horween pull up or stiff chrome leather? Im receiving a sample from http://charleshardtke.com and hopefully it will work out a bit nicer, maybe its worth checking out. Could you post a few pics of how it folds and the stitches on it I'm really interested.

I believe that isn't how the inverse iron is used. Its used traditionally so the corners instead of the last stitch going to the top of the hole it ends up at the bottom making a cleaner corner. Perhaps hermes uses the inverse? instead of the same iron on both sides. With the different angles the back stitch sits angled like the front so It works well. For some reason with a single angle the back side is consistent but angled at 15 degrees.

Was the leather you order french calf? Id love to see the finished product with french leather. 3/4 may be too thin and it looks like that bag was made of 4/5 or 5/6. The shape of the pattern would look like a cross, although not symmetrical If you start from a small toiletry bag (pretty simple) you would get a better understanding when you get to something at a larger scale. Also making the bag from fabric will also ensure that the bag will come out nicely.

Sometimes they do roll the edge. When they do roll the edge they first roll it over, contact cement, then carefully use a dremel to thin the inside till its nearly there.

sanding the area down leaving .5mm gap from the edge of the section that is being glued down, then stitch like normal.

I hit it with the same iron and match it up, if done correctly the you won't be able to recognize which side was stitched from the front or back. I could be wrong but I believe that he didn't cast the thread/ throw the loop since he went went forward instead of backwards so the threads aren't tangled together. I wonder if hermes does cast the thread, but most items I seen look like they don't have a cast.

very cool insight! I also do both sides and its so much easier.

how do leather suppliers prevent dye from rubbing off? They have to dye at least a few hundred pieces a day. I can't imagine them rubbing each piece.

The website is still processing my account so it may be a while. So far I tried turmeric with olive oil and I gotten a caramel coloured piece, with water and turmeric it came out transparent yellow. I like how the colour is nearly consistent throughout. Im thinking mixing anything thats in powder form with olive oil or some sort of transparent oil (rubbing alcohol?mineral oil? baby oil?) will soak into the leather and create a permanent bond.

The singer 201 looks like it would work well if you only sew thin garment, upholstery or canvas, same goes with the 15- 91. Handcranked or treadles will work fine for leather. My grandma has a 1890- early 1900s singer type treadle machine similar to a 15-91 thats still working perfect only for cloth though so they last a long time (one made for leather may take more abuse). However in real life situation I haven't a clue if a singer 45k will last a long time and you may be buying a singer 45k at the middle of its life span or one thats about to quit working. But even if you pick one up at say 100 and get it fixed if necessary its still less than any industrial machine as they start at 1k and up.

glass will shatter if you freeze it btw. I've had a hard time with dyes being consistent on the flesh side the dye is splotchy. It could be that the leather is bad quality and my technique is a little off. I hear that vinegaroon actually dyes better and the colour is more even. Is there a way to add blue indigo dye or add blue berries to change the colour of vinegaroon or will it turn out a huge mess?

singer 45k. can sew through leather. some people get them handed down and are just trying to free up space and are willing to let it go for 100-200 bucks.

They could at very least break even by selling at clearance for the irons some people will pick it up. The margins on the craftool/ tandy items are HIGH as they are cheaply made in China in large orders. People have to accept the fact that they have to pay more for Made in USA or Made in Canada items and many are following that trend. China also deliberately devalues their dollar so countries can get better value when they convert their currency when trading. Increase in minimum wage also make it difficult for items to be made domestically for instance B.C, Canada is attempting to raise minimum wage to 13 dollars and the high cost of owning property for industrial buildings vs Made in China who also has some factories that are relatively high quality. Recently the way to by pass this is for small shops to start selling made in America/ Made in Canada merchandise which has made a small impact.

Should have been more clear, Im looking for the same type of stiffener, the brand doesnt matter as much. Il send an email but normally companies never give away their production process so I thought id ask here.

Amazing. How does it hold up?

39 second mark.

run a creaser down a straight edge and fold the leather over and use something like a press or books to hold it down for a while. Water on the fold line could help it fold easier. Oil tan leather (first pic) doesnt hold its shape that well. Most bags use veg tan for rigidity (moulded to the shape) or at very least a stiffener like hard plastic sandwiched between thin leather.

Thanks Tom I am slightly familiar with UPS and I have cleared packages myself before, but its a huge hassle. I also called the UPS customer service and they gave me a good quote For reference to Canadians: Using express shipping by UPS (by air only) 10 dollar minimum bond fee (or 2.7 percent), plus HST, and duties. However I hear that sometimes there are hidden fees that UPS don't disclose so I figured Id ask, as UPS is notorious for high C.O.D fees by ground shipping.

probably 100-150 for shipping for 200 square feet is a guess. Which store did you find the box calf for 18?

I've read some good and bad stories on the UPS express fees from imported items coming into Canada. Recent fees have been 30-40 percent of goods paid at the door from my purchases. With UPS express (air - which doesnt have brokerage, but a bond fee) their fees are generally random and you could get hit with a 40 percent fee or just a 10 percent based on forums on the web. Has any one have a clue how much in fees I should expect for a 1 grand item shipped from italy to Canada.

too add to the discussion, casting the thread/ throwing the loop on thin leathers(two - 2 ounce leather) may not work because the thickness isn't enough the fit the two threads which are tangled together. In thicker leathers the added thickness can take up the tangled thread better.