DavidL

Tried thinning white glue with water and no more glue on the edge. Thank you Art did expect it to be that simple.

The thinner might be the best bet What type of contact cement thinner do you use, the same brand or a type of generic brand?

what is the difference in length of the 2 big pieces that make up the large slot?

White glue, fiebings cement to be exact. Im switching to contact cement soon. So far the glue can be seen slightly between the two pieces of leather. With regular edge dye the glue obviously wont soak into the glue the same the leather. Im guessing its the same with edge paint? Best bet would be to get the glue to not show but on a large bag im sure some glue will show up between the edge.

I understand do as much tweaking on the pattern until as much of the problems are out, move onto a paper pattern to see if any more is needed, finally a prototype is made. From there if it is okay move on second prototype and if no problems are seen continue to production. If problems are still no hashed out create prototype 2 and so on. Im sure in any business that manufactures anything they have a system they use to work out to fix flaws, even then the version 2 comes out and its even better designed and better suited due to customer feedback like tap said.

To those that use edge paint with a heated tool, how well does the paint adhere to small amounts of glue that are sanded smooth (right betwwen layers). Would there be any issue with the paint not adhering?

Every time something is made there are small tweaks I can make that I didnt notice. How many prototypes do you make till you have a complete item that is sellable both in method and consistency?

that makes sense I will try it out on a scrap. I did this method without glueing first and it was super difficult to get 3 pieces to sit flush. There are so many variables that one way doesnt work out with the same technique. The results are slightly different with thicker leather since the prongs widen the hole too much in my opinion hitting it all the way through. In my opinion I believe this method is best if you want to make something small that you want to cut down on time since you dont have to angle the awl perfectly, just through the hole on the back and front.

The same iron on both sides works well. Only downside is that its difficult to align the first hole seeing as it is the opposite orientation on either side. Once you get it right it works fine the entire length of stitching. Do you glue the pieces then do the method. The two marks make an exact X? I tend to now do regular stitching but im open to try the other method again.

A few I have noticed: Keep a steady pace. Too slow and you will try to speed up to make up for the lost time creating errors Sand edges first then use the divider and pricking iron. If I use a divider on an uneven edge the line comes up so slightly uneven and the stitching will come out uneven. always leave somewhere near 1 cm of leather from the edge, never have the leather meet at a point on the edge. Most important is to imagine which pieces need special attention (thickness of leather, skiving) how a piece will be flexed and how the end product would look, feel and act. For example I made a cardholder with triangular pockets and the pocket wasnt secure enough. The stitching and length of a certain piece created a odd opening of the cash section. After 6 months the wallet showed spots that have extreme wear. I can then go back to the drawing table and figure out from there What are things you discovered through trial and error that make huge differences in the finished project? I may have to create a checklist of steps because I tend to forget a few after its too late.

A small shop I visit regularly is interested (or more like I convinced them) in doing consignment for small carry cases, wallets and belts. I will write up a contract or more likely gift it to them just to so there is no risk at all or strings attached. Im thinking of just black leather to keep cost down. How many items should I make and how many colours? Considering also to also keep construction to a minimum so there will be less chances of error.

Samurai swords are amazing pieces of art for sure. Its amazing how they were able to perfect the edge of swords way before any testing and modern equipment is available, all trial and error. I believe even to today's standard they still are up to par or above what is out now. Plus all the patterns that are made by folding and blending different steels. I think after reading these posts I will go back to a olfa box knife. I've tried stainless steel custom clicker knife, japanese kiridashi and the cheap olfa still cuts better than them all.

I dont know if low rc is the exact terminology but steels that are in the 30-45 rc that get a sharp edge with a steel where a japanese steel at 64 works better with a stone. Looking at your avatar I can see you make knives. What is you take on a knife in the 30-40 rc range. Is it sharp enough to cut leather well. All I know about knives like this are they are used mostly by chefs because it can be used with a steel.

Thats true I didnt think of that. I dont usually mould leather but it is definately limits things.

I been thinking of using a pricking wheel with edge guide, pricking iron then awl. This way there will be no scribe line visible after you stitch. Another piece of information I read is pricking right in the middle of a line so there is no scribe line either it just seems so difficult to get this right.

DMT stone then water stone. After im finished sharpening I flatten my water stone with DMT stone. Lower rc knives use a steel to "sharpen". Im not sure if a knife with low rc is not as sharp or if knife edge life is the only downfall. If the latter is the case I may pick up a low rc knife just because steeling a knife is fast and sharpening would be quick too.

Any one have a source of a metal pattern template cut by a laser. I've seen acrylic templates but I even cut into acrylic rulers. I cant quite get the angle right to avoid over cut, under cut, cutting into the ruler and cutting off the pattern.. So metal seems like the way to go.

If I was to stitch a saddle I would use a longer awl. A wallet I would use a smaller length and width awl.

The leather I picked up was from leathercrafttools.com. Prices are overpriced so the real price should be closer to horween I would imagine, could be more or less. I would start there and email the tannery. Look for a japanese shipping company that go into japanese stores buy the goods and send it out overseas. It would be much easier for them to call them and speak in their native language than you try to email them.

I've used japanese leather and its top notch. Patinas very well. It is very hard to find and you would have to make some calls and find a way to get a relationship with the supplier.

Ive been reading theleatherconnection manual #1 (havent finished the whole manual yet) but the way it is written for stitching w/ pricking iron is to prick so the scribe is in the middle. The iron should be vertical so you can see left and right of the scribe. Any one else do it this way. I have noticed if I straddle the line I can see the scribe line after stitching.

Nicely made. Looks like the width is right for the buckle and the egg point is not too narrow.

All my opinion. A mistake I made before that I see you might make just by the way the pattern is made. You may want to leave more space in-between the left and right slots (cant tell for sure but it looks like it would have less issues with folding if the gap was larger (keep in mind leather doesnt bend like paper http://www.ghurka.com/leather-wallet-pass-case-chestnut - take note of the gap. Search google and nearly all have larger gaps than your sample. If the gap is stitched too close togther on the bottom it will pinch, leave 2 cm or more (play around with the measurements. You may already know this but the middle spot betwen the left and right slot is not stitched to anything. The inner rectangle piece should open up till it is flat and the outer opens up slightly when the inner piece is flat The back piece I would use butt of the leather, the smaller rectangle piece I would use leather lower down towards the belly (has more flex and generally a bit thinner) or just thinner leather. The inner should be thinner in my opinion just so it is not so thick as a whole, plus it needs to bend more extremely seeing as it is in the inside not out. Using thick leather on the inside may not allow the wallet to stay closed. It is difficult to tell but the back piece looks taller than the smaller inner rectangle. From experience that little space between the two pieces will make the back piece's top edge bow inwards from sitting in your pocket. A thick or lined piece may be okay. Consider adding to the pattern so the inner touches all the way to the top. The edges need to be slightly thick so that it can hold shape, do not leave any piece unsupported if that makes sense unless necessary. On top of that if the outer is taller do not make it taller but much, the taller it is the less supported it is by the inner. 2mm offset the outer wont deform where a 10mm offset may. Last tip, consider designing the wallet length and width to accomodate a pricking iron in size 7 for example without having to make a stitch shorter or longer just to fit. for the edges of the card slot at a high SPI you do need to create a longer stitch preventing it from tearing the leather by being to close to the edge, this also can be added to the pattern (small hole for awl to mark).

Do not featherskive or it will tear in certain spots. You dont really need to skive either, its a preference since it is still thin.

I find it best to only go through a tiny bit on the backside, just 2 mm ( I may be able to shape the awl even thinner so it is same size as 2mm past the tip). The pricking iron goes 50 percent through the piece, stitching pony vertical and I watch the awl placement on the back so that it is spaced evenly. Some have amazing control that they dont look at the backside. All my opinion and may change as I go on. Another easy way is to put cork under the leather, sitting flat on a desk. Stab the awl straight down. Sharpening the tip so that it is rounded helps to sit in the pricking iron hole the same every time.