DavidL

I'm planning to make a fold over wallet with calf leather thats aniline tanned (1.2-1.4mm) . Can this type of leather hold its shape the same way oil tan holds its shape (not as stiff as vegtan but able to still retain shape). The leather on the website doesnt have pics of the product draped like some thin chrome tans seem to because it seems to be a bit stiff. It will be lined with another leather thats a bit stiffer to retain shape if its too soft or in-between the pieces some type of mesh or lexon.

http://leather-online.it/en/home/50-aniline-leather-black-calf-skin-for-leather-goods-bags-wallets-shoes-binding.html The leather seems like a steal at that price 12 square feet at $8/sq foot. Maybe 9-10 usable square feet still at 9-10 dollars. Other italian and french leathers are 18 - 25 a square foot for the leather hermes uses. Is this leather a cheap imitation of that sort of high end hermes type leather or a good priced premium calf leather in the quality range of what horweens puts out. This leather will be used for wallets both unlined and lined with thin leather. I will pay for the samples if they seem to have leathers that are high quality.

The bend or butt I would imagine would be the best, as the above poster said closest to the spine is the firmer leather. In most leathers (that I have used) the difference in weight is one ounce, slightly noticeable in thickness (.4mm) from belly vs shoulder/butt. Shoulder and butt are most firmer, bend is firm, belly is stretchier.

Which company is BL?

This tool I'm looking for is used for wallet edges on small chrome/aniline leather goods. The iron is heated up and pulled parallel to the edge like a regular creaser. The difference with the tool I'm looking for is that it not only creates a line, but the also flattens the area between the crease line and the edge. Any leads would be helpful. I believe its a popular tool but I can't seem to find the exact name to search for.

I made a wallet recently and have run into the issue where any dust from my fingers or dye on a rag can get my veg tan dirty quickly. What is the proper way to prevent any discolouration by the use of a finish - I use aussie and Im unsure how good it is at repelling stains. The veg tan i Have is like a sponge and will pick up any dirt and grime and then the finish is applied spreading the dirt everywhere. How can this be prevented?

Il have to invest in a dremel soon. Thanks for the idea.

appreciate the help looks like it can work

Does any one have any 3.5 oz horween leather or veg tan leather that you can fold over and take a picture of? Im trying to see if 3.5 ounce leather (1.4 mm) can fold over onto itself and look slim. My 2/3 ounce leather does it perfectly, but 3.5 oz is on the edge of being slim enough to do so. Any picture of 3.5 ounce veg tan, oil tan or horween pull up will help me out a lot. Thanks.

you can cast the thread, its the same as the first step of tying your shoes crossing the threads over. This was is usually done when stitching thick leathers (8 ounces altogether) since it can sometimes be harder to get the correct slant without casting the thread. In nigels videos he stitches with and without casting the thread. Casting the thread is when you loop the thread once. A "knot" is done when you cast the thread twice and I use it when ending a line of stitching, then cut the excess thread off, tuck in the last stitch hole and add some glue.

http://www.raymondtraders.com/rasant_industrial.html Has sizes m20 and m35 for sale but I can't find on the internet what size m20 or m35 is in mm.

if you do buy that book leathercraftool has the book for $25ish dollars

If you don't knot the thread it will come apart the same way your shoes will loosen up if you don't tie them up. The thread may hold up for a few months before it unravels. do a simple knot on the inside and clip the excess and it should hold up. If its stitching along the edge do an overhand knot, tuck the excess in the hole and add contact cement.

You should first cut an edge on the leather - sand the fibers - dye the edge - then add some sort of paste (beeswax, paraffin, saddle soap) and burnish with an edge slicker or canvas

If I choose to add a servo motor with a speed reducer can it be added to a 45k or 111 easily with simple tools? http://www.leathermachineco.com/products/motorsreducers/

I do it the same way it works great. Best way is to mark the first stitch is with a scratch compass set at 2mm or 3mm on both sides.

What type of common material is used besides leather stiffeners for the bottom of bags? Also what material is softer and holds it shape for things like wallets and w/ turned edges?

thanks!

from time to time you can find industrial vintage singer machines go for 100-200 from people trying to get it out of there shop. Other times you can find them at 500-800 for a 45k for example which can be seen on youtube sewing through veg tan without any problems. Domestic singers can probably handle light weight chrome tan at most and struggle to stitch vegtan for long periods of time.

I have a few questions Id like to get some opinions on. 1. Treadles. Can they be added to a non functioning electric singer (faulty wiring) and are all treadles compatible? 2. on the 45k and 111w can an edge guide be added? 3. Which of the 2 models work best as an overall machine also which will have the least problems?

thats what I was planning to do but I buy in bulk so I don't have to pay for multiple shipping fees. Buying 200-300 sq feet costs 400-500 to get it split so its cheaper for me to buy a crank splitter at the end of the day.

Thanks for the reply, it does help me out. Im planning to split leather first then cut out the pattern from the leather so the stretch may not be an issue. Thanks again.

Whats a good place or brand of a 6 inch leather manual splitter? Is there a way to adjust the splitter to exactly skive 3.5 ounces with a numbered guide? Can a splitter skive 6-10 ounces in one pass?

Its normal for leather to hold extra dye, rubbing it will take some of the dye out.

Best leather to stitch is thick, stiff veg. Chrome can be stitched.. but.. you can't cast the thread and the leather can't take hardly any tension. I will pull only 10 percent when the stitch is about to set in (imagine how much tension a sewing machine has when sewing chrome).