byggyns

You want to avoid granite for any punch tools. Even through the scrap leather, the surface is going to be too hard. It does not disperse the energy of the strike like other surfaces do. That's why it's great for tooling. Get an end-grain wooden or poly cutting board for under your punches. I use a cheap poly board with one layer of scrap leather over it and don't have any issues- from under 1/8" to 1/2" holes. A lot of folks use a section of hardwood log as their base for punching holes and using stitching chisels.

Another place for patterns that I have heard positive reviews of, but not personally used is: http://www.bighousedaddy.com/ Check out their stuff to see if they may have one that works for what you want. ETA: If you have any leather supplier close, go by to actually put hands on different leather types. Although I may not buy a lot of leather from Tandy, I have one close by, so I can feel what different types of leather are like. I can also drive a little farther away & get some better stuff from Weaver Leather.

A briefcase is a pretty ambitious first project. I won't say it can't be done, but you will likely be happier with your result if you build a few smaller items to practice stitching, setting rivets, cutting straps, attaching buckles, setting snaps, dying, finishing, etc. I'd suggest starting with things like a wallet, notebook cover, & belt. The amount of hand stitching you do on a double layer belt will really give you practice on stitching. I've already made several holsters, knife sheaths, notebook covers, and a belt, and am just to the place where I feel I could probably tackle a briefcase or messanger bag. For ideas of what people have used, check out the threads in the bags & purses sections. There are also tons of patterns for various bags in the pattern section Luggage, Briefcases, Satchels: http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showforum=99 Purses, Belts Wallets: http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showforum=67 As far as leather, the weight & type will depend on your intended purpose. If you want to add tooling, you will have to use veg tan. If not, oil tan, latigo, veg re-tan, and several others could be used. Most firm cases will be from 4 oz and up. Thinner leathers will result in a bag more prone to collapsing and not standing up by itself. I've seen some cases made from 8-9 oz, but that is thicker than I would probably use. I use that weight for holsters. For quantity, you will need at least a double shoulder for most bags, and depending on the size & design, you may need an entire side.

My great grandfather was a professional meat cutter / butcher for his whole life. That was in the days before they even used the metal mesh gloves much less the new kevlar ones. Each of his hands were essentially one big scar. He stopped cutting himself when he put his knives down for the last time after his second stroke- when he was in his late 70's. He taught my grandfather & father, who then taught me, how to maintain razor sharp knives and how to minimize, but not eliminate cuts while working.

The only time I've seen a curved slot serve a functional purpose was on a 3 slot pancake holster I bought before I started leatherworking. The front slot was curved so that there wouldn't be any binding from using either of the rear 2 slots: either vertical or the 20 degree cant positions. This could probably be accomplished by just making a slightly larger front slot, but this way the slot stayed smaller and more snug on the belt, yet was able to accommodate either position.

Magnets do not function extremely well with stainless steel. They don't hold on as well as with carbon or mild steel. Depending on the stainless alloy, they sometimes don't hang on much at all. I would agree that rubber is the way to go - perhaps a thin shoe sole material. I'd go with a chrome tanned or oil tanned leather.

That is a great use for some small scraps. I like the design and execution.

I'm wondering about the non-stitched corners / edges. Did you just use edge paint on the folded grain side or did you sand or edge bevel them before the paint? It is another great creation that you've come up with.

What type of dye are you using? I know that my local hobby store sells a few different kinds. If you are using the EcoFlo all-in-one, which is what I see the most of at Hobby Lobby, then you won't get much (or any) penetration from the oil because the all-in-one has a sealer as well as the dye in it. If you are using Fiebings spirit dyes, you should be able to get oil into the leather after dying. I usually dye and oil before I cut out my patterns, so I don't have to worry about any size changes. The exception is when I'm doing tooling & need to dye after cutting & tooling. Some people moisten leather before dying. It helps to even out the dye application and maintain the moisture level in the leather. I've even heard of oiling the leather prior to dying, but have not tried that one personally. I also agree with Monica about the leather you use. In my experience, better leather stays more supple. Some leather also has a "pasted" flesh side. The paste can resist water (more difficult for wet forming) and oil penetration on the back side.

If you will be using the stitching punches / chisels, you should have a 2 prong in addition to the 4 prong. The 2 prong will allow you to work around curves more easily. I find that I don't use the 4 prong much. I use the 2 prong and 6 or 8 prong (some smaller stitch lengths are available in 8) much more often.

I think dry brushing would be the first thing I would try. Dye your base color- a light shade like a tan. Then use your dark brown or another dark color with a dry brush technique. You can vary the intensity of the dark color by diluting it to give you multiple shades in the grain.

Is it possible? Yes it is. Is it a little too ambitious for a first project? Probably. I would suggest your first attempt be a solid color- straight from the bottle color, just to familiarize yourself with the procedure and the materials. You can get the color effect you want, but I don't think you will be able to get it with only the eco-flo dyes. They are water based, so they will bleed in the leather. You cannot use a mask or resist with them. Also, you didn't specify if you wanted to use the Eco-flo professional waterstain or the standard Eco-Flo dyes. I've used the pro waterstain multiple times, and it gives a great color-fast result. For getting the correct color: mix the dyes off the leather. Applying layers of different colors may work for some colors, but not with black. It will just stay black. Mix up some blue with a very small amount of black, then increase the black to a level you like. Use small 1 in square test pieces at each ratio. It does not take much black to darken any other color. Measure the amounts of the dyes exactly. You want to be able to scale up your ratio to a large enough volume for the entire piece. Also, make sure to wear gloves when working with the pro-waterstain. I didn't on my first knife sheath & have a nice finger print of a lighter shade where the dye didn't soak in as much in one spot. To add a light colored design after you've dyed the leather a dark color, I suggest acrylic leather paint. Angelus makes them. Many people also use regular acrylic paints from the art or craft store. The paint stays on the surface rather than soaking into the leather. It is probably the most reliable way to get a good contrast with a white design on dark dyed leather. After dying and painting, you can use resolene. I have never gotten a plastic looking result with it. The grain tends to look smoother, but still like natural leather. I thin it 50/50 with distilled water, then apply in multiple thin coats. Do a lot of reading about the various kinds of dyes, antiques and finishes in the dedicated sub-forum. It will definitely save you some headaches with experimenting, but you will still have to try things out before you get the result you want. The biggest lesson to learn with dyes and finishes is patience. You have to let them dry thoroughly before moving to the next step. That sometimes means doing 30 min of work, then setting it aside to dry for 24 hours before you get to touch it again.

Yeah, JB Weld will work just fine since you don't have to worry about it being a structural or load bearing piece.

It really depends on the type of leather and if you are just trying to refresh the leather or re-color / dye it. If it is a latigo, you will have a hard time getting dye to soak into the leather. Latigo is a "stuffed" leather, There are waxes and oils that are forced into the leather structure which will resist attempts to dye the leather: even 20 years later. I have several latigo belts and the only product that has been able to put any color on them is a surface treatment like edge kote- which I use to refresh the edge color. I haven't tried using any acrylic paint on them because I'm afraid that would crack too easily. If you are just looking to refresh the leather, something like lexol would help to get it more supple and shiny. Sanding should not be done on the top / grain side if it is a full grain leather. You would irreparably damage the structure of the leather. Denatured alcohol can be used to strip off surface sealants, but can have adverse effects on the existing dye. I've heard of people using acetone to do the same thing, but that seems a little too harsh for my taste and I haven't personally tried it. After stripping the finish off of a veg tanned belt, it would be able to accept dye and oil and then can be re-sealed with resolene or some other surface sealant.

Honestly, Jim, I use your method more often than doing the math. The practical, rather than theoretical approach tends to be faster. Mostly, I use the math when making an initial pattern for a prototype. That way, I can layout any other pieces of the project and / or the tooling pattern to see how the composition will come together. Then, I revise the final dimensions with the test strap. The math also helps if you don't have the object on hand to test at first. Mainly, I provided the math because he asked for a formula due to being frustrated with his own calculations. If he used the same calculations I provided and still came up short, then I can't explain that. It gets me pretty close each time, but as you said leather has its own rules and all hides are a little bit different in how they behave.

If you want the math, take the diameter of your object, add the thickness of the foam x2, add the thickness of the leather x2, add 1mm for interference- nothing fits together exactly with no gaps. Multiply that sum by Pi ~ 3.14. That would get you a close to perfect butt joint. Since you want a 10mm overlap, add that 10 mm to the total, then add the leather thickness x2. That should get you pretty close to the measurement you want. An example is a 70mm cylinder, 2mm foam, 3mm leather. Add them together with the allowance for inexact fit, you get 81. Multiply that times Pi, and you get approx 254 mm. This should be very close for a butt joint. Add your 10 mm overlap and your leather thickness twice, and you end up with approx 270 mm. The biggest issues most people have with the math are forgetting to add the thicknesses of the wrap layers twice before multiplying: my normal mistake- I only add the thicknesses of each layer once forgetting that the leather measurement should be for the outside of the leather, since the outside grain does not stretch much, but the flesh side will compress more easily- so they don't add the leather thickness at all before multiplying not giving any allowance for the inexact fit between the layers not taking into account the leather thickness for the overlap: not adding it at all, or not adding an additional allowance for the bend outwards ETA: If you are overlapping the foam, you will have to add even more length onto the leather for that added thickness.

If you are not tooling, then I would suggest using latigo leather in 7-9 oz thickness for the belts. Before I started doing leatherwork, I bought all my belts from an amish leather shop & they alway sold me latigo belts. I have one that is over 15 years old that still works and looks great. You can also use veg tan and dye, oil & finish them yourslf for more customer color options. If you line the belts, there are even more options of leather for that: pig skin, garment leather, suede, veg tan, oil tan, etc. You can also use a thick veg tan or latigo base & do a thinner surface leather or do an inlay. There are just too many options with belts to list them all. Al Stohlman's book "Belts Galore" is a great resource if you want to get into tooling belts. It has lots of construction and tooling patterns. For basic assembly & design, you don't really need it. You can find that info online. But it does have really good information on construction techniques.

For belts, holsters & sheaths, Weldwood. When I'm doing book binding: weldwood to attach the leather to the boards or to other leather, white PVA to attach paper to the leather or boards. When using a fabric liner, I'd probably use the spray. I've had good luck with 3M Super Trim Adhesive when doing automotive headliner replacements & upholstery, and I don't see why that wouldn't work really well on a fabric to leather interface.

If you use Excell & have lots of standard designs, you can create formulas to calculate usage of materials. Have 1 sheet that tracks each item you make, then another that uses a formula to translate that into amount of leather, snaps rivets, thread, etc. used. After you set up the formulas, you would only need to enter the quantity of each item you produce, have an extra field for any custom orders or waste, and then use that to track inventory. If you do lots of variations in colors of thread or hardware, it would be just copying the formula and changing a few fields in them. you would just have to make sure you recorded the correct item as it was made: brown wallet, white thread; Black 20" collar, red thread nickel hardware, etc. I haven't played around with any databases recently, but that might be the best way to go. Setting those up takes forever, though. I don't do leather as a business, so I can't really say how easy it would be to even get the spreadsheet set up & into operation. But, at teh office, I've had to set up lots of multi-page spreadsheets to compile results, and that seems similar.

If you want light color letters with a dark background, dye the letters first, apply a resist to only the letters: your resolene, then dye the darker color over it. be careful, or you could get color bleeding around the edges. Also remember that the dye color combinations will be different, so test it on scrap first. For dark letters on a light background, dye the whole thing the light color, then come back with a brush & carefully dye the dark letters. Again, dye bleeding can be an issue, but since there is no resist, there is an even greater chance. For bright colored letters, use acrylic paints like Angelus or Cova Color. For your green / brown, you can use a brush to dye the letters, then use a resist on the letters, then use the brown dye. As with anything with dyes & finishes, do tests first on scrap to see how it works with your particular combination. I haven't used the oil dyes, so I'm not sure how that changes how it interacts vs. the spirit syes.

my order with a holster will not fit everything else, but you may be able to draw some insight from it cut out patterns, leaving liner a little larger than the outer piece tool / stamp holster body (if any) dye, antique or highlight light oil with neatsfoot to restore what was stripped in dying process install any loops, straps, snaps, rivets glue liner to outer in stages: glue front of holster, start the fold over, glue rear of holster trim liner flush with front piece groove, mark & stitch liner to front in areas not folded over sand, edge bevel, dye, & burnish all edges not accessable when fully assembled glue stitched area for fold over mark stitches, saddle stitch sand stitched edges edge bevel, dye & burnish edges of folded over seam wet form to weapon, let dry completely buff to prevent dye rub-off apply finish (resolene), buff, repeat final buff with a little neutral shoe polish Of course, different holster designs call for adding steps in certain places & moving the order around in others, but this is a basic list for a lined holster. Unlined, I just remove the steps relating to the liner. Knife sheaths are nearly the same, but I normally don't line those. 2 piece holsters don't get liners & don't require a fold, but will normally use a stiffener piece.

My grandfather played back in the 40's / 50's and they used wooden sticks. The sticks are laced with cat gut and rawhide leather. He has 2 sticks that are still strung 65 years later. I don't know how they waterproofed the lacings, but I'll ask the next time I see him. I'd suspect some type of tallow. I'll also try to get some pictures of the sticks & his old laminated & laquered leather helmet so you can see some vintage gear.

I use the weldwood. I find that if you rough the leather up a little before using it: a light sanding to remove any surface glaze, that it works better. I also only let it get tacky, not dry completely. Once I put the surfaces together, I tap the joint with a mallet. I find that without the tapping, it does not stick as well.

When I saw the pictures, I thought they were hog rings. Thanks for confirming that. Are they stainless? It has been a while since I looked at hog rings, and can't remember if they are mild steel or stainless.

I think it depends on what is used take the pictures. Sometimes pictures taken with mobile devices don't encode the orientation the same way the websites do. Someone who actually does this stuff professionally may be able to give you a better explanation. I also like the fact that you are a stickler for grammar. It does bother me constantly in forum posts, but I rarely point it out.