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TwinOaks

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Posts posted by TwinOaks

  3. Posted · Report reply

    Read this part and then go do it....isolate those from any other leather IMMEDIATELY. Bagging them in ziplocs is fine, as long as they're zipped. Now...Shtoink is right on track with making patterns out of those. You might be able to clean them, but the leather is probably rotten. You'll need a specific work area to clean those, preferably outside and away from any other leather. After you spend several hours or days cleaning them and soaking, and re-conditioning them, you'll be able to tell if you got all the spores that are buried down inside the leather....if you didn't, it'll come back pretty quick.

    At that point, you could use them as a pattern for new bags, then give the old ones back and tell your customer that they were beyond reasonable repair. Your customer will probably appreciate that more than losing something in them when they fall apart. Incidentally....if they are sewn with natural fiber thread, the thread is more than likely rotted as well.

  5. Posted · Report reply

    One issue you may be having is that the leather you're using isn't thick enough for a single welt. That can easily be remedied by having some thicker scrap pieces on hand. And should you need to add additional welts, cut the welts at a taper.

    The other that I can see is, yes, you need to form the leather for the handle....or stop the pouch below the scales. You could even go so far as to have the welted section stop below the scales, and use a slightly wider pattern for the containment of the handle. You cut the pattern out in somewhat of a wedge shape, and when you stitch the sides 'straight', the excess leather of the wedge will bow 'up', giving you the room you need.

    You still might need to do a little wet forming for a snug fit, and you'll want to play with tooling on an arc, so that the pattern will come out straight when you bow it.

  7. Posted · Report reply

    You might also consider oil tanned leather.

    And here's somthing that i'd like to gripe about.....the saddleback page "leather 101" is VERY misleading, and full of inaccuracies. So, if you are using that page as a source for leather knowledge.....find a different and better source.

    Of particular note: In the section with pics of "cheap" leather....it's a completely different type of tanning. They're using real pics of different leather types and claiming superiority based on the implication that they're the same type of leather....then use their false claim to justify their pricing.

    They seem to be using oil tanned; veg re-tan; or bridle leather. They're comparing it to alum tanned / "tawed" leather ( perhaps latigo).

    COMPLETELY different leather. And they've inaccurately described full grain and top grain....there, i'm done griping.

  8. Posted · Report reply

    Google-fu says that it's primarily an additive that acts as a carrier for other things......and at roughly $1200.00 / gallon (listed at $1169 for 4 liters). I don't think i'll be trying it....ever.

    A commonly used alternative to NF is extra virgin olive oil; then theres Lexol, and I also really like Aussie leather conditioner.

  12. Posted · Report reply

    First off, the dye doesn't polish up...that's the leather. It's taking a light burnish fromthe buffing.

    Next....you don't really have to put a finish on the vinegaroon. You do need to oil it, or rub in some conditioning. There's a lot of information about the 'roon in the threads about it.

    As far as a 'flat' finish....any (grain side of vegtan) leather is going to get some shine to it when it starts getting used...it's just part of how the leather wears in. You may want to try just conditioning the leather and see if it will stay 'flat' enough.

  16. Posted · Report reply

    Slick has hit the biggest point here: you need sharp tools to cut things. Look at picking up a few regular hole punches in the sizes you use most. The interchangeable tip punhes are really only suited to punching through really thin leather or vinyl. Look at the end of the punch, and you'll see a very pronounced shoulder to the cutting edge. That shoulder is actually preventing the ounch from getting through the leather. If you grind/ sand that down, you'll have a much easier time. Or....just get an actual hole punch in the correct size, it's a very obvious difference.

    Here's a pic comparing the two...same size hole:post-5374-0-60566400-1361720486_thumb.jp

    Once you have your hole punches with some proper angles, you'll still need to sharpen it. There's some videos on youtube that demo it very well.

    Alright...punches addressed. Cutting surface: you need to have a soft surface to protect the punch's edge, and under that you need something with significant mass. The mass under your cutting surface can be as simple as some heavy lumber, a sturdy table, or a block of rock. My set up is a 'poundo' board on top of my granite slab. When I tool, I just flip them to put the padding under the rock.

    So....what should you hit it with? As much hammer or mallet/maul as you can comfortably use. It's okay to hit it more than once....and that's where the mass under the cutting board come into play. The more mass you have, the more the tool will cut because the energy from the mallet/hammer isn't enough to move it. That means all of the energy is going to be used in driving the punch through the leather.

    If you try to punch holes on something flimsy like a card table, you'll notice a lot of bounce, and te hole may not be struck through.

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