BESON

Someone who purchased a leather tote from me had their bag stolen. Fortunately, they were able to recover the tote bag. I'd made the tote from a tumbled apache tan Horween leather and I've not been able to get more of it. So, the person was quite relieved to at least get the bag back (they say they were more concerned about getting the bag back than its contents...). Unfortunately, the person who stole it was less than caring and somehow managed to put a really deep scratch/cut into the side that is close to going all the way through the leather. I was thinking I might try to sew on some sort of patch that'd reinforce the weakened area. I'd probably make it some sort of animal design (e.g., a bird outline is something they're interested in) to make the patch look more "on purpose." I'm a bit stuck, though, on how I might do it. Could I glue on the patch first to make stitching it easier? Would it be a good idea to punch very small holes at either end of the cut to prevent it from tearing beyond that point? Also, as I'd want to use a different leather to make for a stronger contrast and to look more "on purpose," would I need to worry about one expanding/contracting more than the other? Any wisdom about patching a tear would be welcome ...

It might be a bit late, but springfield has some - http://springfieldleather.com/Side-Soft-Veg-Tan-Milled-5-6oz.

Thanks, Matt! This is super helpful information. I think my concern was just that I'd been sent a side that was a lower quality grade than advertised and paid for. Their website says that it's "standard/utility." When I asked for clarity before ordering, the retailer said that they requested and received the best from the tannery (their pricing would be consistent with what Wickett and Craig charges for their standard grade). For the particular projects I had in mind for this side, I was wanting something with fewer "blemishes/character" and I was willing to pay a bit more for it. If it's helpful, I attached a better picture of what I called "bug bites," though maybe it's just part of the finishing process. In any event, these are spread over the entire side. I'm just left wondering whether I got a lower grade than I paid for or whether this is truly reflective of what I should expect for their "standard" grade.

I just got a side of traditional harness leather from Wickett and Craig in their buck brown color. I ordered it from an online retailer who carries it rather than directly from Wickett and Craig. Before placing the order, I was told that the retailer stocks the "best" quality that Wickett and Craig offers. I noticed, though, a considerable number of "bug bites," for lack of a better way of putting it. The picture shows what I'm talking about and these imperfection extend throughout the side. I'm still pretty new to leather working, but I've ordered "seconds" quality leather from a Horween retailer and gotten much better quality with fewer imperfections. So, I was pretty surprised to get this. I definitely understand that as a natural product, such things are to be expected. But I was just wondering if others have much experience with this leather. Is this what I've should expect from their top grade? I'll defintely order direct in the future if I get another one, but I just don't know whether this is what I should expect.

Great! Thanks!

I've made a couple tablet/ipad/iphone type sleeves before and always guessed a bit on the dimensions, hoping that the final product will be snug enough to keep something secure but without being too much of a struggle to get things in/out. Is there any sort of "formula" for figuring out how much to add in order to accommodate for the depth of the gadget? For instance, if I've got something that's 6 1/4" wide by 1/4" deep, I'd plan to add about 1/4" for a seam on either side. How much would I add to account for the depth? I've always made patterns until I get it right, but just wondered if there was a rule of thumb for something like this.

I've just been making one-of type projects as I've been learning about leather working. Whenever I've made handles for something like a tote bag, I just guess and check how long the piece of leather needs to be to get the drop length I want when factoring how far apart it's attached. I'm not much for math sorts of things, but is there any sort of calculations that one can do to get a handle "drop" length? For instance, if I'm wanting an 8 inch drop (from handle extended to top of bag) and the two sides would be X inches apart on the bag, how long would the piece need to be (not including the extra that it hangs below to attach it to the side of the bag)? It seems like doubling the desired drop length gets me close, but I wondered if there was a better way of calculating things.

Thanks all for the input! I think it was a combination of the various things mentioned. Moving to a harder surface and rotating quarter turns helped a lot. I'd also been practicing on thinner scrap leather. While the posts weren't too long for the thin leather (i.e., there was still room in the tool once fully set), I was having to drive the burr further than I might normally, meaning more potential to bend the post. I'm now getting much more consistent and I've found that the quarter turns also gives me a chance to check things as they go, addressing a potential issue before it becomes one. Thanks!!!

I'm relatively new to leather working and just started trying to use copper rivets. I picked up a #12 setter and rivets from Weaver and I've been practicing, but I have encountered a problem: after hammering the burr down into place, the setter gets stuck to or on the post of the rivet. When this happens, it is very, very hard to get the setter removed from the post. I've been able to do it with the claw end of a hammer, but it ends up mangling the leather. It's just been practice pieces at this point and it doesn't happen every time (maybe 1 in 5 or 6). Any ideas what I might be doing wrong?