Loriner68

Would you be willing or interested in dying a hide in this colour for me? What do you charge for it?

thanks for the answer...I wasn't be clear. The cut would have to be on the flesh side, so the grain sides come closer together. Beautiful work by the way.

Another question...I looked at your April 2015 post on the shoulder bag. Where did you get the hide from? It's a beautiful rich tan. The Italian double shoulders and bends available here in Australia have changed dramatically in colour over the past 3-4 years. They used to be a vibrant and deep saddle tan, which is what it's formally called for this market, but the colour now is more like a medium brown. Virtually no red or orange in it. It's a great shame, and the merchants here don't really care..they just get what they get, no questions. It's out there, still being made, but can't seem to get here. Maybe it's my poor research skills.

Thanks Jonasbro, I wanted to ask one last question. I had a close look at the gusset you made, and the groove process. It looks very sound, and solid. Two photos in succession show the cut then the groove. It's then folded back to create a square bend. Do you think from the way you worked it that it would work if you bend it outwards. I'm guessing you'd need to be careful and adjust the depth of the initial cut then removing excess leather ( with groover) to ensure it gives a square bend. And stays in place once dried. cheers Martin

Jonasbo, what is the leather you've used for your case? Is it the 3.2mm Italian double shoulder? and is it dyed through or natural? From the photos it doesn't look too waxy. More water absorbent? many thanks

Brian, bridle or at least English bridle can be quite waxy, with a bit of oil, so can be resistant to water penetration. But as you say and Matt S say, best to experiment and find a less waxy hide. English bridle can vary a great deal depending on the tannery. I'll definitely try clamping in an angle iron. Good idea. I'll also try giving a lot of over-hang, bend and clamp, then when dry trim the edge to 10mm. I want a fairly crisp square corner, so cutting in a groove on the flesh side might work. Also, Jonasbo: impressive work in that photo blog. I'll have to study it a bit to see if it's similar to what I'm trying to do. Thanks to all. cheers martin

Dear all I'm new to the forum, and would like to ask advice about how to make a sharp 90 degree fold/bend for edges of a gusset. I'm replicating an old leather tool case made in 3.0mm veg tan bridle leather. I want the edges turned up at 90 degrees fold, so that it holds it's shape and the gusset remains stiff. I've done a test by running a groove 10mm in from the edge, then wetting it and gently bending until it's a right angle. But the bridle leather isn't natural un-dyed hide, but is dyed through, and a bit waxy, so the water isn't really penetrating the leather. It's an old technique, but I'm not sure how to get a good result. A saddler suggested using natural or raw hide to wet mould it, then apply dyes, oils and waxes, after it dries stiff. But then another suggested it can be done with dyed through hides, just have to be patient with it and keep working the edges until you get the shape right. can anyone with experience in doing this advise what I can do? thanks Martin