MtlBiker

Thank you again for your kind and patient advice. I really appreciate it. I just watched a YouTube video by Hahns Atelier and he did something I'd never seen before... It looked like he used Tokonole on the edges and after burnishing them, he applied Fiebings Edge Kote. Do you have any opinion about that?

I don't know what's in the TG or Tokonole but are you saying that one is better than the other for chrome tan? I'm working on my second AirPod case, again using veg tan and I can use TG, Tokonole or Edge Kote on the edges... I just don't have the experience to know which would be best or if it really matters. I've still got to work on the edge sanding though as I'm not happy yet with how it's coming out. The sides look pretty good but where the sides join the top/bottom pieces it's like a flap of thin leather there. Is that normal? And should I just use my edge beveler to get rid of it, or is there another technique I should do before edge beveling? In any case, I think I'm going to mark my stitch line and start stitching it up. I'll finish the edges after that. Thank you for the kind words! I'm getting better but I have SO much to learn!

That's a good idea! I DO have (since last week) a belt sander which I now keep in my business workshop. But when I'm doing my sewing stuff at home (which is where I always do it) unless there is something bigger and tougher I would sand by hand at home. And one of those sanding blocks would certainly help. I can see you don't spend much time in the makeup aisle! Neither do I, but I think you're talking about a nail file. But what other goodies are there for finishing and dying? Surely you wouldn't use nail polish on leather, or would you? @PastorBob - Thank you again for the great advice! I picked up a 4" x 36" combo belt sander just last week, on sale here at Canadian Tire. But I'll be keeping it at my workplace workshop so unless I've got something special to sand, I'd do it at home by hand. Are there pros/cons to using either Tragacanth Gum or Tokonole to burnish edges? And does using something like Edge Kote eliminate the need to use them? All I did on this one was sand by hand (and I think my sandpaper was not coarse enough) and then apply Fiebings Edge Kote. That was my first time using it. I buffed it a bit with a canvas cloth. But always more questions... I applied Fiebings Leather Balm with Atom Wax to that colored veg tan and buffed it. But when I put the thing in my bag this morning I found the leather got marked up by other items. Is there a product recommended for making the leather a little more resistant to indents and/or scratches? I will certainly make another one... and try to incorporate all the suggestions and things I learned with this first one.

Thanks! Glad you like it! And thank you for the helpful advice you offered me, over and over. Without that my result wouldn't be anywhere near as good. @Dwight - Great advice, thanks! You're right on about installing the female part of the snap at the very end. I didn't do that, and it is slightly off center. Next time will be better. I forgot to mention that I was very skeptical that this particular technique would work, but it did. That is, I stitched it all together without first having formed the leather. Only then did I wet the leather and try to open up the inside by forcing it with my fingers. I was surprised that I was able to stretch out the leather enough for the AirPods to fit inside. I'm pretty pleased with the result even though there's lots of room for improvement. Glad you like it! And thank you for the often given advice. The contents? Apple AirPod Pro. And the inside of the snap is extremely thin and flat but I also skived around the hole a bit so that it would really be a little below the surface of the interior leather. No danger of scratching the AirPod case. @PastorBob - Great advice! Thank you. After you sand the edges you say you can't see the seam... is that even before you edge kote or burnish the edge? One thing I'm having a lot of trouble with is radius-ing the corners. I'm doing it bit by bit using my skiving knife. I did buy a rounded corner punch from Zelikovitz in Ottawa, and it was a total waste of money. It is SO dull that even pounding away at it with a mallet all it does is depress the leather. Doesn't cut. It is the least sharp tool I've ever seen. And I don't really know how to sharpen it properly as obviously you cannot use a flat stone. I've got to find a better chisel for doing round corners. SIGH Yes, it was a long learning curve for me, especially so since my only real resource is the kind folks on this forum and YouTube. I made a lot of beginner mistakes. I think I'm going to try making another one, just to see if this experience taught me anything. Cheers!

As the title says, I'm going to show the first project I made that is worth showing. It's been a long hard road but thanks to the many helpful members here who gave great advice, I'm slowly (ever so slowly) improving. I wanted to do some hand stitching with leather (even though I have machines) and I was looking for something relatively simple that would help me gain experience with leather working in general and hand stitching in particular. I found a business card pouch pattern (from Ivan Leatherworks) and I carefully traced the pattern on my leather and cut it out. Then I dyed it. And novice that I am, I was surprised at the amount of shrinkage that resulted. A piece that was supposed to be 7 3/8" long shrunk down to only 7". Back to the drawing board... Then I found some patterns for making AirPod Pro cases. I made one using chrome tanned leather (because I liked the red color of that leather) and while it's alright, the pattern wasn't all that great and the leather was too soft. I found another one (Ivan again) and I spent big bucks to get his PDF pattern. (Okay, it was only ONE big buck.) This time I was using a pre-dyed piece of veg tan. I carefully cut out the pieces and then painstakingly finished the edges and even finished the leather with Fiebings Leather Balm with Atom Wax. Looking good! Then (again novice that I am) I couldn't figure out how the pieces went together and something seemed to be missing. Turns out that one of the pieces I cut was going to be the gusset and there was no mention at all that you'd need two of them. Nothing in the pattern or instructions about that. SIGH Of course all you experienced folks would have known right away, but not me. So I cut out the missing piece, finished the edge and used the leather balm. Then I needed to start the stitching... The main body part had 18 stitch holes marked in the pattern but the gusset pieces only had 17. (The PDF pattern seems to have been wrong.) And I'd punched all the holes as per the pattern. So of course 17 doesn't go into 18 evenly. SIGH I then decided to ignore the holes I'd punched in the gusset pieces, and to simply use my (newly sharpened) awl to punch through from the main piece to the gusset, making new holes. It was for practice after all. I started stitching one of the gussets in place and of course this thing wouldn't fit into a stitching pony so I was holding it all in my hands. I started stitching and it was going really really well. I was pleased. Then when almost finished stitching the first gusset, I pierced the thread with my needle and didn't notice until I pulled it all tight. Screwed! So I put that aside, with the intention of removing all the thread and starting over in the morning. In the morning I decided to try yet another pattern for the AirPod case. This one from Tutuia (on Youtube). And that's what I'm finally going to present. I started this morning, again using a pre-dyed veg tan leather that was about 4oz. I cut out the (two) pieces. I finished the edges (still learning all that). I installed the snap closure. I glued the two pieces together and when dry I marked my stitch line. I punched part way through the top leather layer and then used my awl to push the holes all the way through. I managed to stitch this without piercing the thread. When done, I sanded the edges all around and used Edge Kote to finish them. Then I applied the leather balm. Yes, this is a long winded story, and if I've bored you, I apologize. But I wanted to share the frustrations I've been through as well as my experiences with these patterns. It's been a learning experience for sure (that's what was needed) and certainly every step along the way could have been done better. But I'm pretty pleased, and I'm sure my next attempts at a project will benefit from this experience. And I'm extremely grateful for the kind and patient help you folks have given me with all my beginner questions. I don't know what I would have done without that.

Just a small update... My dealer has been in touch with Osborne about this creaser and they have agreed that something is wrong and will replace it free of charge. They're sending the replacement to the dealer and I should have it in about a week. I'll report what the difference is between the new one and the "old" one.

It's at least 6 hours drive each way. I'd probably do it IF I was sure of everything about the machine, but maybe I'm just too suspicious as for me it doesn't pass the smell test.

I guess you're calculating that 40% saving based on the US price converted to Canadian, plus Canadian sales taxes. And that's a great suggestion to get the seller for a video of it working. It's just a little strange in my opinion that the wording makes it sound like a new machine, even with the photo and text copied from the Cobra website. If you were selling such a machine, you'd surely post a photo of the actual machine, right? And you'd say something like used very little, only to go to Church on Sundays (oops, that's the car I'm selling!). It would be like selling your used car and posting photos of the new one from the maker's site complete with their spec sheet. Something strikes me as just not right with this.

Just my luck... after finding that I REALLY like the Eco-Flo Leather Weld (not their Leather Glue) I placed an order for some more. I just got an email from Tandy (Canada) saying it was now out of stock with no idea of when/if it would be available again. SIGH They suggested I buy their contact cement instead.

Looks like it must be a used machine to me. And having the lifetime warranty part in quotes... I think they're just quoting Cobra. $2500 (Canadian) seems like a good deal, but without a photo of the actual machine being offered, you really can't tell much. The photo looks like a product photo directly from Cobra and it looks like it has a speed reducer pulley as well. And the text reads like it was taken from the Cobra product page. Many large "spoils" of thread, some leather, etc. I'd be very skeptical about the machine and what it actually looks like (heavy use? Banged up?). Ad says Robert Smith is the owner. Why can't people just be up front with what they're offering without having to fake things? (Just checked, the wording on the ad is mostly taken directly from the LeatherMachine web listing for this machine.) The seller seems to be trying to somewhat mislead.

Thanks. Next time I order from them I'll give that cement a try. You like it better than say, Lepage Heavy Duty Contact Cement, or Barge? And give the Eco-Flo Leather Weld a try when you can... I'm finding it really good.

I guess all you experienced guys (dudes!) do this from experience. Funny though that the Weaver video did the dyeing after all the pieces were cut out and glued together (but before the stitching). I did feel that the leather was stiffer after dyeing and drying. Is there something that would restore the softness? Cheers!

Does veg tan leather shrink when you wet it? I'm guessing this is something that experienced leather workers know how to deal with, but as a novice I didn't know or expect it to happen. I cut out my 3.5oz leather using a pattern, and then I used Edge Prep and then dyed my piece. I just noticed that it's shrunk! My piece which was 7 3/8" long before the dyeing process, is now only 7". That's a lot of shrinkage! How do you deal with this? Do you dye the leather before cutting it out? Seems like a waste to me, but then again in my case it's a bigger waste as I can't use that piece now. (Again referring back to the Weaver Leather Axe Sheath video on YouTube, they cut the leather, completely joined it with the welt glued in position and THEN they dyed it. So I thought this was the right order of doing things.)

Is that why they only list the Tanner's Bond adhesive tape on their site and not the contact cement? And from what you say, could it mean they won't ship the contact cement? In any case, after a bit more testing, I'm really sold on that Eco-Flo Leather Weld stuff (not to be confused with their Eco-Flo Leather Glue).

Funny, but Tandy Canada doesn't list Tanner's Bond other than only the permanent adhesive tape. I do see the glue on the US site though. We must have some pretty strict regulations about what glues/solvents can be sold here. SIGH Sometimes it is tough to get a product that is easily available in the US.

@LatigoAmigo - Thanks for that. It sounds like it's very similar (maybe even the same product) to the Eco-Flo Leather Weld. I'll test tonight to see how long it takes to fully dry. Last night I just glued a small test piece and left it overnight under a weight. If it does dry in the "only 5-10 minutes" it's going to be great! I tried to separate the piece I glued last night and it was so strong that the leather came apart before the glue did.

@Dwight, @chuck123wapati and @Tugadude - Weldwood is the name of the product I couldn't remember. And it's very hard (impossible?) to find in Canada other than from Amazon Canada. And then it's quite expensive (1 pint for $62) and it takes 10 days to 2 weeks for delivery. Must be coming from the US. So it's not a product I can easily and economically obtain. It's a DAP product and even DAP Canada does not list it as being available... they only have a high heat industrial version of it listed. It does seem though to be readily available in the US. (For the Lepage Heavy Duty Contact Cement, I only pay $12.50 for a quart - 32 oz.) So I guess none of you guys have any experience/thoughts about the Eco-Flow Leather Weld. I'm amazed at how well my little sample piece is holding up, and I may give it a shot for the welt I'm making for my axe sheath. The only drawback I can see with it over the contact cement I have been using is that it takes longer before you can actually work with the piece you glue. But it also has just about no odor and it's really easy to apply and smooth out. No stringy mess like there is sometimes with contact cement. Is there any other adhesive you've used and liked?

Talking about glue here, specifically glue that works best with leather. I've been using contact cement so far, mostly LePage Heavy Duty contact cement (not sure if that's available in the States or only here in Canada). I've also tried Barge, but gee it smells really really bad and if you're not in a well ventilated area it's awful. Anyway, I just picked up some Eco-Flo Leather Weld with my last order from Tandy Canada. I glued a couple of small pieces of leather together with it, and it seems to be holding as well as contact cement. And it didn't have a bad odor. What glue are you using for leather? Is there any odds on favorite? Does it depend on what you're doing or the type of leather? Do you stick with one glue for all your leather work? I can't remember the name but seem to remember there was a contact cement that was highly recommended here that I haven't been able to find in Canada. There was no information with the Leather Weld about curing time but I let my test sample sit overnight under a weight. I'm not sure how long it takes before you could actually work on the piece you glue... with contact cement you could stitch the pieces in about 20 minutes or less. This stuff might take longer... I don't know. So, what glue do you use, and for what?

Good suggestion. Thank you. I can't take credit for that, unfortunately. I got that from the Weaver video I linked to. That's something that I'm really working on. I'm getting better, but certainly not good enough yet. Besides sharpening my skiving knives, I'm even trying to sharpen my awls. And someone earlier in another thread suggested that even leather needles for machines should be sharpened. That would certainly be going overboard for me at this stage in my (un)skill set.

Great! So I might be able to salvage what I've got so far. Just by building up the welt with a few more layers. And I just saw another video, this one by JHleather and that's what she's done. But she only used two layers of welt and said she should have used more. And remember from the other thread... I was worried about how I would make my stitching holes with three layers of 9oz veg tan and now I'll even have more! Talk about jumping in at the deep end! I really appreciate your helpful advice!

Thank you, but I'm not quite sure what you mean (due to my lack of experience probably) about a wedge shaped welt... Are you talking about sewing in a welt as you would a gusset on a bag or somehow building up multiple layers of welt "strips" in a staggered way, with skiving where appropriate? I'm with you on the width (thickness) of the blade needing to be added to the pattern, but that totally slipped my mind as I followed along the video tutorial. In that tutorial, no mention was made of that at all, nor was any extra measurement given that I could see. Looks like they skipped out an important part, which as a novice I just followed along blindly. I think I'll try again but this time use one piece of leather for the top and bottom, having the leather wrap around one side of the axe. Which should take care of the blade thickness there, and then on the other side not bring the pattern back toward the handle as close. I still need a welt of course, but I won't have to worry as much about the thickness of the blade. I did find another YouTube tutorial on this style... Leather Axe Sheath | Easy DIY

Dave, that's really nice looking! I'm learning how to hand-stitch leather and I thought a good project would be to make a sheath (similar to yours) for an old axe I have. I saw a Weaver Leather video on YouTube which made it look fairly simple and straight forward. So following the instructions in the video, I traced around the axe blade, added 3/8" for the welt and stitch line and started cutting out my leather from some 9oz veg tan I had. I cut a strip for the welt and wet formed it to follow the contour. When dry, I glued it onto the back piece (the back has the flap). Then I laid my axe on it to see how it fit and I was very pleased. Then... I placed the top piece on top and found there was no way I'd be able to fit the axe in it if I finished the sheath. The video didn't run into this problem or even address it, but the axe blade is really thin at the sharp end (of course) but quite a bit thicker nearer to the handle. So if I'd stitch the top piece onto the back with the welt, it wouldn't allow the thickness of the axe blade to fit. Duh. My only excuse is I'm a novice and didn't think of that (and the video didn't either). If I understand right, you used a double welt on yours. With 9oz leather in my case, I think a double welt still wouldn't give me enough height for the thickness of the axe there (nearer to the handle), nor would I as a novice be able to punch the holes and stitch it up. My axe is at home but I think it was about 3/4" thick at that point, maybe even a bit more. So I'm back to the drawing board on this one, and I'm looking for a different and easier project to practice my stitching with. SIGH But I think you did really well with yours.

I guess what I'd ask is what you intend to sew with that machine. And will you be doing longer production runs, or as many of us here, one at a time items? Will you be sewing leather? How thick and how many layers? If I'm not mistaken, that is a needle feed machine and maybe you should be looking at a triple feed? Mechanically Juki machines are highly rated, but I'd be a bit concerned about the electronics. I'm of the KISS school when it comes to these things.

Good for you! Congrats! Did you include a welt between the top and bottom pieces so that the blade doesn't cut the stitching? 0.10" thick... I'm thinking that's about 2.5mm, making it close to 6oz leather. Think that's a good weight.

@Spyros - Really nice and beautiful craftsmanship! But who's Ivan? And is there really a lining or is the stitching along the edge (on the flap) just for looks?