How to keep leather/Patterns flat while cutting.

[Littlef]

I wondering what people use to weigh down their leather and patterns to keep them from curling while tracing.  I've seen actual Leather weights to buy for around 50 bucks, which seems excessive.  I have a foam yoga block and place a small plate weight on it, which works, but its huge and its really in the way while cutting.  I was thinking of buying some ball bearings and sewing them into a bag or a thick coaster.   Has anyone come up with a simple cheap alternative?  I have other stuff, but I'm trying to not mark up the leather.

[chuck123wapati]

6 minutes ago, Littlef said:

I wondering what people use to weigh down their leather and patterns to keep them from curling while tracing.  I've seen actual Leather weights to buy for around 50 bucks, which seems excessive.  I have a foam yoga block and place a small plate weight on it, which works, but its huge and its really in the way while cutting.  I was thinking of buying some ball bearings and sewing them into a bag or a thick coaster.   Has anyone come up with a simple cheap alternative?  I have other stuff, but I'm trying to not mark up the leather.

some folks go to thrift stores and buy those old glass paper weights. or you can make sand bags. 

[Littlef]

2 minutes ago, chuck123wapati said:

some folks go to thrift stores and buy those old glass paper weights. or you can make sand bags. 

yea, the paperweight is a good cheap option.  My previous employers use to give those out as little awards.  I might still have one or two in a box somewhere.  Otherwise, I might just make a bag.   - Sand would be cheap.  Good Ideas Chuck, thanks!

[DwightT]

I saw somewhere that a guy had taken a scrap leather circle, folded it in half to make a taco, then filled it with pennies and stitched it shut.  Seemed to make a pretty good weight and he claimed that for the weight the pennies where less expensive than ball bearings.  Dunno how that would compare to the cost of sand.

    /dwight

[Littlef]

3 minutes ago, DwightT said:

I saw somewhere that a guy had taken a scrap leather circle, folded it in half to make a taco, then filled it with pennies and stitched it shut.  Seemed to make a pretty good weight and he claimed that for the weight the pennies where less expensive than ball bearings.  Dunno how that would compare to the cost of sand.

    /dwight

 

3 minutes ago, DwightT said:

I saw somewhere that a guy had taken a scrap leather circle, folded it in half to make a taco, then filled it with pennies and stitched it shut.  Seemed to make a pretty good weight and he claimed that for the weight the pennies where less expensive than ball bearings.  Dunno how that would compare to the cost of sand.

    /dwight

Nice, that's a good thought.  I have a jar of pennies taking up space.   - and pennies don't leak sand.  

[tsunkasapa]

I have several old cast iron flatirons that I glued scrap leather to.

[Littlef]

44 minutes ago, tsunkasapa said:

I have several old cast iron flatirons that I glued scrap leather to.

Good call adding the leather.  I was trying to think of things I had around the house, but anything I have with a good weight, also has sharp edges.  Adding leather would solve that problem.

[Tugadude]

 

These  can be had in sizes from 1.2 lbs up to 4.5 .lbs.  You can find them on Amazon.  Another method is to gather up some lead and melt it down into the size and shape you desire and then encase it in leather.  If you don't know of a cheap source of lead, companies sell ingots of lead that aren't terribly expensive.  

 

[jcuk]

Some use these.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/174677736974?hash=item28ab9abe0e:g:EmAAAOSwV3tjSVH5&amdata=enc%3AAQAHAAAAwDCBl4gwB21b393%2B6%2FhjQ%2FtXTjJdNa6qOqQzX62kXMu3Bac2BLeKgcgCS5eHkxULQZhShGtkHTFRKZsxmT9kFPZWRSeMR5TJ3YGC0sjtCeAU5n0dZ00qDhoJDuIJ%2BTClHG7LZjpXFiUlV%2B9oY6lJFSEPJue2tZ3z%2B%2FT3RYCwlDqpvApLy18u1qMShSRt163E5Q%2BK7u%2B4KB6pR9EzRTAUm9dPRtkOpyjv7G%2B3QSQcOEyO6FCPR8pWCyQ%2FZ2zel5E6GQ%3D%3D|tkp%3ABlBMUIL87bfdYQ

Hope this helps

JCUK

 

[chuck123wapati]

there was a guy on here that made these really cool hockey puck looking weights, if you search you may find it. he was from Europe, maybe  Greece i think.