Scrap Leather Thoughts

[fredk]

On 1/19/2024 at 7:47 AM, Mulesaw said:

All sorts of scrap that are to small or to bad to be used for anything else should be put into an iron pot and carbonized by heating this pot over the fire till it is burnt. The burnt leather is then mashed while in the pot, and when it has cooled off, it is finely ground. 

The secret here is to roast the scraps not to burn them

[Mulesaw]

51 minutes ago, fredk said:

The secret here is to roast the scraps not to burn them

Agreed, actually the German text is a bit vague. He describes that the pot should be heated to red hot, but that would cause the leather to burn, unless you had put a tight fitting lid on to prevent any air from entering. And he doesn't mention the lid.
I don't know if anyone still does this case hardening on a small scale. But apart from the atrocious smell of roasted leather, it could be an interesting experiment.

[NatesLeatherGds]

I second Bruce's thoughts. Scrap is not just scrap. I paid for it so will use it, either for testing or selling. My best use of scrap so far are these. 5 slit punches, "braided" finished with a ring or other at the end. Depending on how much coffee I've had and if I'm awake enough, I can do it in 15 minutes or so. Sold 4 or 5 - between 12$ and 15$ at fairs - 50-60$ - not a lot of money - but its half a hide -- on scrap alone. With the bags and other going for 65-100 -- well, suddenly scrap is a big player in my production costs and helps turn a "profit". Anyhow - my 2cents. 

[Garyak]

There’s money in scrap

[Handstitched]

On 1/20/2024 at 3:53 PM, fredk said:

The secret here is to roast the scraps not to burn them

Burnt leather smells horrific   

Reading this thread, its has inspired me to change tact. With the scraps , I've been making little key rings( or dingle dangles)  that some like to hang off a bag, zipper tag etc.  , using  small wad punches around 20 -25 mm. Quickly  & simply  stamped,Dyed assorted  colours I sell them for a just $2 ea . Sold quite a few. Small key rings are cheap by the 100 .  But I've decided to make them random shapes. Not everything has  to be nice neat and round. 

1 hour ago, Garyak said:

There’s money in scrap

An old ' Ye Old English' saying " theres brass in muck " 

HS

[toxo]

12 hours ago, Garyak said:

There’s money in scrap

I like this kind of patchwork bag that lends itself to the scrap pile but it highlights the limitations re what options there are to build them. In this example the patches are obviously butted together and top stitched to some kind of backing. The type of backing will determine whether any gaps open up down the line.

This kind of look can also be achieved with a zig zag stitch.

I also like the type where each layer overlaps the the layer before and top stitched through two or more lasers. This can be interesting but obviously leads to double thickness in places and raw edges.

I actually favour using the "French seam" where only the first of three stitches is effective unless the two top stitches go through a backing tape or a liner.

This one uses a turned and stitched through the seam allowance, probably with a glued lining for support.

If anyone wants inspiration for a patchwork bag. Just put that into Etsy UK. Lots of fantastic ideas in there.

 

 

Edited January 23, 2024 by Northmount
replaced AVIF files

[Northmount]

Hi @toxo Please post picture files as jpeg or png types.  Many users are loath to download files that they don't know or if their source is safe.  Replaced AVIF files with screen grabs.

Thanks

[SUP]

I actually really like this the most. It is unusual and one of a kind. No offense @toxo but the others are nice but repeatable and sometime seen. This one? Nope.

 

[toxo]

44 minutes ago, Northmount said:

Hi @toxo Please post picture files as jpeg or png types.  Many users are loath to download files that they don't know or if their source is safe.  Replaced AVIF files with screen grabs.

Thanks

Thanks Northmount. I like to think I'm fairly computer savvy but clearly sometimes, not so much.

[toxo]

13 minutes ago, SUP said:

I actually really like this the most. It is unusual and one of a kind. No offense @toxo but the others are nice but repeatable and sometime seen. This one? Nope.

 

No offense taken I assure you SUP. It wasn't supposed to be "this one is better". It was merely to point out different ways of doing it. And if it's "Unique" you're looking for, there are literally 1,000s of em out there.