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Posted

Hi all, I have a friend who wants me to re-do the leather on these chairs (only one shown but he has 2) using tooled vegtan.

Could you all chime in with your opinions on the weight of the leather I should use to withstand daily use/the weight of average sized people.

 

 359695711_729332602299595_84552505397537

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Posted (edited)

using a 7oz will have some stretch or flex. i would not use anything less than a 7oz & latigo. Latigo is designed for for use in the outdoors. it is the main leather used in horse gear. that looks like they used steer hair on hide. that would also work. i would coat the back with Aussie leather conditioner or Skidmore's waterproofing .     

Edited by Norton Custom Leather
  • CFM
Posted

the same weight that is on it. 

Worked in a prison for 30 years if I aint shiny every time I comment its no big deal, I just don't wave pompoms.

“I won’t be wronged, I won’t be insulted, and I won’t be laid a hand on. I don’t do these things to other people, and I require the same from them.” THE DUKE!

Posted
8 minutes ago, chuck123wapati said:

the same weight that is on it. 

I agree. Just measure the existing leather with a mic and then compare it to a leather weight chart like. Weaver has a good chart ( www.weaverleathersupply.com/pages/leather-thickness ) with both Imperial and metric measurements.

On 7/10/2023 at 2:43 PM, mcbecklesworth said:

I have a friend who wants me to re-do the leather on these chairs (only one shown but he has 2) using tooled vegtan.

kgg 

Juki DNU - 1541S, Juki DU - 1181N, Singer 29K - 71(1949), Chinese Patcher (Tinkers Delight), Warlock TSC-441, Techsew 2750 Pro, Consew DCS-S4 Skiver

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Posted
On 7/10/2023 at 10:43 AM, mcbecklesworth said:

Hi all, I have a friend who wants me to re-do the leather on these chairs (only one shown but he has 2) using tooled vegtan.

Could you all chime in with your opinions on the weight of the leather I should use to withstand daily use/the weight of average sized people.

 

 359695711_729332602299595_84552505397537

Just take a micrometer and measure the thickness . . . measure all three pieces to make sure they are the same.

The thing to remember is that 1/64 th of an inch is 1 oz leather . . . the chart below will help you decide.

My guess from persona experience in times past . . . this will be in the 5 oz to 7 oz size range.

Thank you by the way . . . for the good memory.  It has been years since I sat in one of these . . . rocking on the front porch . . . watching the world go by.

When some of our folks could not afford leather . . . we cut up one inch wide strips of inner tubes and wove them to form a seat.  They were really comfortable if the owner wasn't say a 300 pounder . . . lol.

Would sure like to do it again.

May God bless,

Dwight

leather ounce chart.jpg

If you can breathe, . . . thank God.

If you can read, . . . thank a teacher.

If you are reading this in English, . . . thank a veteran.

www.dwightsgunleather.com

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Posted (edited)

I can't see how the leather is attached to itself, and the construction method would influence my choice of weight.  The leather in the pictures might not be the original seat and back?  The seat would look nice made from one piece of leather with four flaps that fold around the frame and are sewn.  If you're tooling the leather then veg tan is the obvious choice.  Latigo is combination chrome tanned and veg tanned.  It is strong but not so good for tooling.  I'd be thinking about a single layer of 9-10 oz veg tan for the seat and might want to wet form the folds around the chair frame to make a neat job of it.  You can waterproof it with a silicon oil (Fiebings Golden Mink Oil) or a clear acrylic finish.  

Edited by TomE
  • CFM
Posted
1 hour ago, Dwight said:

Just take a micrometer and measure the thickness . . . measure all three pieces to make sure they are the same.

The thing to remember is that 1/64 th of an inch is 1 oz leather . . . the chart below will help you decide.

My guess from persona experience in times past . . . this will be in the 5 oz to 7 oz size range.

Thank you by the way . . . for the good memory.  It has been years since I sat in one of these . . . rocking on the front porch . . . watching the world go by.

When some of our folks could not afford leather . . . we cut up one inch wide strips of inner tubes and wove them to form a seat.  They were really comfortable if the owner wasn't say a 300 pounder . . . lol.

Would sure like to do it again.

May God bless,

Dwight

 

What i think is cool is the construction, the way the seat is built it uses the weight of the person and the two pieces of leather to hold the chair together by pulling the 4 rungs tight. Beautiful old chairs indeed.

Worked in a prison for 30 years if I aint shiny every time I comment its no big deal, I just don't wave pompoms.

“I won’t be wronged, I won’t be insulted, and I won’t be laid a hand on. I don’t do these things to other people, and I require the same from them.” THE DUKE!

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Posted

Thank you all for your replies! Here's the back and underside of one. Sorry for the poor image quality, I didn't take the photos, my friend did.

I like the idea of creating a woven seat for a cheaper alternative. When I told my friend what it would cost, he told me to "hold up!"

Thank you also for the info on waterproofing.

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  • CFM
Posted
4 minutes ago, mcbecklesworth said:

Thank you all for your replies! Here's the back and underside of one. Sorry for the poor image quality, I didn't take the photos, my friend did.

I like the idea of creating a woven seat for a cheaper alternative. When I told my friend what it would cost, he told me to "hold up!"

Thank you also for the info on waterproofing.

received_648353017314147.jpeg

received_1464661587641483.jpegpan widget

it appears now to be calf hide with hair on I'll bet it was real pretty at one time. 

Worked in a prison for 30 years if I aint shiny every time I comment its no big deal, I just don't wave pompoms.

“I won’t be wronged, I won’t be insulted, and I won’t be laid a hand on. I don’t do these things to other people, and I require the same from them.” THE DUKE!

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Posted

He probably had no idea just how expensive leather is, plus your time if you tool it. :rolleyes2:

Machines wot I have - Singer 51W59; Singer 331K4; Seiko STH-8BLD; Pfaff 335; CB4500.

Chinese shoe patcher; Singer 201K (old hand crank)

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