The Beavers Back

[Beaverslayer]

Now we need to glue those strips of pigskin on to add strength to the seam.

I stick painters tape to the leather to make it easier to only apply the glue where I want it to be.

Once you've layed out the tape, use a wider paint brush and apply the glue, again don't go overboard with the glue, as you really don't ned that much, just enough to leave a thin filem

Then apply some glue to the strips of pigskin, cut them to length first.

Pull the tape off of the leather, then starting in the middle of the back, press the strip down following the curve of the seam. Once you've got both pieces pressed onto the seam, use your roller to bond the pieces together.

[Beaverslayer]

The last step for now is to mark where you will punch the holes for lacing.

Start from the outer edge of the shoulder piece and make a mark 3/16" in from the edge. From there place a mark every 3/8" apart until you get to the centre of the vest. Do the same thing on the opposite side. If you notice that one side is a bit different, this again is not a big problem, as you can adjust the spacing a bit as you punch the holes. I wish it was an exact science, but as yet it is not, very close though.

Now you are ready to punch your holes and do some lacing. Bear with me, and I will have the steps for doing this later tomorrow.

[Beaverslayer]

Okay, here we go with punching the holes. Use a punch that is 1 size smaller than the lace you will be using.

Start by placing punching a hole in the middle of the seam, this will be your starting point. Then following your marks, punch all the rest of the holes. You want them to be 1/4" on either side of the seam, this will give you a laced seam that is 1/2" wide.

Then when you get to the middle of the back, you will have to be a bit careful as to your hole punching, you do not want them to be too close, but then you do want them to be about the same distance apart. You will also have to punch a few holes that are not marked, like the one at the very bottom of the "V".

[Beaverslayer]

Now we can start to lace. I'm going to use 1/4" lace that I have cut from the same garment hide. You do not really want to use a diferent lace as this tends to look a bit funny. If you need help to make your own lace, I have done a lace making tutorial that can be found on the Main Front page of the Leatherworker.net website.

You will have to cut a piece of your lace 7 times the length of the seam, on this seam you don't want any splicing as it is a structural seam.

To begin with, you run your lace through the middle hole at the outer edge of the vest. Leave about a 1" tail on the backside, this is to be glued down in such a way that it will be held in place by one of the following laces.

Then, using a lace roller, roll the tail to make a good bond.

Now, run your lace through the second hole on either the top or bottom of the seam. Whichever you decide is okay there is no reason to use one over the other, just be sure when you start the other side you do the same as this side to keep evrything the same.

Pull the lace all the way through and snug, not real tight, just snug.

Then on the backside, run your lace throught the first hole and pull it snug again. This will not cross over but be in a straight line. Then on the front, cross over to the second hole on the front, and run your lace through again. Again just make it snug, not real tight, as you don't want it to pull the leather and make it wrinkle.

Then again from the backside, run your lace through the first hole like you just did previously, pulling it snug. Also you want to be sure that the lace is not twisted in any way, if it is, just give it a little tweek with your finger to straighten it out.

Now, cross over the seam again and run the lace through the third hole, then on the backside, back up through the second hole, on the front across the seam into the third hole, and so on untill you've reach the middle of the vest.

This is what the backside should look like, and also this is how your tail should be secured when you reach it.

[Beaverslayer]

When you've reached the middle of the vest, you will have to punch one more hole to be able to finish the seam. The placement is shown in this picture, circled in red. I will always wait till I've reached this point before I punch this hole, it sometimes has to be placed where it does not look like it should be. What I wll do is lay the lace down and see where it looks "Best" and then mark and punch the hole.

Next, using a piece of sandpaper lightly sand away any stain or dye and also the shiny finish of the garment leather between the seam holes. You need to do this to help the glue bond, as it doesn't like to stick well to shiny surfaces.

Now, cut the lace so that it can be glued down to the area that you've just sanded clean, apply glue to both the lace and the vest, and stick the lace down.

Take your roller and roll this tail to make a good bond. This tail will be covered byt the lace that comes from the other side of the vest, and will also be held down by it as well.

[Beaverslayer]

Once you've completed the first seam, you want to roll the lace from the backside of the vest. This will help to lay the lace down nice and even and give you lace a real nice look.

This is what your lace should look like on the front of the vest.

And this is what your lace should look like on the back of the vest.

[Beaverslayer]

Now, doing the same as you did on the previous side, start lacing the other side. Remember that you want it to start the same as you did on the first side, so that it is all the same direction. Once you've reached the middle, your lace should tail should be on the front of the vest. Run your needle through the lace on the opposite side, run it under this lace about 4 or 5 places, then pull nice and tight and cut it off. If the tail sticks out, you can just tuck it under with a lacing fid.

Here's what the completed back should look like.

And here's what the completed front should look like.

Well, it's off to play some Texas Holdem for a bit, so I should be posting again sometime tomorrow. Maybe we will add some nice decorative 3 or 5 strand weave here someplace. We'll see what comes to mind while playing poker.

[Beaverslayer]

To attach the yolk of the shoulder piece to the front panel of the vest, is basically the same as what you've just done on the back panel.

Like the back, apply glue to the edges and fit together. Then mask off the area that is to have the strips glued down to and apply the glue. Also apply glue to the strips.

Be sure to roll the strips with your roller to be sure the bond is good.

Now you can mark and punch your holes. This is again the same as the back, 3/16" in from the edge, then 3/8" apart. Punch a hole in the middle of the seam bot h at the beginning. The hole in the middle by the "Point" is not needed on the yolk.

Now lace the seams one at a time from the outer edge in. When you reach the middle and the end of the lace, sand and glue the tail down just like you did on the back panel. Roll the lace from the back, and your ready to do the other side.

[Beaverslayer]

Let's make a pocket now. This is fairly simply to make, yuou'll need some "Pigskin Suede" to line the pocket with.

Using the pocket template, cut out a piece of your garment hide, then cut a similar piece of suede except this is 1" shorter as seen in the picture. You can cut 2 of each as there is 2 pockets.

Then place a bead og glue all around the edge of the suede liner, and also the edge of the pocket front. On the front the glue bead only goes across the top of the pocket 1" down from the top. Once you have placed the liner onto the front, press them together untill they align up and roll with your roller. If there is any overhang of liner, just trim it off with your scissors.

Now place a strip of painters tape 1 1/2" down from the top of the pocket. Apply glue to this whole top area, once tacky, fold the top over the edge of the liner and press them together. This is to keep the top of the liner from beeing exposed.

Now with your roller, roll the seam good to seal the bond.

I've made a template that I use to mark the hole for pockets, but all is the same as the rest. Across the top you want the holes spaced 3/8" apart but only 3/8" above each other, not the 1/2" we did on the other seams. This is because the lace running down the side is also 3/8" apart so the first laces will match the top laces. Only punch one row of holes down the side and across the bottom of the pocket.

[Beaverslayer]

Okay, moving right along here, let's show how to locate where the pocket needs to live.

Make a mark 1 3/4" in from the front edge at two locations. Then measure up from the point 4" and place a small mark. Using your pocket template, align the edge and bottom up with these three marks. using your gel pen mark the edge of the pocket down the side and across the bottom to the middlie of the pocket. Then measure 5" across from the side line to the other side of the pocket. Place your template on the other side and mark a line down the side and across the bottom to meet the other line. Now from the bottom corner of the pocket make marks 5" up to show where the top of the pocket goes.

Once you've marked it out, you now have to use some sandpaper to rough up the surface to make a good glueing bond. I use 220 grit sandpaper for this. Sand it about 3/16" wide all the way around the marked out area. Make sure to blow the area clean.

You also want to sand the top of the inner side of the foled over piece of garment hide, abot 3/16" in from the edge as well.

[Beaverslayer]

Well let's place the pocket now.

Apply a bead of glue to the sanded area of where the pocket will be placed, all the way around on the inside of the line. Also apply a bead of glue to the edge of the pocket itself.

Once the glue is tacky, starting at the top corner, press the pocket into place

Then do the same to the other top corner.

Now, on the side closest to the front, align the edge of the pocket with your line and press into place.

Do the same on the opposite side as well.

Now at the bottom of the pocket, align the centre of the pocket up with the mark you made at 4" up from the point and press down to attach. Using your finger or even a pencil, lift up the two bottom sides so they are away from the front panel. Carefully scrinch the pocket a bit and place it along the line at the bottom. This may distort a few of the prepunched holes, but not to worry, this gives the pocket it's desired shape. Now do the same on the other side of the bottom. Take your roller, and roll this seam very good, as you want a real good bond here for when you are lacing, it sometimes tends to come apart and give you a bit of a challange to lace.

This is what the pocket should look like once it is glued in place. You will want to leave it for a few hours, for the glue to bond well. This gives you some time to relax, or work on something else while you wait.

[Beaverslayer]

Okay, now that the glue has had some time to dry and bond real good, let's get those holes punched and laced up.

Starting 1/4" above the pocket top, punch 2 holes above so that when the lace is in place this will keep the pocket from being pulled away from the vest. Next, following along the holes that are alredy punched in the pocket, punch holes 3/16" away from the edge of the pocket. When you reach the corners, you have to adjust the space a bit to allow for the lace to flow evenly around the corner.

Now cut a piece of lace 7 times the length from the top to the centre of the bottom. We will be lacing one side from top to bottom, then the other side from top to bottom. This gives the same look of the lace on both sides, more appealing to look at.

Edited March 24, 2008 by Beaverslayer

[Beaverslayer]

Now we can lace this pocket to the vest.

Start your lace into the hole shown in the picture, then in the top of the corner, sand a small area towards the opposing corner and apply a bit of glue to the lace and the sanded area. Press this down and roll.

Run your lace up through to the front through the hole shown, and just before you pull it snug, place a bit of glue on the vest and also the lace. This will help the lace from being pulled out at any time. Now just continue lacing as before, being carefull not to pull your lace to tight on this as it will tend to pucker the leather.

A little lacing tip here: Use the edge of your thumb when pulling the lace to align it with the hole, This helps prevent the lace from twisting as you pull it through.

Once you reach the corner where the holes have been punched a bit farther apart, make sure that when you push your needle through, it comes out on the proper side of the last lace.

When you reach the centre of the pocket, sand an area that is about 1" long so that you can glue the tail down as before. This will be covered by the next lace we do. Be sure to roll all of these glued spots, it realy does help it to bond.

Now on the other side of the pocket, you want to do the exact same thing you did on the first side. Sand a small area, glue the tail down, roll the glued tail, then glue the loop of the first lace on the backside. Then continue to lace until you've reached the end.

At the end of the run, just push your needle through like shown, you want to run it under about 4 or 5 laces back, then cut the tail and tuck any little nubs back under.

Here's the back of the finished seam.

And here's the front of the finished seam. Remember to roll the lace from the back of the vest to help lay the lace down nicely.

[Beaverslayer]

Now to lace the top of the pocket. This is a bit tricky to start, but I think you will get it by the pictures.

Starting on the side closest to the front of the vest, push your needle through about 4 laces back and bring it out just before the top lace. Pull your lace slowly so that the tail is left under as many laces as possible.

Then run your lace through the first open hole on the top of the pocket. On the inside of the pocket, push your needle up through one hole back, this hole already has 2 laces through it from the side lacing. When you've crossed over and back through to the inside again, you will have to go back one hole on the bottom of the top, into the hole that has 2 laces, just like the last stitch that you did. Continue to lace from here as normal. Once you've reached the end, again you will have to run your lace through holes that already have 2 laces in them.

To finish off, run your needle down the side under about 4 or 5 laces, cut the tail and straighten out any nubs left showing.

Here's the completed laced pocket.

[David]

Ken,

Terrific tutorial, you've done a great job on it.

Your work is making this site so much better.

David Theobald

[Beaverslayer]

Thank you David, hopefully it will help someone out and that they can learn something from this. It's people like You Beeza, ClayB and the others that have taken the time to add these tutorials for all the rest to see and learn from, thta makes this a great site. It would be nice if everyone would take just a few extra minutes and a few extra pictures, just to show what they did to accomplish the project that they are posting, that way, there is always going to be tips and tricks on how and why something is done.

Ken

[rdb]

This is right up there with the best "how to" I've seen on this board. Many, many thanks to you Ken!

Showing how to do your trademark product is just an unbelievable nice thing to do.

[Beaverslayer]

Why thank you rdb, I really appreciate the compliments. I'm pleased to be able to share my knowledge as freely as it was shared to me when I learned how to do this. Granted I have changed a whole lot of things since I first learned, but the general jyst of it is still the same.

As to showing how to make my trademark item, as long as there's no mass producing replicators from large overseas countries checking it out every day, I think I'll be fine. The next tutorial will be on my trademark hat. Had almost finished that one when my harddrive crashed, and have had to redo all of it. So sometime soon, keep your eyes open for that one, it will be almost as long as this one.

Ken

[Gremlin]

Wish I'd seen this before I started building my new vest. Well done Ken, very well done!!

[Beaverslayer]

Thanks Gremlin, much appreciated. Now that you let the cat outta the bag, let's be sure to post pics of your vest when your done.

Ken

PS. Now you can see why I want you to will me your air hole punch..LOL...

[Spider]

Yo Ken,

I have to say that this is an awesome tutorial. You are awesome at your skill. My vest is more of a cheat cause I only put a patch on mine and you actually built the whole freak'n thing. Wow, you ROCK!!! I'll wait till you finish and post before I post my patch...lol I don't want to look lame in your shadows....lol jk....kinda

[Oscar B]

Great work ken, and thanks.

Oscar

[anne newkold]

Great tutorial! Can't wait to try to make one from it. So now that makes 30 on the list of things to do.

[Beaverslayer]

Okay everyone following, here's what you should have so far. The outer shell is pretty much complete at this stage, now we have the two side adjustment parts to make and then it's on to the hard stuff.

Front should look like this.

Back should look like this.

[Beaverslayer]

Okay, here we go with the side adjustment parts.

First off cut the pieces required from your garment leather, be sure you make a "Right" & "Left" hand side. You don't want all the pieces the same, once you've marked one, flip your template and mark another.

If possible, you want to lay this out on a gridded cutting board, it just makes it a whole lot easier to line it up. On the left side (shorter side) you want to measure in 1 1/8" and place a mark. On the right side, you want to measure in 1 1/4" and place a mark. Now, laying it out as shown in the picture, line the bottom of the curved part up with one of the lines on your cutting board, do this with both pieces. Then measure down from the highest point of the left side piece 1" and place a mark. Now you have the location for the top left corner of the inbetween piece, as shown with the piece of white paper. Once you have the template in place, mark all along the edge, and a small mark at the tyop and bottom.

This is what they should look liked marked.