Tray Coin Purse

[swirve]

I have been trying to make one of these moulded tray purses as per the following link:

http://www.oliverspe...Purse-nobag.jpg

does anyone know how to make them?Anyone I meet says they are very common in Europe and I met someone who said he learnt how to make one in Florence but wouldn't share it with me

[EngineCo1]

Wouldn't share huh? That just sucks IMHO. That person could have 'atleast' stated some advice. But then again, when I use to do automotive paint jobs for hot rods an show vehicles, most painters will refuse any advice whats so ever.

[Dwight]

The first thing you will need is the "female" portion of the mold. Get someone to rough out a hole in a piece of walnut that will take out the major portion of the wood to form the outside of that rounded punkin shaped thing.

Your walnut piece needs to be at least 1 1/2 to 2 inches thick at all points around the finished mold. The sides could even be 3 inches.

Then you get youself a couple of very sharp gouges and begin to gouge out the rest of the wood until you have the shape you want. Make it just about 1/4 inch longer than you really want it to finish up being.

Next, . . . go to work on the inside of the thing, . . . sanding it smooth as a baby's bottom.

This next step is pretty critical, so don't mess it up. Drill 4 holes the full length of the mold, at least a half inch away from the mold hole, . . . two on the top and two on the bottom. They should be 1/4 inch holes. When you get done, . . . run 1/4 inch steel rods through the holes, cut them off and thread the ends for nuts.

Now, . . . verrrrrrrrrry carefully, . . . cut the whole thing in half (remove the steel rods first). This cut should be across the middle of the center or "belly" of the thing. This gives you two halves of a perfectly formed mold (hopefully). Sand the cut edges just smooth, not taking any more material than necessary.

Bolt the halves together so your mold is complete. Then build a top to go over it, . . . but leave a slot in the back for the top of the purse to come out. The mold top will be bolted on with bolts, . . . two top plates and two bottom plates, . . . held on by bolts. Drill a 1/4 in hole in the center of the mold top.

Get yourself a piece of veggie tan leather, . . . cut it to the proper shape, . . . get it sopping, gooey, dripping wet in as hot a water as you can stand. Force it down into the mold as well as you can.

Line you mold with saran wrap. Strap on the top. Open and shake a can of triple expanding foam, sold in hardware stores. Fill the mold with the foam and go horseback riding, . . . go to bed, . . . take a nap, . . . do something for about 10 hours.

Take off the top, . . . loosen the 4 "through bolts", . . . and dismantle your form. You should have a rounded product with a flap to make a top from.

Annnnnnnnd, . . . iffffff, you can have the sides straight (the picture shows them apparently bulged) you can make the male portion of the mold out of another piece of walnut, . . . make it about 1/8 of an inch smaller overall than your female mold, . . . you can wet the leather and form the purse by forcing the two pieces together in a vice. I make my magazine carriers in a similar male/female mold.

Good luck.

May God bless,

Dwight

Edited April 6, 2010 by Dwight

[swirve]

DWight that was really helpful,many thanks for taking the time.I got a bit confused with some of the instructions,particularly where the holes are drilled and exactly which direction the halves are cut.WOuld you be able to attach a rough hand sketch.A photo of the moulds you use for your magazine carriers would be cool to see.

Swirve

The first thing you will need is the "female" portion of the mold. Get someone to rough out a hole in a piece of walnut that will take out the major portion of the wood to form the outside of that rounded punkin shaped thing.

Your walnut piece needs to be at least 1 1/2 to 2 inches thick at all points around the finished mold. The sides could even be 3 inches.

Then you get youself a couple of very sharp gouges and begin to gouge out the rest of the wood until you have the shape you want. Make it just about 1/4 inch longer than you really want it to finish up being.

Next, . . . go to work on the inside of the thing, . . . sanding it smooth as a baby's bottom.

This next step is pretty critical, so don't mess it up. Drill 4 holes the full length of the mold, at least a half inch away from the mold hole, . . . two on the top and two on the bottom. They should be 1/4 inch holes. When you get done, . . . run 1/4 inch steel rods through the holes, cut them off and thread the ends for nuts.

Now, . . . verrrrrrrrrry carefully, . . . cut the whole thing in half (remove the steel rods first). This cut should be across the middle of the center or "belly" of the thing. This gives you two halves of a perfectly formed mold (hopefully). Sand the cut edges just smooth, not taking any more material than necessary.

Bolt the halves together so your mold is complete. Then build a top to go over it, . . . but leave a slot in the back for the top of the purse to come out. The mold top will be bolted on with bolts, . . . two top plates and two bottom plates, . . . held on by bolts. Drill a 1/4 in hole in the center of the mold top.

Get yourself a piece of veggie tan leather, . . . cut it to the proper shape, . . . get it sopping, gooey, dripping wet in as hot a water as you can stand. Force it down into the mold as well as you can.

Line you mold with saran wrap. Strap on the top. Open and shake a can of triple expanding foam, sold in hardware stores. Fill the mold with the foam and go horseback riding, . . . go to bed, . . . take a nap, . . . do something for about 10 hours.

Take off the top, . . . loosen the 4 "through bolts", . . . and dismantle your form. You should have a rounded product with a flap to make a top from.

Annnnnnnnd, . . . iffffff, you can have the sides straight (the picture shows them apparently bulged) you can make the male portion of the mold out of another piece of walnut, . . . make it about 1/8 of an inch smaller overall than your female mold, . . . you can wet the leather and form the purse by forcing the two pieces together in a vice. I make my magazine carriers in a similar male/female mold.

Good luck.

May God bless,

Dwight

[Dwight]

swirve, . . . ummm, . . . I'll try the picture thing, . . . 276 shows the mold pieces apart, . . . 277 shows and end view and clearly depicts the clearance needed for a good mold. I usually make mine one full oz wider than the anticipated weight of the leather I will be using for the project.

Picture 278 just shows the mold laying down together. I, . . . ummm, . . . SOAK or DROWN the piece of leather I will use in my molds and I use the HOT water straight out of the tap. It's not hot enough to scald you, . . . but it is too uncomfortable to be in it very long.

Obviously I lay the female mold down, . . . cover it with the soaked leather, . . . force the male form down into the leather, . . . whack it real good on the rounded end to force the rounding to work, . . . tighten up a heavy duty 8 inch "C" clamp on the whole thing for about an hour, . . . loosen the clamp, . . . remove the leather, . . . hang it up to dry for a day or so, . . . then cut, sew, . . . whatever to finish the project.

Hope this helps. PM me if you need any more details, . . . it may take a day or two, . . . but I'll try to answer your questions best I can.

May God bless,

Dwight

[Big Al]

I have been trying to make one of these moulded tray purses as per the following link:

http://www.oliverspe...Purse-nobag.jpg

does anyone know how to make them?Anyone I meet says they are very common in Europe and I met someone who said he learnt how to make one in Florence but wouldn't share it with me

It takes all sorts of special heated irons and such to do what you see in the link site. However, to get that same function ability with easier manufacture, you might want to try my pattern and set of instructions. Feel free to click to this link for a PDF file you can print at no cost. I hope it works well for you and is what you want. Big Al

Big Al's Coin Purse

[BSquare]

Nice Job Big Al!

Bryan