What Do You Make Your Patterns From?

[rmr]

What material do you make your patterns from?? I make custom shotgun cases, fly rod cases, shooting bags.... I have made my patterns using plain white paper taped together, I have also used the semitransparent tracing paper that Weaver sells. Im not real wild about either. Just trying to get ideas what others use to make their patterns with

Thanks

Bob R

[wildrose]

I buy spools of tracing film from Tandy. It works for me, and I can generally re-use pieces several times. I trace the designs using a stylus usually...I'm left handed, so if I use a pen or pencil, I risk getting ink or lead on the leather.

[Gawdzilla]

Whatever isn't fast enough to get away.

[wildrose]

When I worked with 4H, we also cut open the bags from inside cereal boxes.

[BillB]

I work with two types of patterns.

The first pattern is for the leather pieces that will be cut from a side of leather to make the project I am working on. I use heavy construction cardboard at first and once I am happy with the pattern and will be using it alot, I will get a piece of plexiglass (1/4 inch). This gives me a nice to cut with.

The second pattern is the design I am going to tool into the leather. I will use tracing film or a craftaid(s) depending on what my source is and the design I am trying to do.

BillB

[Randy Cornelius]

For items that I make over and over I use a pattern materail I get from Hobby Lobby. It's a thich plasitc sheet, I think it says pattern material or something to that effect. It comes as large as 18x24 sheets. Also use stiff paper cardboard that I get from the local feed store. Each pallet of feed has a stiff paper on the pallet before the feed is stacked on it. They are large enough to get a chap patten out of.

[rmr]

I work with two types of patterns.

The first pattern is for the leather pieces that will be cut from a side of leather to make the project I am working on. I use heavy construction cardboard at first and once I am happy with the pattern and will be using it alot, I will get a piece of plexiglass (1/4 inch). This gives me a nice to cut with.

The second pattern is the design I am going to tool into the leather. I will use tracing film or a craftaid(s) depending on what my source is and the design I am trying to do.

BillB

Thanks for the input. Many of the patterns I use for a case are fairly big ( 40x 20) and are used over and over - since I use tracing paper I have to tape it down to the leather inorder to trace around it. I also have numerous smaller patterns for differrent irregular pieces( 7x 4).

What is nice about the tracing paper is I can roll it up and put it into a carboard tube for storage when not in use.

I have been thinking about making patterns/templates out of something more "hefty" like cardboard so I can just lay it on the leather and quickly and effeciently trace around it. I like the idea about the 1/4 plexiglass- especially for large square ,retangular or simple shaped pieces. The only concern I would have about the plexiglass is - if you have pieces that are a irregular shape ( not a simple square or retangle) - how do you cut out the plexiglass to get the smooth curves..........

[BillB]

I use a jigsaw with a fine tooth blade to do the initial cut. Since the plexiglass tends to heat up and leave some melted residual, I then finish it with a sanding drum on my drill press. I have not asked professionalplastics.com if they can do any fancy patterns, that might be next. One advantage I have found using the clear plexiglass is that I can place the pattern such that any blemishes go in spots where a second piece of leather will cover the blemish and I get more useable leather out of the side.

BillB

[Gawdzilla]

Sheet metal. It won't "round out" or get frayed. You can get it cheap from a HVAC company, some are happy if you haul it away. A set of hefty shears and a drill and bits and you're in business. And they lay flat for storage without curling.

[TwinOaks]

Linoleum scraps. There's some LONG pieces available if you ask nicely. These can be rolled for storage...just not too tightly.