How To Make A Wallet?

[stanly]

my 3 chioces would be

copy Tandy or just use the measurments

this thread-Pattern wanted for Wallet and Billfoldsinserts-

http://leatherworker...?showtopic=3368

measure old wallet and copy

u will discover that it's the interiors that make the wallet (and make u crazy), not the craving on the back

PS to Texas L: the piece of whatever fabric helps keep the wallet thinner I'm sure, think that when u can't see it anything that holds up is ok. As far as linings - look at KK and some of the fancier ones in the wallets&.... subforum.

Think Tandy has some kind of poly fabric for this purpose.

PPS: just remember people (maybe even u) may have to sit on their wallet for hours, so thinner is better.

Edited July 8, 2011 by stanly

[electrathon]

TaxasLady,

The taffeta or whatever the fabric is that Tandy uses is what will fail first. It will unravel on the edge and pull out of the stitching. I have made a lot of wallets and all of the original ones were made with tandy kit inserts. 100% of them failed in the first year. I have since switched to making my own interiors (almost 2 years ago now) and have yet to have a failure. One of the guys I work with told me he would go through a store wallet every 1-2 months. I made him one and 18 months later it is still going strong.

You are correct that you can "step" the cards up higher and higher for each slot. I personally do not like to do this because if just makes the wallet thicker. You can use leather and sew across each level as you stack up the slots.Or you can use fabric similar to Tandy kits, just use something of better quality. Another option is to use Tyvek (the white paper used on house exteriors). The stuff is very thin and almost indestructible. I have not used it yet, but likely will on the next one I make that the person wants staggered slots.

Aaron

[TexasLady]

6/22/12

Thanks for the input on what 'thin' fabric to use for the interior, stanly and electrathon. There will always be 'trade-offs', won't there? Brown taffeta would be for something cheap when giving a 'kids class', then. But Tyvek sounds very interesting for my own future projects. I found this site. http://www.materialconcepts.com/store/categories/0100 4" x 200 yard tyvek 10G Price: $28.00 I've also got some black pigskin and some (almost ) orange pigskin, very thin. I wonder though if it may not stretch out too quickly in the card holder spots. And I'm only a year late in gettng back to you to thank you. Sorry. - TexasLady

[Eve]

Hi

I'm very new to leather working as well, my first wallet was made by reading Tandy leatherwork Crafting Instruction Manual by Stohlman, but I find the inner compartment is not what I wanted (also I ruined it by putting the leather lacing around), so I made a second wallet by copy my old one.

The inner part where the card goes in are made of water proof PVC or Nylon fabric (the fabric make umbrella from), the original wallet which I copy from is made of PVC (since when LV is not made of PVC), but think about goat hide or sheep hide, they are thin! My next wallet will try on goat hide, wish me luck!

I also brought a wallet inner compartment kit (long wallet type) but haven't started it.

Cheers!

Edited July 17, 2012 by Eve