Compressing Leather?

[tparrish]

Is it possible to compress a some what soft leather (flatten) with a weight, or by other means? I have a source for just about the perfect leather for a project but I would really like it a little thinner while being more dense/stiff. Please let me know if you have any ideas.

Thanks

[Art]

Yes, the tannery has a big press called a rolling jack, they roll the leather through to "jack" it or make it harder through pressing. Soling leather is treated this way to make sole lifts hard so they don't squish (technical term) during use. The alternate method is to "hammer jack" the leather by beating it with (what else?) a beating out hammer. Now keep in mind that the shoe/boot maker starts with 12 iron (about 1/4") sole bend leather to start this process. You might have to be a bit more delicate with a smaller and more fragile cut. I'd find a supplier with a jack.

Art

Is it possible to compress a some what soft leather (flatten) with a weight, or by other means? I have a source for just about the perfect leather for a project but I would really like it a little thinner while being more dense/stiff. Please let me know if you have any ideas.

Thanks

[Mijo]

Yes, the tannery has a big press called a rolling jack, they roll the leather through to "jack" it or make it harder through pressing. Soling leather is treated this way to make sole lifts hard so they don't squish (technical term) during use. The alternate method is to "hammer jack" the leather by beating it with (what else?) a beating out hammer. Now keep in mind that the shoe/boot maker starts with 12 iron (about 1/4") sole bend leather to start this process. You might have to be a bit more delicate with a smaller and more fragile cut. I'd find a supplier with a jack.

Art

Art - Do you think a rolling jack used to compress the leather for this book mark? It's incredibly thin, extremely stiff and does appear to have a rough side. I'm curious to know how this book mark was made.

tparrish - sorry to hijack your thread

[BIGGUNDOCTOR]

Depending on the size of the leather that you want to compress , your skills, who you know, or what tools you own, you have some options.

Pasta roller, as used by a forum member.

Vise.

Hydraulic press.

Find someone with a sheet metal slip roll.

A plate with a lot of weight stacked on top of it,car,truck,forklift---don't laugh, I have all of these.......

[tparrish]

Depending on the size of the leather that you want to compress , your skills, who you know, or what tools you own, you have some options.

Pasta roller, as used by a forum member.

Vise.

Hydraulic press.

Find someone with a sheet metal slip roll.

A plate with a lot of weight stacked on top of it,car,truck,forklift---don't laugh, I have all of these.......

Great! Thats exactly what I needed to know and very promising for me. Thanks for the good ideas everyone.

[Art]

Probably jacked, it also looks like it might have a pebble texture, and that is pressed in too. You get it wet and press it, as the GunDr says with whatever you have handy.

Art

Art - Do you think a rolling jack used to compress the leather for this book mark? It's incredibly thin, extremely stiff and does appear to have a rough side. I'm curious to know how this book mark was made.

tparrish - sorry to hijack your thread

[Mijo]

Probably jacked, it also looks like it might have a pebble texture, and that is pressed in too. You get it wet and press it, as the GunDr says with whatever you have handy.

Art

Art - I have a vice already so I'll try it out, but do you think a pasta press will work any better? I'm not familiar with pasta presses but if it's no more effective than a vice I won't bother to pick one up just to try it. Thank you and GunDr for you comments, they were extremely helpful (to me anyway).

[Art]

I don't know, I've never tried the Atlas on leather and I have a better brain to do it and face XYL (ham term for Ex Young Lady).

Art

Art - I have a vice already so I'll try it out, but do you think a pasta press will work any better? I'm not familiar with pasta presses but if it's no more effective than a vice I won't bother to pick one up just to try it. Thank you and GunDr for you comments, they were extremely helpful (to me anyway).

[KAYAK45]

I like the guy who uses two encyclopedia for covers on wet leather and parks his car over night on top!

[cem]

I've done the pasta maker thing works well, a vice should be just as good though if you have one with large jaws.

Clair

[Mijo]

Probably jacked, it also looks like it might have a pebble texture, and that is pressed in too. You get it wet and press it, as the GunDr says with whatever you have handy.

Art

I messed around with soaking pieces of leather and then pressing it in a vice overnight this weekend. I used scraps of latigo and bridle leather and the bridle leather ended up working the best as it was compressed and very stiff. The latigo compressed nicely as well but it wasn't as stiff as the bridle leather.

I'm looking to make bookmarks, like the one I posted above, out of the left over hide (i.e. belly) that I can't really use for dog harnesses or leashes. I've already inquired with Texas Custom Dies about having a die made and I'm looking at purchasing a wooden bookbinding press, as the vice I have is too small and can only accommodate one bookmark at a time. I'm thinking that I would punch the book marks with the clicker die, then skive down each bookmark, wet each bookmark, punch / stamp each bookmark, press the bookmarks in the bookbinding press and then finish the edges.

[BIGGUNDOCTOR]

You need to determine how much pressure is needed per marker to compress. Example; if it takes 500# to do one bookmark a 1 ton press will only be able to do 4 bookmarks. # per x number of parts that you want to do = press tonnage needed.

Look into C-clamps. A good c-clamp can create a ton , or more, of pressure.

Now if you use a big platen press, it may be possible to make heated platens to speed the process up some. An aluminum / steel plate with some stove top, or oven heating elements added to them could speed the process up a great deal. We used various heated platens at the Jelly Belly Candy Co. Being a machinist I view options like this as straightforward projects, so sorry if I come across as everyone should have these capabilities.

A simple air operated press could be made with an inner tube, and some plates. Air is measured in PSI (pounds per square inch), so if you have an inner tube that has 100 sq" of side surface area it can apply 3,000# of pressure when aired up to 30 psi, and is contained in an enclosure. If you can find a small industrial tube that will take 80 psi it can create 8,000 pounds of force. Makes you think when you are airing up a 235/85/16 on the truck to 80psi,and you start figuring the sq" of tire in front of your face. Speaking of that , a tire that projects away from the rim width could also be used. Most D, or E, load range tires will take 80psi. Inside of a STURDY framework , place the markers on a plate, slip the other plate in, then slip the tire on top of them. Air up the tire to 80psi so that it is pushing outward in the frame, and wallah, you have a scrapyard press.

How many markers are you looking to churn out?

Edited August 2, 2011 by BIGGUNDOCTOR

[Mijo]

GunDR - Thanks for your post as you've given me a new way of looking at what I was considering doing. I hadn't considered how much pressure I would need for each book mark as I can't really measure (or don't know how) the pressure that the 4" vice i've been using exerts. I don't plan to make a lot book marks at any one time, probably no more than 4-5 each time I make some. Since I'm limited on room / money I was considering just purchasing a wooden bookbinding press with a pressing surface of 8.5 x 11, since the press is made of wood I thought that would help draw out the water a little faster. I hadn't considered whether or not the bookbinding press could even generate the pressure needed to compress the book marks adequately. I made the assumption that if the 4" vice that I was using could sufficiently press the scrap leather, then the bookbinding press would be more than enough.

Below is link to the bookbinding press I was looking into;

http://www.beechhillartisans.com/Book%20Press.html

Do you think this bookbinding press will do the job? I was also thinking of using C-clamps as you suggested but I was concerned about the pressure being distributed evenly.

[BIGGUNDOCTOR]

I would be leery of that considering that it is made of spruce, and pine, and it only has one screw in the middle.

Watch Craigslist for a Harbor Freight hydraulic press. They are usually around 12 ton, and don't take up that much floorspace. Plus it has other uses.

To do a bookmark with c-clamps, you can use multiple clamps to get even pressure. Nobody said that you could only use one.

Since you are only doing 4-5 at a time, you don't need anything big. A couple of steel plates , or some thick wood, and some c/lamps would get you by. Try some thick plywood, or 2x6 for starters. Put a c-clamp at each corner, and one in the middle if you have one big enough to reach. Think simple, it is easy to get way beyond what you really need, as noted by some of my suggestions so far. The only thing with wood is that you may end up with a woodgrain pattern on the markers-which may be fine.

To help pull the moisture, try paper , or cloth between the clamp,and the leather.

Lots of options, just pick the best one for you.

[Mijo]

GunDr - I'm going to go with your suggestion on the c-clamps and 2x6s. It should keep the cost down and be more versitile, than the bookbinding press I was looking into. If the bookmarks do well and there's an increased demand then I'll look into a hydraulic press. Thanks for all your input and suggestions, it really helped a lot.

[Queipo37]

You think you could saturate a piece of 2/3 oz leather and use a couple of steel plates w/ c clamps and successfully reduce the thickness.  I’m struggling with skiving and would love a consistent controllable way to make some of the layers of this wallet I’m making a uniform thickness.

[Queipo37]

You think you could saturate a piece of 2/3 oz leather and use a couple of steel plates w/ c clamps and successfully reduce the thickness.  I’m struggling with skiving and would love a consistent controllable way to make some of the layers of this wallet I’m making a uniform thickness.