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So a couple things happend during the construction of this wallet that I thought I might ask for help. Its my first real rolled edge wallet and Im really happy with how it came out but it could be better. Im hoping the links above worked to show you detailed photos of the wallet on my photobucket page. I will post my questions below...

1. Does anyone provide Skiving as a service or know where I can shop and buy a mechanical skiver in the Portland, OR area? (I wrecked 4 pieces of veg tanned to get the one that worked with a safety skiver)

2. If I wanted my top-stitch on the outside of the wallet I cant see what I'm sewing... so? I prefer the look of the top stitch on the outside so I don't get those "blowout punctures".

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3. In this pic it shows the "bridge" of the wallet. I like the way it encourages the bend in the wallet but I am curious if it should be sewn or just rolled like I did.

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Please let me know what you think good and bad. Please be strict. I want to make them better in every way.

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either this forum is pretty dead for input and resource or I posted incorrectly... my apologies if I did. Please let me know if there is a better place to get answers..

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You are more impatient than I. LOL

If you truly want a "mechanical" I assume motorized, you will need to spend around $2000. The "crank" skivers are $900 to $1500.

The motorized is the only way to go for my money.

No need to sew from the inside. If you applied the roll correctly there is no need to see it as you stitch. Use a guide, roller or straight.

Your bridge in the wallet is fine.

You need to use leather between 1 and 1.5oz. for you lining. Any cut edges that are exposed should either be skived and rolled or burnished.

It appears to me that you didn't place the "Bill" lining all the way to the edge of your billfold back. The roll at those end junctures look pretty bad with extended width. Also makes the end of the wallet "bunch-up".

If you are going to make wallets to sell any quantity of, you need a skiver such as Cobra has.

I have a number of hand skivers, they are primarily used to touch up corners etc.

ferg

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hahaha sorry! i guess other forums I'm in are more active. Didn't mean to offend anyone.

Thanks so much for your input. I placed and glued the satin liner all the way to the edge then rolled the leather over to the interior. I used 6 oz veg tanned for the exterior layer because I wanted to tool deep. My manual skiving seems to be very trying. matter of fact I hate it! hahaha which is why i'm looking for a motorized skiver like a cobra or fortuna.

I also have trouble buggering up the thread at my starts and stops. I definitely need to work on my corners... (noted)

When you said to use 1-1.5 oz for the lining were you referring to where i used the pig skin for the pockets or where I used the satin for the bill lining? The Green leather I used is about that maybe 2 oz... The pig skin is really thin and easy to work with and sew.

Thanks again 50Years!

I am a product of the technology age and leather is a tough nut to crack for online resources. I am used to pretty instant feedback and maybe just need to relax a little. But you know how it goes, when your thinking about something it doesn't stop till you find what your looking for :)

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ok... i re read your message and I think I understand what you mean about the Bill liner not going all the way to the top of the wallet. I battled with that in my pattern design regarding construction. I left it low so I could stitch the top outside rolled portion. I felt that if I brought the bill liner all the way to the top I wouldn't be able to stitch from end to end from the inside. But what your saying about not needing to see the inside roll makes sense (its there). But how do I sew inbetween the 2 layers and still get all the way to the edge?

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No, I wasn't referring to the upper part of the bill liner. Your leather bill liner is fine in height it is the left and right edges I spoke of.

I personally think use of some cloth materials for lining the "bill" pocket is classy if the correct colors and pattern in the cloth are used.

Now, you are confusing me. What do you mean by sewing the different layers? When you do the roll, all layers of the wallet, including inside pockets, are covered by the roll thus you sew through everything at the same time.

Leather folks are a breed all their own. You will find that if you hang around very long but.....you will never find a place with more knowledge of an art form or the many folks that will offer some of their best secrets. :)

ferg

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Welcome to forum Lou, sometimes it takes a while for a response and sometimes it is fast it just depends on who is online. Ferg is right tho lots of knowledge here. I see the different width on the inside edges like Ferg said but all in all it is a good looking project. Good photography presentation also.

David

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Thanks Guys. I truly appreciate you sharing your knowledge. I look forward to lots of good reading ahead. I have been amazed with content I've found already in this community. I'm learning 10 fold just from seeing quality leather work.

I look forward to utilizing your critiques in my next project. I need to make a few pattern adjustments before I try again but I'm excited to make another one of these for sure. This was a commissioned gift for 3rd Wedding Anniversary (traditionally a leather gift) for some dear friends. The customer was very excited, as was I with her response.

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I'm not sure if it's the time of the year or if it's a shift towards a different medium for sharing information and pictures, but you are right that it is a bit slow as of late. I think that some of the people in here are "seasonal regulars" and tend to be in here more when the weather outside isn't as pleasant. I know that I find it very difficult to keep my mind on my concentration on my schoolwork when the sun is shining and my kids are enjoying their summer break.

I wish I had enough skills to offer up anything other than an opinion on the wallet.

I would think that long term usage would cause that small bit along the "bridge" at the bottom to come unrolled, so stitching it would probably be the best route. I have worn out plenty of wallets, and that area is one of the first to come unglued and start tearing away. Mind you, these were commercially made, mass production style and not a custom, hand made ones like you'd see in here.

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It is a great wallet, like the deadhead detail on the front. To me it looks very professionally made.

I hear you about hand skiving, truly a pain and destroyer of leather.

There are some really fine craftsman on here and many busy folk so be patiently persistent and you will get feedback; it is especially slow in the summer months. Lots of old threads to read and galleries to peruse.

Welcome to the site

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I think it looks fine. Make the changes to the stitching...stitch from the outside rather than inside for the prettier stitch, and hide those raw edges on the pockets and you'll be good to go.

I might suggest flipping the pocket on the left side of the wallet so that the opening faces the inside of the wallet...to prevent cards from slipping out of the wallet when closed.

I have a Highlead bell knife skiver. Best investment I ever made. Highlead makes just about all of the skivers out there. The other companies just stick their label on em and mark em up. Check em out.

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@Shtoink Do you use other social networking for sharing Leather Info? I found leatherworker.net on facebook but curious if there are others that people use to get a newsfeed of sorts about leather.

I would like to find a better way to secure that lower edge on the bridge. While i know the bent position will hold it secure I do not want it unrolling in the future. Trouble was I could'nt put that section under the presser foot and not stretch out the bridge of the inside liner. But I am still going to try to find a way to sew it. Thanks for your input!

@WScott Thank you! I have been reading lots over the last few days. You are correct! A definite wealth of info on here.

@KevinKing I am going to leave myself a little more room on the outside layer so i can feel a little more confident on sewing the top side. I can always trim after. :) I too think it would make for a much cleaner look. Thanks for the encouragement! As far as that pocket goes I battled with it both ways. I wanted it to face the inside for security but I wanted it facing out for ease of access figuring it might be the driver or ID that goes there and when you have to use it they never want it inside a wallet still. I think I'll try both ways and see what I like best. And thank you for the tip on the Highlead bell knife skiver. That is a brand I hadn't heard of so I have more research to do. Any idea where they are sold out of? Or better yet is there a place to see and actually touch one? hahaha I know that's not likely.

cheers to you all and thank you for your honest info.

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HighLead may be a company who makes many skivers. I doubt there is any one skiver that is not made in a factory in China with one possible exception, FORTUNA.

I researched skivers and their internals for months, actually several years off and on. I came to one important conclusion, doggone every one of them is made exactly the same except, again, FORTUNA. Consew, Cowboy, Highlead, Cobra, and several others I have forgotten their attached names, are exactly the same and are primarily sold as bottom feed only. I bought my Cowboy with Top and Bottom feed. I believe "ART" on the forum uses top and bottom feed Fortuna. $4000 plus was out of my price range but I would love to have a FORTUNA some day.

There is a learning curve with the skiving machines just as there is with the sewing machines. Once you get the "Settings", oiling info, bell knife sharpening, and a few other little items in your head you will wonder what you done without it.

I could never recommend one of these machines with only bottom feed. With the Top and Bottom feed you can skive most any type leather available to you.

Google "skiving machine". I assure you there will be enough info to occupy your time for awhile. Select a Dealer that is as close to you as possible. Not too far away, by all means go see the machine in operation using pieces of leather you intend to use for your projects.

ferg

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There are wallet patterns around that don't stitch the bridge piece to the side pockets. It has tabs that fit into slots in an extra layer in the side pockets. It adjusts or moves automatically to adjust for the difference in inside length when the wallet is closed and fully open.

I saw one of the patterns here, so maybe you can find it with a search for wallet pattern.

I'm another guy that would sure like a power skiver, but too expensive for the amount of work I do. There is a paring skiver used by bookbinders that you pull the leather through. Adjustable taper, height, etc. around $400.

http://apps.webcreate.com/ecom/catalog/product_specific.cfm?ClientID=15&ProductID=17482

And a link here on LW http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=1216&st=15

Tom

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Thanks Tom. I'll look into those too. Would be nice to save some loot.

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Nice work, nice photos.

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Very nice Lou!

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Thanks!

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i wouldnt want to give any technical leatherworking advice as ive only been doing leather for a few months now, and these folks seem to have you taken care of anyway. but as a tattoo artists of 15 years and airbrush artist for about 30 yrs. my only advice would be on the artwork design. now forgive me if thats exactly what the customer wanted but i think the grateful dead skull could have been a bit more elaborate maybe with some roses. outside the box kind of stuff. but again if thats what the customer wants thats what they get i definatley understand that. just my 2 cents worth. other than that the attention to detail in your stitching and rolling is excellent.

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I often struggle with "artwork". most of my experience comes from duplication art as a screen printer. but i started to hate making the same thing over and over. This project was limited to time and cost efficiency. it was a commissioned gift for a 3rd wedding anniversary for some dear friends. I didnt' put as much time into the carving and tooling as i would have liked. like i said it was for some dear friends so there came a limit to how much time I could put into the piece for what i was going to be paid. as is I put in way more time than i was paid for. hahaha. thank you for the direction but as you said it was what the customer wanted. I spent the better part of the day tooling that design and couldn't justify more design time for what i sold the wallet for :)

Have you every used your airbrush equipment for staining leather? i've seen some neat results with antiqueing leather using air brushing. I want to get into air brushing for finishes but haven't had the time to research necessary tools yet. any suggestions for equipment for a beginner? my main goal would be for feathering in darker colors at the edges and such...

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if your just looking for something for fiinishes and on a budget you can get a paasche VL for around $100 it was the first airbrush i got 30 yrs ago and i still use the same. Here it is on amazon for $72 http://www.amazon.com/Paasche-VL-SET-Double-Action-Airbrush/dp/B00397TTTY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1375646945&sr=8-1&keywords=paasche+airbrush+vl any air compressor will do. i havent gotten around to airbrushing finishes yet. i got a pretty good handle on tooling, but stitching and patterns stuff like that is giving me fits lol.

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I hear ya! but when you do get pattern making and stitching down it is quite rewarding. I much prefer to make everything my own. inspired by others but still my own. Thanks man! I'll check those out.

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Lou,

You're wallet looks really good for a first attempt! Heck, it looks better than some final attempts I've seen! I see two issues you are having with your bridge bit. First, it looks like the leather is too thick. I know this brings us to your issue of skiving and you can't easily solve that until you get a skiver, but it's important to know that you will have an instantly better result when you get a proper skive. Once that leather is thinner, it won't buckle like that.

Second, I see a patterning issue. If your interior met flush on the bottom with your exterior, you would have had a bend that covers the exterior fold. I'm attaching a couple poor images of my own wallet so you can see. With this style billfold, that part is not stitched, you did fine with that. But it is always going to look a little ugly and having the bend section cover it makes the wallet look much nicer.

kd2n.jpg

qxrv.jpg

nmwz.jpg

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thanks for the pics and helpful insight! I am attempting a new wallet and really appreciate it!

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know I'm late to this, but there's quy on here who made a skiver using utility knife blades (admittedly only 2 1/4" wide)

ran couple searches and I can't come up with link, but it was basicly a wooden block angled on one side with a blade screwed to it using washers with shims. (he said 30 deg angle, but also said not critical).

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