Lining With Suede

[LeatherHead99]

Im about to try lining for the first time and thought suede would be a good choice plus it was on sale. I'm lining a piece of 9-10 oz veg tanned leather. I know I need to use paste to attach the suede and sew the border, but I wasn't sure what to do with the edge. I assume the suede can't be burnished. I want to make the edge look as professional as possible. Whats the best way to this.

If someone could post some close up shots I'd really appreciate it as well. just so I can get and Idea of what my finished product should look like.

Thanks

[electrathon]

Slightly off topic from your question: Are you lining a holster? If so, suede is about as bad a choice for leather as there is. It tends to trap dirt, which will scratch you gun.

Back on topic, do not cut the lining to size until it is glued in. Leave a generous border, glue with contact cement, trim to size and then sew.

[LeatherHead99]

No, its not for a holster, although it is for a protective cover. I'm making a protective cover for a facemask. It's going over the glass face shield to keep it from getting scratched while in storage. The facemasks get placed in a bag when not in use and tend to get scratched a lot from being tossed around and bumping into larger objects. I figured suede would be easier on the glass than the rough flesh side of the veg tan.... Would the suede be easy to get the dirt off with wiping by hand? That was a concern of mine with having dirt getting trapped between the glass face piece and cover. What do you think a good liner would be for such and item? Maybe just another thinner piece of veg tan?

Thanks

Edited August 15, 2013 by LeatherHead99

[JLSleather]

"Suede" is just a term for animal skin with the top grain removed. Chrome tanned doesn't burnish, but the veg tanned will. The BACK side of you 10oz veg tanned leather IS "sueded". We sometimes (incorrectly) interchange the term 'veg tanned' for tooling/carving leather. Tooling leather IS veg tanned, but it is not the ONLY veg tanned. Here's the (eventual) point ...

You'll likely see what "looks like" suede, marketed as a "split". When it comes off the animal, it's thicker in some spots than others. They'll skive it (say, to your 10 oz stuff) and the underside is "split" off, but still same tannage.

Just terminology. People differentiate "leather" and "suede", but suede IS leather. And when we say leather, lotsa foks think cow - which may or may not be the case.

[Bob Blea]

LeatherHead, I would be concerned that a suede surface would trap grit next to the glass and cause scratches. It wouldn't be much better than having the unfinished flesh side of the cover against it. I would either use a thin leather liner with the grain side towards the glass, or use pigskin, or I might just seal the existing flesh side with something like Fiebings leather balm/w atom wax. I have used the leather balm on the flesh side on occasion with a slicker and got a fairly smooth surface, and the was seals it somewhat.

Just my suggestions,

Bob

[Dwight]

For that project, . . . I would invest in some soft garment leather: elk, deer, fake deer, goat, lamb, . . . they can be very soft, . . . easily cleaned with a wet rag, . . . and should not scratch your lenses.

As said earlier, . . . contact cement the two together, . . . flesh side to flesh side, . . . leave extra around on the lining, . . . sew, . . . then trim (is how I would do it).

May God bless,

Dwight

[Bob Blea]

I like JLS and Dwighs answers better, use the grain side of the leather. As I think about it more, I would worry that the atom wax surface would collect grits too. Better to go with the grain side of a lining leather.

Bob