Need A Little Advice Please :)

[Leprechaunleather]

Hi people !

just wondering is it ok to layer leather ?

EG: i want to try making a purse , i have 2-3 oz leather and i intend bonding two pieces together using contact adhesive to make 5-6ish oz leather

will that be ok ?

any body ever do that ?

or is it just a bad idea ?

[WyomingSlick]

Sure, it's okay to layer leather..........for some purposes. Look at the heel of a cowboy boot. Those are made from a lot of layers bonded together. The best cue tips for billiard/pool cues are made from layers of bonded leather. Some people make belts with a liner bonded/sewn to the outer tooled layer. Many purses are made with a stiffener bonded in between the outer layer, and the lining material.

About your purse. Is this something that you are going to tool first? Do you want the purse to be stiff or supple? Bonding leather together will result in a more rigid result just as plywood is stiffer than regular wood. Of course the adhesive you use, and the thickness of it, will affect the result as well.

If you are thinking of bonding the layers together and then trying to tool it as if it was 5-6 ounce leather, I have serious doubts about the feasibility of that. If you simply want a more rigid structure for your purse, then I don't see any big problem. It wil actually be much the same as building a leather lined purse, the only differance being that your lining is thicker than the conventional liner.

[cjdevito]

You can definitely do what you're talking about, Leprechaun, but have you considered using a sheet of stiffener instead of another layer of leather? It's cheap and works well, but you'll want to line the interior with something like pigskin to cover the backside of the stiffener. If you're not familiar with the stuff, SLC sells it for $8 for 16 square feet or so.... http://springfieldleather.com/30158/Bontex%2CBag-Stiffener/

[Leprechaunleather]

thanks for the advice guys. im gonna give it a go ! im new to the leather working and im just wanting to make new things with the half cow that i have its 2 oz i made a couple of wallets which turned out pretty good , a couple of knife cases from heavier leather , now i want to try a ladies purse of some sort

[Dwight]

We as holster makers and belt makers do this all the time. My belts are two pieces of leather, . . . bonded together with Weldwood Contact Cement, . . . then sewn along the edges, . . . and many holsters I make are done the same way.

You apply a thin coat to both flesh sides, . . . allow it to dry to the point you can touch it and it does not feel the least bit sticky.

Lay one on top of the other, . . . roll it with a rolling pin or something of the sort. It bonds the two pieces together to the point that it is like one piece of leather that has a "good side" on both sides.

It is also stiffer than an equal thickness of leather that is only one layer.

May God bless,

Dwight

[Leprechaunleather]

as for the purse what is the ideal size leather to use ? i want it to be relatively supple but not flimsy if you know what i mean

[Dwight]

Two layers of 2/3 or 3/4 will be good, . . . as long as it is a purse. Some "ladies" I know carry things like .45's in their purses, . . . that would be a bit thin, . . . the image would show.

But I've made a clutch purse out of 6/7 (one layer in each part) and it was good. My wife has a beautiful shoulder bag I bought her 30+ years ago, . . . 10 oz.

My best advice, . . . because each of us judge things differently, . . . make the purse of what you have. Then you can honestly say, . . . by your standards, . . . it is too soft, . . . too hard, . . . too flimsy, . . . too rigid, . . . by YOUR standards.

I'm designing a billfold that will be made of several single layers of 3 oz, . . . and at 69 years of age, . . . I'm assuming my son will take it out of my pocket when he comes to claim the body.

May God bless,

Dwight