What Leather Thickness For Wallets?

[sharkeyfinn]

hi everyone. i need some advice on what thickness of leather to use for wallet making. heres some i have just sent to a friend in switzerland.

the thing is, they are all very very stiff,and dont fully shut without assistance, and with the coin purse they are quite thick. i made them from 1.6-2.4 veg tan, i realise i should probably use thinner, but i still want to tool them, im not really quite sure what i need to do to make them....more usable ? i like to be able to put the coin purse in,as i think its a useful addition.

any advice greatly appreciated as i have 2 more to make ;-)

[LTC]

use the same leather for the exterior panel and thinner leather for the interior parts.

also, wet/fold your exterior panel without all the inner parts in first...should help it to close better once it's finished...

might want to try out using thinner thread and a higher spi also...just an idea...

Edited May 8, 2014 by LTC

[Glendon]

This kind of thing is where lining leather like thin pigskin can come in handy. You can find some leather marketed as lining that is almost fabric than.

[LTC]

except that i don't think the wallet he showed is lined at all. so adding a lining would add more thickness (however slight).

there is a piece of leather to make the compartment for bills...that one needs to be made of thinner leather as do the card slot pockets...and the change pocket.

keep the same exterior thickness. then on all the other parts, use thinner leather and it will not be as bulky and still allow you to tool the outside.

[Glendon]

That's what I mean. For that thinner leather, it's easiest to look at what most suppliers call "lining leather".

[LTC]

i wouldn't recommend using it for the inner bill compartment. the linings i have used are very thin and flimsy and wouldn't be appropriate for the inner bill separating layer.

[Hi Im Joe]

Full grain veg tan pigskin lining can easily be used for the insides of wallets. Also, when doing a coin pocket think about using a pleated pocket instead of a flat pocket to give the coin pocket some depth.

[Glendon]

Good old Ian has a great example of what Joe is talking about on his LeodisLeather YouTube channel.

[sharkeyfinn]

thanks guys, thats been really helpful, i take it by pleated you mean a sort of gusset? i think i know the vid clip by ian,the cordovian one? i will get onto theidentity store and have a chat with kate ;-)

[Hi Im Joe]

thanks guys, thats been really helpful, i take it by pleated you mean a sort of gusset? i think i know the vid clip by ian,the cordovian one? i will get onto theidentity store and have a chat with kate ;-)

Exactly like a gusset except you just cut your pocket long on either side and then fold it in on itself to create a pleat at the edges which when stitched to the wallet provides your pocket with some depth.

[DavidL]

would any one whose used 2/3 or 3/4 ounces for the inner card slots comment on the flimsiness of the pockets.

I have 2 separate 2/3 leathers from different tanneries and one is .8mm (I think this is average size for 2/3) and the other leather is 1.3mm. I've found one leather thats in the middle of the two which is 1.1mm pull up upholstery that works well (sample piece) very solid and thin.

-Would you say anything from .8mm to 1.3mm works well for inside pockets in your opinion?

-can splitters skive the leather to exactly 1.1mm for the bend and give or take a fraction of a mm for the belly and shoulder?(too expensive for me to buy to find that it doesn't work)

-Does any one make their pockets pieces 1mm to 3mm longer the size that would make it fit exactly to allow for more room or would that make the pieces slouch.

[Hi Im Joe]

would any one whose used 2/3 or 3/4 ounces for the inner card slots comment on the flimsiness of the pockets.

I have 2 separate 2/3 leathers from different tanneries and one is .8mm (I think this is average size for 2/3) and the other leather is 1.3mm. I've found one leather thats in the middle of the two which is 1.1mm pull up upholstery that works well (sample piece) very solid and thin.

-Would you say anything from .8mm to 1.3mm works well for inside pockets in your opinion?

-can splitters skive the leather to exactly 1.1mm for the bend and give or take a fraction of a mm for the belly and shoulder?(too expensive for me to buy to find that it doesn't work)

-Does any one make their pockets pieces 1mm to 3mm longer the size that would make it fit exactly to allow for more room or would that make the pieces slouch.

That whole wallet is made out of 2-3 oz leather.

My card pockets are 4 inches by 2 inches.

[DavidL]

Looks good. Any tips to get the front and back pocket to be parallel with each other, meaning the top of the front pocket edge being 1 cm below the top of the back pocket and keeping it exactly 1 cm apart. Sometimes mine come out 2 mm too high on one side and by eye its hardly noticeable until you stick a card in.

Do you use a template or eyeball it?

[Hi Im Joe]

Looks good. Any tips to get the front and back pocket to be parallel with each other, meaning the top of the front pocket edge being 1 cm below the top of the back pocket and keeping it exactly 1 cm apart. Sometimes mine come out 2 mm too high on one side and by eye its hardly noticeable until you stick a card in.

Do you use a template or eyeball it?

I measure everything and with a square piece by piece. It takes longer but until I can get vectored laser cut acrylic pattern it is more accurate than using a paper pattern. At least in my experience. Other's opinions may differ.

[Glendon]

Personally, I'd prefer vectored laser cut leather, but that's just me. I'd suggest a good well made carpenters square. It's a relatively cheap tool that makes a big difference.

[Hi Im Joe]

Personally, I'd prefer vectored laser cut leather, but that's just me. I'd suggest a good well made carpenters square. It's a relatively cheap tool that makes a big difference.

I mean yeah. Why make it out of acrylic just to have to trace it and then cut it. Might as well just cut the leather. Now if only someone would send me an awesome laser cutting machine free of cost I'd get right on that.....(that's a nice fantasy).

[biglew]

you know I wish I had a laser to cut plastic patterns.... I have bought some from black river and they are excellent. Now I want to have some made with my own design specs and yes I know they do custom work.... just afraid they will end up on ebay.

And I have a small clicker press ...can't afford a lot of steel rule dies for small items

thanks

Lew

Edited June 12, 2014 by biglew

[Ryan Barto]

I use 2-3 oz calf for my wallets. It holds up really well, but I don't think it would be very good for tooling (I prefer inlays, so I haven't tried tooling it) the pockets hold up really well, so you could easily use 2-3 for the interior and thicker for the outer shell. I am told that calf has a tighter grain, so that may be why the card slots hold their shape so well.