leathervan Report post Posted July 7, 2014 I assume there are some limits as to what what ounce leather to use and what kind of leather. I don't think saddle skirting would be a leather to use for a briefcase. It seems 6-7oz leather would be the right thickness. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
HippieLee Report post Posted July 8, 2014 Sounds about right to me - probably something different for the gussets (maybe even milled so it's soft - or chrome tanned but the chrome tanned I see at the store is all pretty thin. I haven't worked with any of it yet so I don;t know if it's suitable for more than a lining. But I guess they use it for upholstery and stuff so somewhere they must have stronger... Mostly I'm replying so this gets bumped so maybe some more experienced folks will see and offer some real advice rather than my guessing. :-) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cgleathercraft Report post Posted July 10, 2014 I bought some 5/6 oz veg tan off someone on the forums here for a laptop bag i'm planning on making for myself (the price was right). Most people here will say it depends on what your going to do with it. 6/7 oz in veg tan would be fine IMO. I've seen a few laptop bags made out of 8/9 oz and that's a little heavy for my tastes, plus the bag itself would weight a fair amount when its all done. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
HippieLee Report post Posted July 10, 2014 I have a pretty heavy laptop when you include the power brick (or even without it it's still a tank lol) so that is important to me. I think as long as it;s engineered and executed well with good strong handle joints and whatnot I can;t see how 5/6/7 oz wouldn't work. But before I begin mine I'll be experimenting some just to make sure. (my wife and daughter both want handbags/purses so they get to be my testers. lol) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
VanDutch Report post Posted July 13, 2014 I make my briefcases with a 10/11 oz (4mm) so it has some stiffness and retains shape etc.. For messenger bags I would use a softer lighter leather.. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Andrew Chee Report post Posted July 14, 2014 What kind of briefcase are you making? Will it be a turned construction or external gussets? 5-6oz is a good thickness. Saddle leather or bridle leather is fine if you're not gonna make a turned bag. But for turned bags, they won't work very well because when you try to invert the bag, the stiff leather will get all creased and wrinkled. If you're going to make a purse for your wife and daughter, go for the 3-4oz range. Purses shouldn't be so heavy. Andrew Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
HippieLee Report post Posted July 14, 2014 Yeah I reckon that's a pretty good question - I've never had a brief case OR a messenger bag and I'm not sure which one I want BUT I know I want it to have a shoulder strap. I guess I need to figure that out first. I want it to be kind of a combo bag for carrying the laptop plus other tools I often need for work (punch-down tool for cross-connecting phone wires, testers, toners and such) But not my whole tool-bag - just a few of the frequently used items and the smaller supplies like short patch cables and bridge clips and maybe a couple other things. I'm still debating on whether it's even a good idea to cram that much stuff in a bag. Right now I use an ill-fitting back-pack for the laptop and a couple freebie bags I got at various trade shows for my tools and a big bucket in my truck for supplies. That's all cumbersome and I'd like to consolidate and look snappy as well. Maybe I'll have to make a matching set with laptop bag and tool-bag... I May even get froggy enough to include a sheath for the punch-down tool that can move from my belt to the case by including a place in the briefcase/laptop bag that can accept the clip. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
