Problem With Clamps Leaving Marks:

[whitIL]

I'm pretty new to leather working and I'm leaving unwanted marks when I'm forming the leather.

I'm making a glasses case to go on my belt. The back piece will curve over the top and become the front flap.

Last night I cased the leather and clamped it. I used a board with one rounded edge to get the shape I want. I used 3/4" x 3/4" x 10" strips of wood to spread the pressure and to keep the ends of the clamps from leaving a mark.

This morning I took off the clamps and found the leather is the right shape, but the strips of wood left distinct marks on the leather.

http://www.whitanderson.com/leather/images/00Top_4585.jpg

http://www.whitanderson.com/leather/images/00_Bottom_4582.jpg


I'm not looking for a way to save this piece. I want to know what you do to avoid the problem in the first place. When you clamp a piece of leather into a shape like this, how do you avoid clamping marks.

Thanks for any solutions or ideas.

--Whit

[Troy I]

The wood that I use to clamp with has 5 or 6 coats of marine grade polyurethane on it...they are as smooth as glass.

I also make sure that I do not clamp too tight---just enough to hold the leather in place until it is dry enough to hold its shape.

You might also want to take the clamps off before the leather is too dry and rub the marks out with you fingers.

For that matter you could try that now...just wet your leather a little and rub with your fingers or something that is really smooth.

Edited August 2, 2014 by Troy I

[Dwight]

Another trick, . . . use an inside mold, . . . I do that with my holsters, mag pouches, and lots of other "stuff".

The marks are on the inside, . . . for a fold like you have in the front or back, . . . I simply hold it in my hands (with inside mold in place) and hold it down as I roll from back to bottom then from bottom to front. It makes the sharp bend I want, . . . I do it on a perfectly smooth counter, . . . there are no marks, . . . and I would just leave the piece inside and lay it flat on it's back for an hour or so, . . . then gently remove the inside mold and allow it to finish air drying.

May God bless,

Dwight

[whitIL]

Troy I and Dwight--

Thanks for the ideas. I see that the surface that presses the outside of the leather must be perfectly smooth, and at least as big as the leather surface. I might try Masonite or something that is perfectly smooth and that I can cut to the exact size I want.

I hadn't thought about forming the leather around the inside mold by hand. I had an inside mold, but for some reason thought I needed to clamp the cased leather around the mold.

Thanks.

--Whit