Appartement And Leatherworking

[Lithops]

Hi everybody,

I was wondering if any of you do leatherworking and live in a appartement and how do you manage it. In may I'm moving into a appartement and I would like to keep doing leathercrafting. I do fear the noise will disturbe my neiboughs. Anything I can do to help to keep the noise down, any sugestion ?

Thanks a lot

Lithops

[Realm13]

I live in a similar situation. I did fear the noise but I went around and asked my neighbors and they said it wasn't bad, but the people that live under me did say otherwise. I just work around their schedule, or warn them when I'll be starting something. I did make some items for their pets though, might have smoothed things over a bit.

[ENC]

If you find out where the floor joist are and put your table legs directly over them ...it will be more like hitting the rim of a drum than hitting the head. It also eliminates much of the floor bounce when setting grommets ect.

Ray

[Wild Bill46]

You might possibly use T---y Poundo Boards 12x12 # 3461-01

12x24 # 3461-02

to go under your granite or marble slab to eliminate some noise.

I also remember reading someone somewhere say they used Carpet.

hope this will help with your neighbors ?

Earplugs ? No, maybe not ! ------ Wild Bill46

[biglew]

learn to make a whip... scare the neighbors..... just kidding

[thefanninator]

I started in an apartment on the ground floor so I didn't worry too much about stamping/hammering noise. Then I moved to a middle floor apartment... My trick is.... I use a marble slab about 24" x 12" I put this on my bed on top of some blankets. The noise is reduced quite a bit. I don't stamp too early or too late.

You can also drown out a little hammering with some music; just not too loud.

[Glendon]

My set up is a foam and rubber interlocking mat on the floor under a good solid desk, under a poundo board, under my granite. Seems to work well. I also don't stamp late or early.

[Lithops]

Thanks a lot for the tips

[digdug18]

You might try using a press for the stamping dies? They keep coming up for cheap on ebay. A buddy of mine makes wooden pens in his apartment, and got in some trouble for turning antler on a mini-lathe. It has quite the smell when you burn it, lol.

[Realm13]

You might possibly use T---y Poundo Boards 12x12 # 3461-01

12x24 # 3461-02

to go under your granite or marble slab to eliminate some noise.

I also remember reading someone somewhere say they used Carpet.

hope this will help with your neighbors ?

Earplugs ? No, maybe not ! ------ Wild Bill46

How well do the poundo boards work? Never thought they were needed but if they work well might be worth it for my sanity.

[cgleathercraft]

My poundo board is fairly old and stiff, doesn't absorb much sound like I would prefer. No idea on its age. I got it in a box full of tools from someone who attempted to pick up leather working as a hobby about 20 years ago. I found some high density foam I had laying around that came with a suitcase I bought. Its fairly thick and absorbs sound much better. Anything that will put a barrier between the granite and the tabletop will make a difference. When I was in an apartment I never had complaints on sound. Although I didn't stamp late or early and was on the ground floor.

[Glendon]

I have an arbor press that I do use for some stamping, but it is slow going. Fine for alphabet or 3D stamps, but I wouldn't try anything too complex with it or the speed will likely drive you crazy.

[Wild Bill46]

Realm13

Fortunately I live in a single dwelling house with my wife. No problems with noise, even while she sleeps.

I only have a desk to work from though. and that sits on carpet.

when punching, or snap setting I use either a pound-o board or a dressmakers plastic mat. over my granite slab.

nothing below the slab,

still no problems either way. Another thought might be, "a Tool Box Mat"

Hope your neighbors appreciate your concerns. --- Wild Bill46

[Kracker]

I live on the ground floor so I dont have any issues other than when I turn work music up to loud lol

[TheCyberwolfe]

One of the important factors is the thickness of your tooling slab - I noticed a dramatic decrease in noise when I got a thicker slab.

Of course, in an apartment you're likely going to have to move the slab back into the closet come dinnertime, so don't make it too heavy...

[Toolerlass]

I feel your pain. I haven't been on this forum since at least last summer i think as i've had a forced separation from leatherwork because of appartment dwelling noise issues.

Last year i had a neighbour who was increasingly staying at home below me, it was getting really frustrating starting something and sometimes having to stop for a week at a time, or quickly grabbing hammer time when her car was away for a short while and then having to stop again.

She then left (hopefully not because of me) and then another dude moved in who is also always home! That combined with neighbours on my floor where we can hear each other talking indoors from across the hall leaves very little play time :-(

I was so frustrated sitting around i ended up learning silversmithing as it was quieter to fill in times when i couldnt leatherwork... And this has taken over my spare time (for now) I now keep overhearing the neighbours moaning about the smell, from soldering. Can't win :-(

But the best i came up with for leatherwork was a poundo board under a granite slab that i'd place on my legs while sitting as my desk is too noisy. I'd get a really sore neck after a while but it was the most quiet method i could find after trying the bed and the floor first and it saved having to constantly stop and start depending on who's car was in the carpark. Good luck with your quest for neighbour approval :-)

[leatherwytch]

For the first time in my life I am now living in an apartment. I had the same fear as you. However, I am lucky I live on the main floor and no one beneath me. I have yet to run the machine but that is coming this month. I have a poundo board under the granite and with some of my stamps just as the leather is changing colour I will press the stamp into the leather it works good. As my neighbours are noisy the noise I make is nothing in compare to them. I also have a very thick granite slab and a pound board under it.. All my leather is in one bedroom (should have been the bigger one) I have two bedrooms. I also only stamp during the day as a rule.

Edited March 3, 2015 by leatherwytch

[BryonD]

Hello. I live in an apartment and it sucks. But I found a big ziplock bag filled with sand and duct taped for durability under my slab has helped with sound, I also have a piece of steel about three inches thick and four inches round that works good for 3D and letter stamps, Also instead of tooling on my key fobs I have been useing my stylus and assorted clay working tools to beveal and tool some simple carvings.

[Champagne Octopus]

Hello -- a bit late weighing in on this, but I've pretty much always lived in apartments, and I move around a lot (not really out of necessity, just because I like living in different places).

The leatherwork has to be a primary consideration when choosing an apartment, I think, in order to make the best of it. Ground floor is a necessity (one-story apartments are even more ideal) for me, and I rent an extra bedroom just for my workspace. I look for apartments with at least one interior room (no walls adjoining other apartments) to reduce noise pollution. Big walk-in closets with regular doors (not those collapsible track-doors) are also attractive -- I have cats, and being able to keep my hides behind a closed door in a relatively temperature-stable environment is also a necessity. If it's an apartment previously occupied by heavy smokers, or that otherwise contains weird, intractable smells -- no deal. I'm a smoker myself, but I don't do it indoors because I don't want my leather smelling like that.

I introduce myself to potential neighbors and ask them what times of day they'd be least-bothered by the noise, and plan my projects so that I can get the majority of my pounding done during those hours. I also let them know that it's perfectly okay to come knock on my door and ask me to keep it down, and I'm always cordial if and when they do. Never gotten a noise complaint yet.

If you don't mind a little reciprocal noise, you can ask the apartment manager if there's a block of buildings that's generally noisier or more noise-friendly than the rest. My current neighbor is perfect -- he blasts his bass 24/7, I'm hammering away at all hours, and neither of us mind a bit. We joke about it when we run into each other on the shared back patio.

So I guess my best advice is: Unless there's some reason you have to keep living in your current apartment, start shopping around. You can probably find a place in the neighborhood that better suits your needs when your current lease is up.

P.S. Living a floor above someone, unless you're in a steel highrise with concrete floors, makes being quiet virtually impossible. When I first got into leatherwork, I lived on a second-floor apartment sandwiched between a cranky old lady below me and bunch of (at least six) Brazilian college students above me. I was so determined to keep learning the trade and so conscientious about being a good neighor that I would pack up my tools and workbench every day and go do all my carving/chiseling in the park. Pretty much all I did at home was the stitching and finishing, and my downstairs neighbor still complained about how loud the squeaking was just from me shifting my weight on my feet so much.

Edited June 26, 2015 by Champagne Octopus

[tboyce]

http://elfitakorea.blogspot.ae/2013/08/hand-press.html

this might help cut down on the noise

[Toolerlass]

I know this is an old thread, but has anyone tried that device above in real life?

After a couple of years break, i’ve decided to sod the neighbours, to a certain extent. All they do is argue and slam doors on a daily basis so i’m starting to think fu*k it and get the old hammer out 

[chrisash]

I put two layers of towel under my granite slab and it made a massive difference to the noise

[Toolerlass]

I’ve resorted to using a cushion under my marble slab and sitting them on my knee while sitting on a sofa. The cushion raises it up enough to be more comfortable on the neck too. I’ve given up trying to use a table, they all sound horrific 

[Dunluce]

Something like this is an idea if you  do hand stitching and need to hammer a pricking iron

http://elfitakorea.blogspot.com/2013/08/hand-press.html

 

[charon]

@DunluceHave you made business with Elfitakorea recently? Or anyone else? I wrote them an Email and never got an answer. Thought they were out of business since there were no updates for a long time. Just saw theres an article from 2018...