Best Weight For Project Ideas?

[grimmlin]

Being new to leather work, I haven't quite figured out which weight of leather to purchase for which projects. I would like to make a somewhat soft and flexible messenger bag for hauling notes around for class (no computer), notebook cover, maybe a portfolio type folder, a knife roll case and a couple of molded phone cases that hook onto a belt (would be used lightly, maybe 10 days a year). I don't know if 3-4oz or 5-6oz would be most useful for the bulk of these projects. What would you recommend? I don't want to mistakingly but a side of a weight that won't be useful for what I want to do, the nearest leather store is a Tandy that's over an hour away. Between work and school I get about 1 day a month off, so going out there to look in person isn't very feasible.

[NVLeatherWorx]

PM sent with some details for you. Good luck with your projects.

[sarychuk]

So interesting question. One ive contemplated too.... A 'possibles' bag or small messenger bag. In the style of indiana jones! What weight of leather? Soft but a bit rigid.....

kind regards

sa

[JosephConnell]

PM sent with some details for you. Good luck with your projects.

Hi NVLeatherWorks! I am very interested in this same information .Been wanting to make my first bag and am at a loss for what weight leather I should use.

[NVLeatherWorx]

@JosephConnell: PM sent.

[JosephConnell]

Thank you

[BondageMaster]

What's with all the "PM's" ???

Nobody else reading this topic can get any help (now or in the future) by refusing to answer the OP's questions in public, which is the very life blood of a forum. It's this very function that makes a forum invaluable over time, a database that is constantly enriched over time and hopefully preserved for posterity.

...I then noticed another member had the same question and the response was again, "PM sent". WTF I just don't get it, so I feel compelled to post this question and hopefully make others aware of this bad form. Sorry for the rant, but I was trying to use the SEARCH function and this thread was at the top of my inquiry.

[Halitech]

I agree, if we keep the info in private then eventually the info will be gone. It's not like providing info on what weight leather to use is a national secret.

For a cell phone case, depends on the style but for molded, I use 4-5 and the ones like tandy sells kits for, I use 3-4 and then line it, mainly to protect the phone from the snaps (seriously, would anyone really use self stick velcro to close a cell phone case?)

For bags, depends on the type. I did a travel/lunch bag out of 6-7 with the bag stiffner and then lined with pigskin. For the motorcycle tool bag I did, 4-5 lined with pigskin with bag stiffner in between.

Tandy actually has a nice chart on their leather buying guide that gives suggestions on what weight to use for different items

[NVLeatherWorx]

That is true about sharing the info yet there are plenty of resources that Tandy has provided over the years that gives you the very answer to this question so it isn't really private after all. The reality is that the final weight used is going to be based on the item being made and its intended use, the heavier the use and the more durability required, the thicker the leather or need to make it 2-ply. That is always a personal choice and one that the maker has to decide upon. When it comes to the PM's that I have sent out I have been giving these people the very same direction that you can find, today, on the Tandy site (or other places) if you so desire and then give them what I base my decisions on. No secrets here, just giving them some direct and personalized guidance.

Most of my items are made from 4-5 with 2-3 or 3-4 internal components, larger items and bags are typically 5-6 and the heavy use bags are 6-7, no need to go any thicker. The only thing that gets anything thicker is belts and the lowest I go is 9-10 for most belts, 8-9 for the casual style line. I have walked away from pigskin a long time ago as even just liner as it really detracts from the more refined look that the modern consumer in my area is looking for, it is all about that rich leather look around here and pigskin just doesn't fit into that any more.

So there, now the secret is out.

[Boriqua]

Being new to leather work, I haven't quite figured out which weight of leather to purchase for which projects. I would like to make a somewhat soft and flexible messenger bag for hauling notes around for class (no computer), notebook cover, maybe a portfolio type folder, a knife roll case and a couple of molded phone cases that hook onto a belt (would be used lightly, maybe 10 days a year). I don't know if 3-4oz or 5-6oz would be most useful for the bulk of these projects. What would you recommend? I don't want to mistakingly but a side of a weight that won't be useful for what I want to do, the nearest leather store is a Tandy that's over an hour away. Between work and school I get about 1 day a month off, so going out there to look in person isn't very feasible.

Im going to go ahead and make it even more complicated!

When selecting the leather for a particular project it isnt just about what weight leather to use but again what you want that finished product to look and feel like. I think it would be almost impossible to load up a fairly sizable bag made of 4-5 ounce or even 3-4 oz leather and have that bag have a catastrophic failure. When I started I always seemed to go with far heavier weight leather than needed and although those bags are still around 20+ years later part of the reason is they were so damn heavy I didnt use them much. but if I make a tool roll for a motorcycle I dont like it when they sag so I go 6/7 shoulder or back and it will maintain the shape I made it for years to come. Its not that 4/5 wouldnt hold what you can get in one of those bags I just hate the way soggy bags look on a bike.

So back to my original thought .. There are other things besides weight to consider. In my experience leather of the same weight that comes from the shoulders and back have a stiffer denser hand than similar weight sides. So if I want a softer type bag I will buy sides. I have some 5/6 sides that molds "ok" but for certain styles of bags its the perfect balance of stiff and soft but mostly soft. If I take 4/5 or 5/6 ounce shoulder I can usually get a nice clean hard mold from it that I dont from that side material.

Then you have a whole host of other types of leather. Latigo Harness ... yadda ..

For your messenger bag if it is going to be about 12 inches wide and you want it a little on the soft side I would go 5/6 ounce. your other projects no more than 4/5. Being a student if funds are tight .. you can certainly get away just fine with using the 4/5 for your messenger bag with a nice soft flip over strapped top this way you can get one side on sale and use it for everything.

Edited February 29, 2016 by Boriqua