Need Advice On Making A Personalised Carved / Crafted Leather Jacket.

[thewizzz]

Hi people!

So I have a few questions. But before I ask them I would like to apologise for my bad English and my long text. Also: I am not very good in transforming my thoughts into some good questions. But I still hope that people will understand what I am trying to say/ask, so they can give me the correct advice. So here goes nothing!

Allright, First let me introduce myself. My name is Paul. I am male, I am 31 years old and I live in The Netherlands and I love leather motorcycle jackets. A few years ago (when I was on a trip to london) I bought some of these leather jackets.

example 1: http://www.leatherjacketmaster.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/600x/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/r/e/red-bull-leather-jacket-1.jpg
example 2: http://sky-seller.com/image/cache/data/Biker_Jacket/BMW_Blue_and_White_Racing_Motorcycle_Leather_Jacket-750x1100.jpg

I like the models of these leather motorcycle jackets. The leather is heavy, thick and tought (although I am not a big fan of the bright colours and the advertisement on the jacket).

Now I was looking for a new jacket. In my online search I came across these badass jackets that Logan Riese made, and I fell in love with the possibilities.

example 1: http://pre02.deviantart.net/2504/th/pre/i/2012/306/2/f/logan_riese_leather_jacket_with_skulls_and_cross_by_loganriese-d5jsnv1.jpg
example 2: https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/c8/58/23/c85823a0864d4cda0230377584a2ac27.jpg
example 3: https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/be/05/e2/be05e2eb81f64114a920550770e73aaf.jpg

So I contacted this great artist. But 26000 dollar is a little too much for me (although I really think it is worth every penny)

After that I have put the idea of buying a badass leather jacket on a hold for a few months. But a few days ago it came back into my mind and I decited to start another online search for great badass motorcycle jackets.

During my search (I did find several great badass leather motorcycle jackets), I came across the art of leather carving/crafting. It is the same skill that mr riese used for his jackets. But the examples I found were more made for ehhh holsters/wallets/horse saddles ect ect...(pretty much what ur making on this forum)

Suddenly I got this idea of carving/crafting leather pieces myself and then make a leather jacket of it in the same model that I already have. I mean: wouldnt it be great to make this myself and later pass it on to my son, he passing it on to his son, ect ect. Making it a real family piece.

The upside is that I can personalise it. I am also not in a hurry. I wanna make it within 3 to 5 years. And it doesnt really matter if it is gonna be awesome or not. Because I made it myself and I can pass it on to my offsprings.

After some research I can say: Yes it is not easy to make this! Yes it is better to have this made by a real professional who has got many years of experience. But still, it does not look entirely impossible. I mean, just like the craftsmans I am also human. And was planning on only using some specific techniques. Most techniques I was planning on using are well described on the internet (youtube). I know that the tools are very expensive. But I just wanna make 1 jacket and will only need some specific tools that doesnt have to be made of top quality. So I did some googling and found a few webshops in China where I can buy the leather craft tools that I need for low prices (offc the quality wont be great, but I will only use them once). And in The Netherlands I can buy leather pieces, zips, cement, kevlar wire and more...

So after some more research I decited I wanna make this jacket out if cow leather (same material as the jackets I already have). I found our that the common thickness of cow leather for motorcycle jackets are between 1.2mm and 1.6mm and are usually sewed together with kevlar wire. A ladyfriend of mine has got a sewing machine for leather. Sure I wanna use that, but moss of the pieces I wanna ehhh braid? with leather wire. Oh and she is also willing to make a lining/inside jacket (she has experience with that).

After some more research I found out that they advice a minimum of 4mm thick leather if you wanna carve/craft leather. I dont think that will be a big problem for me since most areas will be stamped?/beaten down/made less thicker because of the carving.

But still I have loads of questions about my project (ofcource I do. I am a total noob/newbie at this)

- is it possible to sew or braid 2 different thickness of leather pieces together. For example 1.2mm and 4mm thick leather? Or is it better to only sew/braid pieces of leather together that have the same thickness? (because not all the leather will be carved, some non carved pieces can be 1.2mm.
- Is it better to first carve the 4mm thick leather pieces and then stick it onto a 1.2mm thick leather piece? Or can I just carve/craft away and then later sew/braid them on the sides (instead of sticking it on top)?.
- Is 4mm thick leather not way too heavie for a leather jacket? Will I be able to move my body when I am wearing it?
- Is it preferrable to ehh scrape the bottom of the 4mm leather after I carved the leather pieces (to reduce the thickness of the leather) Or will the stamping/beating down of the leatrher already result in a thinner piece of leather (is what I expect)
- Can I pick any color of leather and then paint it afterwards? Or is it better to pre pick a piece of leather that already has the color I want it to become?
- Is it a fact that you need a minimum of 4mm leather to start carving? Of did I misread this on the internet?
- Do I need specific pieces of the cow hide (for example I read that that cow butt is ehh less flexible compared to the pieces that came from the belly or shoulders), of can I just walk into the store and pick any piece of 4mm cow leather?
- Do I need untreathed cow hide of just pick a random piece that has already been treated?

I really hope that there is someone out here who can and is willing to answer my questions.

Ofcource I still start with practicing carving/crafting leather with smaller projects first. Like a belt or a knife holster/holder.

Many thnx.



Paul from The Netherlands

Edited March 2, 2016 by thewizzz

[Tommyboy]

The jacket you show is not carved/ tooled leather. It is made from diffrent textured chrome tanned leathers and sewn together. Veg tan leather is what is used for carving and tooling.

[chrisash]

One thing for sure these jackets are made by a master craftsman with what looks like a few layers of leather sewn on top of each other some parts may well be veg tan,  though i imagine the base may well be made of chrome leather or soft veg tan

By the looks of it it may take a few hundred hours to make and NOT something a learner in leatherwork would have the skills to make which accounts for the cost

[chuck123wapati]

get a leather jacket, deconstruct it, cut out your design and use the pieces you cut out for patterns sew in your new pieces, resew. learn from your mistakes.  When you are done you will know how to make them from scratch. My dad once told me there is nothing another man can do that you cant do.  words to live by. 

Edited March 26, 2021 by chuck123wapati