An impossible leather book task!

[Damian Black]

Okay so I've been trying to create something like this for awhile but don't even know where to start, anyone know how this is done? The damn wrinkles are giving me problems. 

[Yetibelle]

haha you want to make a Necronomicon Ex-Mortis - very cool.  

Ok well Yeah this would be hard but not impossible.  You will need really thin veg tan leather that. The veg tan leather can be wet molded.  So to start you need a template you can mold from.  So you can 3d print one or carve it, but it should be close to the design your looking for.  Then all you will need to do is wet the leather and tack it down tight to the mold and let it setup for a while and - done!.  If you can clamp it in a mold even better.

 This would be the better of the other way to do this -The other way would be to build up 4-5 layers of leather and carve it it out. Then once carved, you can polish the rough areas smooth then dye it black.  I suspect it would look cool but may be to thick for a book cover?  

 

[electrathon]

I will be very interested in responses to this thread.  I always thought that this style is chrome tanned slopped with glue.  Then it is laid down and slipped and pinched till the desired effect is reached.  I may be way off base though.

[Red Bear Haraldsson]

I like Electrathon's idea, I thought the same thing and wondered if I could do it out of the upholstery leather I have. I think white glue (PVA or school) would take forever to set, but barge cement could be an option, maybe?

[ConradPark]

So while I don't know how the piece in the picture is done, I have a mate that makes 3-d bookbinding and sells them at Camden Market, here in London.

Her process is basically to make the 3-d base in Papier-mâché. The reason is that it's light weight and that all covers for bookbinding is done with card board base, traditionally anyways. Because she mass produce, she has silicone molds so she can make several 3-d patterns at once. She uses rabbit glue (but PVC works fine) and then depending on the finished look she uses both chrome tanned and veg tanned leather to cover. She mainly uses Goat or Kip skins, no more than 0.6 - 0.8mm thick. They are cased with hot boiling water (it helps the leather to dry stiff) and when almost dry again, she uses a bone folder and a pointy horn hammer to mold the leather after the 3-d landscape. (She protects the Papier-mâché in water resistant laquer) and let to dry rapidly in a custom made oven. For chrome tanned leather, she finish with shoe cream and for veg tan she either use Shellac or Acrylic.

Hope this helps!

[Red Bear Haraldsson]

Oooooohh! That would work just marvelously. I haven't done Papier-mâché since I was five years old. That's going to be a fun project. 

 

Hey, is this the place? http://booksiconica.co.uk/gallery/

Edited September 16, 2016 by Red Bear Haraldsson

[TinkerTailor]

I'm going to do some searching through the mountain of PDFs I have of 100 year old texts and manuals. Quite a few are on leather. I know one of them has a tutorial on this technique. 

No guarantees, it's a lot to sift through.

[Damian Black]

wow thank you for all the responses! I am greatly curious to see how those books look Conrad, if you have some pics that would be great! I figured it was a combination of making 3d shapes with clay or something, gluing the leather down, moving it around, doing the hokey pokey and drying it all about! But I wanted to get some more opinions on the correct technique before attempting any more than the scraps I played around with. 

[TinkerTailor]

Here is a video that I'm sure will be a big help. Speaking Italian would make it even better.

 

[leatherwytch]

I believe that lighter leather, like garment may be easier to work with. I have also been thinking about trying this.

 

Randi-Lee

[TinkerTailor]

 

5 minutes ago, leatherwytch said:

I believe that lighter leather, like garment may be easier to work with. I have also been thinking about trying this.

 

Randi-Lee

If you want it to wet mold and stay without glue, like in the video, it needs to be veg tan. Most garment leathers are chrome tanned. For chrome tanned, there is a technique of using glue, and thin pins. You slop the slow drying glue all over the back, form and pin it into position, putting pins in easy to hide positions, and then leave it till the glue dries. Remove pins after. Sometimes a few hidden well placed tacks can be hidden under folds.

[leatherwytch]

I just may try it both ways. Only with the lighter leather I would use glue.

 

 

Randi-Lee

[LumpenDoodle2]

Thin veg tan goatskin and papier mache does the job grand.   The goatskin molds well with a bone folder, and certainly for the less complicated book covers, the water from the pva glue keeps the leather moist enough for molding.    

I've never done a big 3D design yet, maybe it's time......

let us know how you get on.

[bikermutt07]

There are some cool techniques mentioned here. I don't have any experience with this but it seems a vacuum box could come in real handy. Just make your 3d pattern with small hole all over it, apply wet leather and throw it in the box. You could repeat it over and over.

Just a thought.

[TomG]

I saw some of these at the Ren-Fair here in Atlanta. The leather felt like upholstery leather.  Soft, and a bit pliable.  I assumed it was glued together.
I actually introduced myself and tried to discuss the technique (I have no shame ), but I really am not interested in make these for sale. Too many other irons in the fire.

But the gal at the booth said she was just an employee and had no idea of how they were made. 

But I do like the white leather glue idea.  It "feels" right.  It stays flexible, yet will hold the leather together.  I'd use the plastic clips they sell to hold cloth together for sewing the seams.  Expensive, but nice.  About #0 for a box of 50, but with a coupon from JoAnns it drops it can drop in half...