leather valet tray Valet Tray: Take 2

[YinTx]

Brown64,

That blue leather is like an oil tanned pull up.  I didn't think that could be cased?

YinTx

[MADMAX22]

IMHO this one looks like the Kmart version compared to what you did with the brown/red you posted previously. The stitching/finished edges/center insert all add to the one you did previous. Thats just me though, dont take it the wrong way. I think what sets yours apart from a big percentage of the others is the two colors of leather nicely stitched with the nice middle inserts.

Squaring up the corners, not sure what leather your using. If vegtan you can wet mold and crease the line in there, 

With the chrome tan or similar you can do a tight fold and stitch around where you want the crease to be or put a center section like the others but have the outer layer fold over just the edge of the insert and stitch that line around. Its kind of hard to explain but its almost like adding a welting line on upholstery items but without the tubing in it if that makes sense. It may work, it may not. 

[YinTx]

MadMax,

Agreed, the others look much nicer, but I make what the customer is willing to afford, and the last blue one sells for significantly less than the hand stitched 3 layer tooled and edge coated versions.  Actually, so far, it sells, the detailed ones have not.

I may try your ideas on a future version to get a block shape.  I debated wet forming the veg tan one, but I didn't want to take a chance on messing up the dye job with water blotches, etc.  I'll do a trial run and see how it goes.

YinTx

[MADMAX22]

Yeah I hear ya, gotta make what sells. 

One thing I do sometimes is just spray the vegtan with a spray bottle then let it sit a little bit. The water is applied in a more controlled manner and doesnt pool anywhere like it potentially can when dipping it in a tub of water. 

[RockyAussie]

I would cut a shape from a firm but still flexible plastic similar in shape to your one with the insert but a bit larger and sandwich it in between the layers.At a pinch a folder from office supplies will work. Some would use a cardboard of sorts but if it gets bent it may show.

[geargarcon]

What kind of suede did you use on the very first valet?

[YinTx]

Geargarcon,

It was a cream colored cowhide suede.  I don't recall off the top of my head where I got it from.

YinTx

[Klara]

On 12/15/2016 at 3:11 AM, YinTx said:

Thank you, Venator and Brown.

Here is the latest iteration.  It would be nice to know how to square out the bottom some instead of the rounded shape I end up with, so if anyone has suggestions:

Hahns Atelier have a video on Youtube about copying (?) the Hermes version. They use two full-size layers of fairly thin leather and sandwich a square of stiff split leather between them on the bottom.

 

[YinTx]

3 hours ago, Klara said:

They use two full-size layers of fairly thin leather and sandwich a square of stiff split leather between them on the bottom.

That does square up the bottom nicely, and similar to what RockyAussie suggested.  Kinda tells me a single layer chrome tan isn't really going to be a flat squared off bottom like those.  I think Hahn's would have come out really nice if he had stitched the base so the leather didn't pull up when he formed it and put in the rivets, maybe I'll try one like that!

YinTx

[Klara]

A single layer of veg tan split leather won't be square or straight either, as I found out yesterday. But it does the job...