BIFOLD CARD SLOTS

[samNZJP]

Alright, hello, and thank you to anyone who can point me in the right direction.

So, recently I have started working with leather and I just want to master making wallets, but I'm confused as to how people do card slots. I've been following some people on Instagram and have been inspired by their work - Maybe someone could tell me how they do their card slots?

Here are the examples I'm looking at:

So judging by the stitching around the card slots, I believe that each slot has been cut so that each piece can line up with each other where I assume there is only two layers on the edge, a back and all the card slots lined up. 

Here's a T-slot!
 

So, at this point I'm thinking, OK - Make T-slots, easy... But when I made a wallet there were "tightness" issues where the card slots at the back worked fine, but the card slots at the front were very tight - SO, do people make different sized card slots for the first, second, third and fourth card slot?
Another side note, Mattnudi from this T-slot photo told me that he glues two pieces of leather together 0.5m leather x 2. IS this common practice as well?!

Right moving on... Here's my biggest confusion....


 

So obviously this wallet is layered and T-slots are not used. I wonder if their are two pieces of leather glued together for each slot as well.

Anyway, I have big problems with T-slots and whether they should all be the same measurements, and if so how do I avoid tight card slots? And how can I make non-t-slots viable without super ugly edges?

Was going to include edge tips as well in this - Anyone know a good edge paint product?

Sam

[garypl]

I have been using Giardini edge paint and I really like the smooth finish.  Not into making wallets, so can't make any suggestions on this.  

 

[samNZJP]

Thanks for that!

[Petewon]

I just do all card slots at the same size. Yes they may be slightly tighter at first but they will give a bit when used.

In regards to the "non T slots", it is my understanding that they are still T slots but are skived top and bottom and overlapped slightly. Ive seen a few people do this to great effect but I'm guessing its very tricky.

I use Giardini edge paint too, there are other similar brands available but Giardini is the easiest and cheapest for me to get over here.

[JohnLawrence]

I make all of my card slots the same size.   I have an acrylic template that I use for the T slots.  It makes cutting the slot a whole lot easier because you just cut around the template instead of tracing around another thinner pattern, and it also seems that the t slots are all the exact.same size.  I generally will use somthing like a thinner piece of leather for the slots like sheepskin.  When I first stated making wallets I had the same problem with the sizing being off.  I found that my main issue was in gluing the slot material to the primary leather piece.  I just learned (the hard way) to be very careful in where I put the glue.  The other issue that I had was that I did not skive the bottom edges of the card slots and the thickness of the leather would throw off my width.

[Danne]

This is the three most commons versions of pockets i've seen.

The first one is usually really thin like 0.35mm x2 and the folded edge attaches under the next pocket for durability.

The second one is the one without t-pockets where the part hidden behind the next pocket skivs really thin. 

And the third one is the most common (from what i've seen.)

[samNZJP]

Thanks for all the comments and diagrams.

 

so in the second image I posted, you are saying he skived those pieces before sticking them together?

 

sam