Really Stupid Basic Question on Leather Types

[rodneywt1180b]

Thanks,

I showed the pictures to my customer and she's happy so all's well on this one.  It was a fun project and I plan to do more.

I'm used to working with wood.  I don't know much about leather but this piece had a lot of stretch and liked to move as I was cutting it.  I don't mind the stretch.  I think it was why I was able to get it to fit.

Rodney

[Rolandranch]

Looks good! The stretch may be because of the location of that piece on the hide. For example, the belly will stretch a lot whereas straight down the spine won't stretch that much. But it could also be the weight, too. Anyways, I would go with a stretchier leather for a project like that because you can fit it well and when it dries it forms and tightens around the handle.

Thanks for sharing!

-Ryan

Edited November 19, 2017 by Rolandranch

[Rockoboy]

Just one small thing, besides the stitch line which I know you are working on, the edges of the leather needed burnishing before fitting. (Something I am trying to get my head around).

Overall, a good job and I bet you learned heaps from this project. Onwards and upwards from here.

[rodneywt1180b]

I'm a little confused on burnishing.  (Back to really stupid basic questions)  I know you can burnish veg tan.  This is oil tanned.  Is oil tanned leather veg tan that's treated with oil or is it a type of chrome tan?  Can I burnish oil tan like veg tan? Also is it possible to mold oil tan?

Fixing my stitch line is a pretty big priority for me. I also need to get a lot better at cutting a smooth seam edge.  I've got some ragged cut lines on this one.  It needs to be neater for what I want to do.

This one was a good learning experience.  It's also good to know bellies will work for me.  I'd like to turn out a nice product but still keep costs down.

[bikermutt07]

I can understand the wanting to fix up your stitching.

But, for this particular piece, I don't see where it was needed. This was a very rustic cane and the wrap with the stitches, as well as the raw edges, complimented it perfectly. 

I think it looks awesome.

As for burnishing oil tan, I've never used it. Give it a go on a piece of scrap.

[rodneywt1180b]

This one is about as rustic as I make them.  I have one gluing up right now that will be a lot more refined (I hope).  That one needs the stitching right.  I'll most likely buy matching thread and use a baseball stitch for it.

Rodney

[motocouture]

In terms of cutting, I find a hand held rotary cutter (45mm disk size) works really well if you don’t have access to a head knife or something similar. Olfa is a good brand; the replacement blades can be a little pricey but the blades last for ages if you take care of them

[rodneywt1180b]

Good idea.  I actually have a rotary cutter already from sewing fabric.  I'll give that a shot on the next one.

 

[fredk]

I've not used 'oil' tanned. By the look of your piece its very thin, and you say its 'stretchy' - that sort of leather is near impossible to edge burnish unlike thicker and stiffer veg tan.

Your piece is not too much unlike the chrome tanned upholstery leather I use. For neat edges on it I skive the inside edge a bit using rough sand paper [a skiver just doesn't want to know] - I do about 2cm wide, then fold and glue that edge over, blattering it really flat with a rubber-head mallet. Not only does that give a really neat, tidy edge the double thickness is an advantage for the sewing or lacing

Don't make the really silly mistake I made when I first used a rotary knife. I used it with my usual straight edge. I found the supposedly really good rotary knife had only partially cut through the thin leather. Tried a few more scrap pieces - same result. The centre button of the wheel blade was riding on the top of the straight-edge allowing the blade to just touch the leather!!