Molded document sleeve

[farmersracer]

Hi all

This is my first molded leather (and hand stitch) project. Yes, a 13" mac will fit, but the goal is to use the sleeve for maps and documents in farming and forestry. I have used veg tanned leather and is at the moment testing different oils and waxes. Saddle stitch with waxed linen thread 18/4, pricking iron and owl. I can really recommend the buttons from scovill.com. Have been using them on waxed cotton and leather bags for 7 years. Their designs are one bit more robust than most brands. They come in black or chrome - the ones you see in the pics have been stripped from their black paint.

I have decided to use only a blend of bees wax, coconut oil and olive oil on the edges. No burnish or color, just to bring more focus to the surface and less focus to the edges.

I am new to wet molds, and have a few problems with keeping the veg tanned leather clean during the drying process. Does anyone of you use any coating on the leather before soaking and forming the parts?

regards

Lars Gustavsson

[Stetson912]

That's really clean work. How do you mold the corners so nice? Is that 8/9 oz or heavier?

[farmersracer]

Thanks Stetson912

Yes it is about 8/9oz. But i think it is slightly thicker. In Europe we use a mm system, and this leather measure 3,5-4 mm. I have used a very flexible veg tanned leather from Tärnsjö Tannery in Sweden. They made a small batch of extra fat, but not oiled leather as an experiment. It is a bit to flexible to use in a sewing machine, but turned out to be perfect for molding. It keeps the shape perfect, but has no dry wood feel to it.

[Matt S]

That's very neat work, I love wet-moulding but find still find it tricky after several years of trying.

[farmersracer]

5 minutes ago, Matt S said:

That's very neat work, I love wet-moulding but find still find it tricky after several years of trying.

Thanks Matt S

Great etsy page you got. This mold design is great to start with: large objekt with little depth. I am planning on a smaller version as well. 1/2 the size and twice the trouble:) 

[YinTx]

Cleanly executed.  That looks like really nice leather!  How does it burnish?

YinTx

[A6C5O7]

How did you install those snaps? Did you do it all by hand or did you use a tool and do you think you would replace snaps with these? 

[battlemunky]

Those are beautiful. Very pure looking.

[Tugadude]

Yes, very clean work there.  Moulding is top notch.  I also looked at your website.  Your work is very unique and professional looking.  Photography on the site is great too.  

Forgive my ignorance but what is a racing haymaker?

[farmersracer]

8 hours ago, Tugadude said:

Yes, very clean work there.  Moulding is top notch.  I also looked at your website.  Your work is very unique and professional looking.  Photography on the site is great too.  

Forgive my ignorance but what is a racing haymaker?

Hi Tugadude

Haymaker = farmer, and in Sweden motocross and racing motorcycles on gravel is big among farmers:)

[farmersracer]

9 hours ago, A6C5O7 said:

How did you install those snaps? Did you do it all by hand or did you use a tool and do you think you would replace snaps with these? 

Hello A6C507

The maps are installed before sewing the parts together. Special tools for these snaps of course. No moving parts in the chrome studs, so I don't thing they ever need replacement. Scovill.com have got studs with thread mounting though, but they will take up too much room inside the bag.

[farmersracer]

9 hours ago, YinTx said:

Cleanly executed.  That looks like really nice leather!  How does it burnish?

YinTx

Thanks YinTx

Sadly the burnish is spreading from the edge to the surface of the leather in an uneven pattern. This is one of the reason I only use wax on the edges. I might try heating the edges on some models in the future.

[ByNelson]

Lovely work, do you buy directly from Tärnsjö Tannery? 

[Basically Bob]

Every aspect of that sleeve looks great!  Thanks for sharing!

[farmersracer]

12 hours ago, ByNelson said:

Lovely work, do you buy directly from Tärnsjö Tannery? 

Thanks ByNelson

Yes I buy directly from Tärnsjö Tannery. They are really good to work with. They have no minimum order and good support.

[Peter Darby]

Beautiful work.   For me the beauty lies in the perfection of the work.  Awesome molding, edges and construction.

[ByNelson]

8 hours ago, farmersracer said:

Thanks ByNelson

Yes I buy directly from Tärnsjö Tannery. They are really good to work with. They have no minimum order and good support.

Okay sidst jeg kiggede kunne jeg ikke se en salgs side, måske du har et link? 

 

[Texson]

Wow, nice work!  The edges are wonderful as they are.  Very clean and neat. 

[Stetson912]

Does the tannery have a website by chance? I thought I found one but it mentioned a 600ft minimum order 

[Fire88]

Those look great!!!

[YinTx]

Yes, I saw the 600ft2 min order line also.  This leather looks superb, very even light color that just looks luxurious.  I saw in their list of photos a scrap bin in their leather retail shop, would be interesting to work with a few pieces of that scrap to see how the leather behaves without having to buy 600ft2!

YinTx

[farmersracer]

On 2018-01-24 at 4:20 PM, ByNelson said:

Okay sidst jeg kiggede kunne jeg ikke se en salgs side, måske du har et link? 

 

Hej ByNelson

You are perfectly right. They have no web shop for the leather. You need to contact their sales manegers to order and get a stocklist.

https://tarnsjogarveri.com/wip/en/contact/garveri/

 

[farmersracer]

22 hours ago, Stetson912 said:

Does the tannery have a website by chance? I thought I found one but it mentioned a 600ft minimum order 

Hi Stetson912

You can find the tannery on this link:

https://tarnsjogarveri.com/wip/en/

Some qualities hav a 600ft minimum order because they are not in stock. All the rest is free to order full hides. You need to contact the sellers to get a prize list. Please do - they are great to work with.

[Stetson912]

Ah I see now. That is the site I was on, but I see now that 600 ft rule is only on certain varieties. Thanks!