Center Line On Edges

[Webicons]

As @JLSleather said, oversize the piece by 1/4-1/2 inch and trim the excess to size.  It’s a perfect edge every time. 

[immiketoo]

On 5/17/2018 at 11:15 PM, JLSleather said:

No dye.  No edge poop.  No liquid plastic.  Just leather 'n' glue ... ''n' no line.  Nope.

I mean eliminate it, not camouflage it.

There ya go changing the rules mid stream.  At this point at a game of semantics.  Of course its more difficult on all natural edges, but I know a guy who can do it.  As soon as I find a pic, I'll post it.  He's about as good as they come.  But the OP's post showed black leather so why handicap yourself by limiting the use of materials to conceal it?  If the eye can't see it, who cares if its actually there?

[niakulah]

On 5/18/2018 at 2:44 AM, immiketoo said:

One thing about this.  Using your contact cement properly is crucial.  Thin glue is better than thick gobs of it, and its imperative that you hammer all your edges with a cobblers hammer.  This compresses the fibers and helps make the composite as close to one piece of leather.  The hammering step changed my world when it came to eliminating the line, but to see it now you'd need a good magnifying glass and very bright light at precisely the right angle, and even then, most people miss it.  

I've only ever seen cobblers hammers in photos so perhaps I'm missing something. For the purpose of hammering down leather that's being glued together, is it any better than, say, the flat head of a ball peen hammer?

[Aven]

The face on a cobbler's hammer is a bit domed and larger than a ball peen.  The one I have is about an inch and  5/8 across.  This allows you to hit the leather and not have the edge of the face dig in and leave a mark.  You can get cobber hammer heads off of eBay for any where from $5 w/shipping to the seller is emotionally attached to it and won't part with it for less the $200.  You can buy a French style hammer new for about $50.  The other, less sexy style, about $30.  But if you  have a ball peen hammer head that is large enough and a belt sander, you can put a slight dome on it yourself.

[RockyAussie]

12 hours ago, niakulah said:

I've only ever seen cobblers hammers in photos so perhaps I'm missing something. For the purpose of hammering down leather that's being glued together, is it any better than, say, the flat head of a ball peen hammer?

I have used a cobblers hammer for many years and for the more delicate leathers that are easy to bruise I have glued onto the face of the hammer a piece of firm veg to further protect the job. I have got away so far using one glued on piece for about 5 years now and that is just attached with contact glue. The face of the hammer is about 38mm or 1+1/2"

[RockyAussie]

Another thought if you don't like seeing a line as JLS said

On 18/05/2018 at 6:15 AM, JLSleather said:

No dye.  No edge poop.  No liquid plastic.  Just leather 'n' glue ... ''n' no line.  Nope.

I mean eliminate it, not camouflage it.

 Just fold the edges instead I guess. That'll give you an exact colour match as well. I used to do all my watch bands that way once. The pictures below shows some ostrich ones I made once. The ones with the watch faces done had to be split down to .3mm and I did have a fairly high fail rate on that.

[niakulah]

10 hours ago, Aven said:

The face on a cobbler's hammer is a bit domed and larger than a ball peen.  The one I have is about an inch and  5/8 across.  This allows you to hit the leather and not have the edge of the face dig in and leave a mark.  You can get cobber hammer heads off of eBay for any where from $5 w/shipping to the seller is emotionally attached to it and won't part with it for less the $200.  You can buy a French style hammer new for about $50.  The other, less sexy style, about $30.  But if you  have a ball peen hammer head that is large enough and a belt sander, you can put a slight dome on it yourself.

Ah ok. I've already domed my ball peen hammer's face. It is only 30mm across though. I feel insufficient. lol

 

5 hours ago, RockyAussie said:

I have used a cobblers hammer for many years and for the more delicate leathers that are easy to bruise I have glued onto the face of the hammer a piece of firm veg to further protect the job. I have got away so far using one glued on piece for about 5 years now and that is just attached with contact glue. The face of the hammer is about 38mm or 1+1/2"

Good tip. Thanks.

[immiketoo]

2 hours ago, niakulah said:

Ah ok. I've already domed my ball peen hammer's face. It is only 30mm across though. I feel insufficient. lol

 

Good tip. Thanks.

Get a good cobblers hammer then put a mirror finish on it.  You will be pleased with the results of your firmly glued edges.  Its also handy for wet molding pouches and sheathes etc.

[RockyAussie]

8 minutes ago, immiketoo said:

Get a good cobblers hammer then put a mirror finish on it.  You will be pleased with the results of your firmly glued edges.  Its also handy for wet molding pouches and sheathes etc.

Now will that me look like I'm loosing or gaining weight??

[immiketoo]

Convex, so gaining I'd guess!  LOL!  A concave hammer wouldn't be very good, now that I think about it.