Moulds for veg bags - wood or steel?

[LottyAfrica]

Hello,

I would like to make moulded bags from veg tanned leather.
In one of my books, I've seen a method of having a wooden block mounted on a plank. Wet leather, fold over block on plank and then another plank with a hole the size of the block, slots over. Clamp it - mould it.

From another leather worker, I've heard the bit of info that this does not work, and the only way to properly mould is with steel moulds?

Can someone here share their experience with moulds & veg bags, whether the mould was wood/steel/any other material?

I would like to become more educated on the subject :-)

Many thanks

Lotty

[Aven]

Lotty, I have used wood moulds to make small bags with out any problems.  If you are using a board, you have to be careful of the grain.  Plywood works better

John Welling has a good video on the process. 

 

[fredk]

1 hour ago, LottyAfrica said:

. . .  I would like to make moulded bags from veg tanned leather.
In one of my books, I've seen a method of having a wooden block mounted on a plank. Wet leather, fold over block on plank and then another plank with a hole the size of the block, slots over. Clamp it - mould it . . .

Can someone here share their experience with moulds & veg bags, whether the mould was wood/steel/any other material?

I use MDF board. Its easy to carve with a heavy duty craft knife and rasps. Layers of thin MDF can be built up using just PVA glue. The 'frame' plank is not necessary.

On some bags, I mark roughly where the sewing line will be then staple the wet leather to the base, the holes made by the staples are taken up in the holes for sewing. On small bags I use bulldog clamps and lolly sticks to hold the leather in place.

With one set of pouches I had to do the leather was wrapped round to the back of the pouch and stapled to the MDF block - the sewing on these was to be hidden at the back, not visible on the front sides and bottom.

MDF has no grain to worry about, is cheap and often odd sized off cuts can be obtained at DIY or builders stores or even from building sites.

[bermudahwin]

I do the same as creek,

I have seen industrial systems using steel moulds, but not many hand crafters.

H

[zuludog]

Search YouTube for 'Making a Wet Moulded Possibles Bag'  There are several videos

I haven't watched every one, but all those I have use a wooden mould or former

[billybopp]

For a hobbyist, steel molds would be more trouble than they are worth.  Hard to make, and easy to rust without proper care.  Rust would stain the leather.   The only advantage I can think of for using steel would be that they might be able to be heated to speed the drying process a bit.

I've seen people using wood, plastic, foam and just about everything else to make a mold.  As long as it's somewhat sturdy and not damaged by water it should work!  Whatever you use, you may want to seal the surface, such as a polyurethane varnish on wood, to protect from moisture.  That should do the trick just fine!

Here are a couple of videos that might help ....

Making a mold for wet molding leather  

and making a molded bag .

 

- Bill

[Handstitched]

I use MDF molds on just about every case I need to make . Easy to work with, sand,  grind, shape etc. and  its cheap.  Glue two bits together to make a bigger mold if you want. Very versatile .

HS 

[RockyAussie]

19 hours ago, LottyAfrica said:

Hello,

I would like to make moulded bags from veg tanned leather.
In one of my books, I've seen a method of having a wooden block mounted on a plank. Wet leather, fold over block on plank and then another plank with a hole the size of the block, slots over. Clamp it - mould it.

From another leather worker, I've heard the bit of info that this does not work, and the only way to properly mould is with steel moulds?

Can someone here share their experience with moulds & veg bags, whether the mould was wood/steel/any other material?

I would like to become more educated on the subject :-)

Many thanks

Lotty

A post I did awhile back may be worth a look at if you go through to where I show how I made up some moulds for handcuff pouches. The advantage of going this way is you can get exactly the same duplicate mould made as many times as you want, with out having to spend any time much on making them. The method shown also allows minimal waste of leather unlike many I have seen on the tube.

 

[Samalan]

Wood works just fine if it's a one off make the mold don't even bother finishing it, if you plan on using it over and over sand to 220 grit and finish with boat varnish three coats , it will last a long time. 

[fredk]

This is the MDF buck I made recently for to wet mould a holster case for my new mobile [aka cell] phone. Its not even neatly carved and not sealed. The leather was bulldog clamped to the base part.

The finished holster case;