Don55 Report post Posted June 7, 2019 Greetings. I am new to serious Leathercraft, first time posting and still have a lot to learn (given that I am 65 doesn’t leave me a LOT of time to learn it!!) But I am having a devil of a time locating a piece of hardware for attaching rivets and chicago screws to in the tops of leather purses and briefcases. The piece I’m referring to is a thin metal strip about an inch wide and probably about 10 inches long. It gets sandwiched between the inner and outside layers of leather when attaching the handle to not only provide a secure means of attachment for the screws/riveting, but also stiffens and reinforces the top of the bag or case. They exist, because I’ve seen them used, especially in high-end bags and cases. Bu I cannot locate a source for them anywhere!! I have googled every term I can think of and some my wife dreamed up, but no luck. I have called a couple of baggage parts suppliers and they don’t seem to have a clue as to what I’m talking about. If anyone knows the proper name for these little guys and a source (preferably in the US if possible) you will have my eternal gratitude!! Thanks a bunch for your help. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kgg Report post Posted June 7, 2019 Maybe check out Homedepot type store for some aluminum or metal flat stock and cut it to the length needed. That would be similar to what Klein uses in the tops of their canvas tool bags. kgg Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mikesc Report post Posted June 7, 2019 Aluminium would be better, or stainless steel , mild steel will eventually rust and discolour the leather..tanned ( chrome or veg ) leather has quite a lot of "active " chemicals and organic compounds in it..Aluminium is better than steel, stainless steel is best.. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fredk Report post Posted June 7, 2019 Even better is brass. Check out any shop catering to model makers and DiY for metals by K&S out of Chicago. They do a range of aluminium or brass strips and bars, mostly in 12 inch lengths but up to 36 inch is available. linky to K&S http://www.ksmetals.com/ http://www.ksmetals.com/29.html Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mikesc Report post Posted June 7, 2019 (edited) The reason that I didn't mention Brass is that it can ( and often does ) over time, react with leather to produce verdigris..( green discolouration ) ..you can clean it with weak acetic acid..but then you'll risk affecting / marking the leather.. Some types of stainless steel ( there is more than one type, "stainless steel" is a "catch all" term ) can also "react", but if that happens, it is the steel that can become "pitted" or have "frost pattern like" or thin wiggley* lines on the surface..the leather will not show as much discolouration as with Brass and verdigris..If the Brass is Nickel plated it would usually be OK, or you could clear coat it with lacquer. Some chrome tans react worse than veg tan to contact with Brass.. To make it worse, if the item is going to be used where the air is salty, aluminium will oxidise and make a white powder which will also discolour things..This used to happen to panels on older Landrovers that were kept near the sea ..Not in the sea, or on the sea front, but just living within a few kms of the sea could bring this about. *may not be an actual word. Edited June 7, 2019 by mikesc Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fredk Report post Posted June 7, 2019 your *may not be an actual word - I know as 'spider's legs I've encased brass into leather as a support for about 16 years now. Never had a problem with staining. Used with both Veg-tan and Chrome-tan. I usually use only pure brass hardware fittings, again no problem of verdigris or staining. But I have replaced steel parts which have corroded and stained leather in not only older items but also in some much newer made items. Of course there is another alternative - plastic Deviation; if a panel on a Landy corroded in the way you say it wasn't an OEM panel. Landy panels are an alloy and treated to be salt water resistant. Living in a seaside town we have Coast Guard and RNLI using Landies and I know their vehicles do not corrode in that way, and they have been known to drive the vehicles into the sea at times. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mikesc Report post Posted June 7, 2019 (edited) Old Landy.. 1958 model ( in Malta ) ..and also a 1960, and a 1962 ( both in Wales, around Barmouth , Porthmadog, North Wales in general ) .... the newer ones are indeed sea air proof..the older ones were also duraluminium, but not quite the same alloy as the later ones.. Yep.. steel will corrode..stainless wont do it so badly.. Brass corrosion depends on how long..can take a few years to set in, or a few months..I've got some items that have verdigris after 6 months..Brass fittings ( studs, rivets ) in Chrome tan and some in Veg tan that have not budged, others in Veg tan went green around the Brass ware after a year or so.. I did think originally of mentioning HDPE in flat bar..but depends on the weight that would be put on it, all the plastics will distort ..maybe carbon fibre or kevlar ( 4 or 5 plies in polyester resin ) would be more solid, and would not react with leather, either Chrome tan or Veg tan. btw.. I think that in English those metal strips are called briefcase handle support bars..here they are called "barre serviette" or "barre cartable"..I have some ..and the thinner ones used in handbags ( sacs ) by most of the French manufacturers since WW1 at least are made in Brass..some of the sacs got verdigris, and some (as has been your experience Fred ) have none..and their age varies from nearly 100 years to about 50 years.. Sounds like you have access to better Brass than I can get here..and that previous French sac manufacturers had better Brass too.. I know ksmetals.com , but have never ordered from them as the freight cost of shipping Brass to me ( due to the weight ) is not pleasant ..If it was reasonable I'd have ordered square Brass tube years ago for sculpture armatures..Here the only suppliers are on the border with Germany ( other side of France from me ) they buy it from Germany to supply model railway makers..Shipping from them to me is also high..not much Brass to a kilo :( OT..Alfa Romeos used to come into the UK "pre-rusted" underneath , ( I had a few of the sportier ones , the GTV 2000s , nice cars ) and their smaller 1300 and 1600 versions , never had any of those smaller size engine ones ..Not aluminium, but IME the Italians don't do good Stainless steel , or steel either.their stainless steel gets what you call "spiders" quite quickly, be it in sheets or bars etc.. "Spider's legs" is a better description than wiggley..I might "borrow" that if I may :) Edited June 8, 2019 by mikesc made my brackets more coherent Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
garypl Report post Posted June 8, 2019 How about a strip of Kydex? Seems to hold its shape when used in holster construction. Gary Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mikesc Report post Posted June 8, 2019 (edited) Kydex may well be a very good solution. :)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kydex even harder to get here ( at a sensible price ) than good Brass..easy to get where you are.. Edited June 8, 2019 by mikesc Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fredk Report post Posted June 8, 2019 Mike, I use K&S brass. I get it either locally from a craft shop or through ebay. HDPE, nylon, delrin or acetal might do the job. They are probably a bit more flexible than the metals, unlikely to break and no adverse reaction. Probably need a piece thicker than usual metal piece to match stiffness if that is needed Deviation; A friend bought a brand new Alfa. 2 weeks later his rear window dropped into the car. The metal under the rubber window gromit had rusted completely away. Lancia stopped selling cars in the UK because they could no longer afford the 'anti-corrosion' warranty claims. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kgg Report post Posted June 8, 2019 47 minutes ago, fredk said: HDPE, nylon, delrin or acetal might do the job. I use HDPE a fair bit and would feel reluctant in recommending it for this purpose. HDPE has a tendency to crack when exposed to temperature variations and pressure as well as buckling and twisting which then requires reheating to straighten. Your friends car reminds me of how the old Russian Lada's (basically Fiat 124) rusted which I swear were made out of recycled coke tins. The only way to prevent rust was to give them a good old fashion slop oil bath, then run them over a dusty dirt road and let drip dry for a day or so. kgg Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mikesc Report post Posted June 8, 2019 (edited) Cheers Fred :)) Just looked up K&S on ebay.. sent from UK to me is a bit less than half the price ( even including tracked postage ) that I would pay in France for K&S..Going to order a pack of 4 different sections ( each section slides tightly inside the other, perfect for small sculpture armatures ) when I've had lunch.. return to subject..ABS maybe ? about 5mm to 10mm thick..? The Lada 4x4s were OK ( slow, noisy and thirsty, and no road holding ) but off road, they could damn near climb trees :)..had one converted to GPL in the Alps Maritimes..basic but fun :) Edited June 8, 2019 by mikesc Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Don55 Report post Posted June 19, 2019 WOW! Thanks to each one of you for taking your time and sharing your opinions and expertise!! I will take a look at each one of them and see which best fits my needs and (more importantly!), my budget! Thanks again.... -DON- Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bob Blea Report post Posted June 19, 2019 Thanks from me too! This was very informative as I am getting into bags that use this kind of reinforcement too. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nrk Report post Posted July 14, 2019 (edited) On 6/7/2019 at 11:25 PM, Don55 said: Greetings. I am new to serious Leathercraft, first time posting and still have a lot to learn (given that I am 65 doesn’t leave me a LOT of time to learn it!!) But I am having a devil of a time locating a piece of hardware for attaching rivets and chicago screws to in the tops of leather purses and briefcases. The piece I’m referring to is a thin metal strip about an inch wide and probably about 10 inches long. It gets sandwiched between the inner and outside layers of leather when attaching the handle to not only provide a secure means of attachment for the screws/riveting, but also stiffens and reinforces the top of the bag or case. They exist, because I’ve seen them used, especially in high-end bags and cases. Bu I cannot locate a source for them anywhere!! I have googled every term I can think of and some my wife dreamed up, but no luck. I have called a couple of baggage parts suppliers and they don’t seem to have a clue as to what I’m talking about. If anyone knows the proper name for these little guys and a source (preferably in the US if possible) you will have my eternal gratitude!! Thanks a bunch for your help. you can use of steel ruler from stationary Edited July 14, 2019 by nrk Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
