Leather Wallet with Hair On Hide Inlays

[Bob Blea]

I haven't posted something I've made for a while.  This was a custom order I completed just recently.  The customer wanted a roper style wallet with hair on hide inlays similar to a notebook I had made several years ago.  She also wanted the basket stamping like that notebook had and her boyfriend's initials centered on the front.  It was a bit of a rush order to get it to her on time for his birthday but it made it in time and apparently he loved it.

The stitching got a little wonky on the interior in places when I sewed it.  Still mastering my sewing machine unfortunately.

Not sure why the last picture is sideways.

[YinTx]

Outstanding!  Did you leave a "plug" under the hair on hide, or did it take on that shape on it's own?

YinTx

[Bob Blea]

15 minutes ago, YinTx said:

Outstanding!  Did you leave a "plug" under the hair on hide, or did it take on that shape on it's own?

YinTx

Thank you!  Yes, there is a plug under each piece.  I just took the part I cut out for each inlay, trimmed it down a bit to allow for the hair on hide, and then glued it on the back of the inlay.  There is a lining behind all of that and when I glued that on, I clamped it all down to help form the inlay and bind it in place that way.

[Rohn]

Very beautifully done. Makes me want to try doing some of that myself.

[Bob Blea]

54 minutes ago, Rohn said:

Very beautifully done. Makes me want to try doing some of that myself.

Thanks Rohn, I though the same thing myself when I did the notebook several years ago and never got around to trying it again till now.  I'm again thinking I need to make another like it!

[bullmoosepaddles]

Great work as always. Thank you for sharing. 

[RockyAussie]

That is some real nice looking stamping the Bob. If I may say it when using a sewing machine and you can feel an extra thickness coming up you will notice that it starts lifting and that is where the needle will go close to coming off the edge. As soon as you feel that rise, force it down and in to stay level and you will overcome that problem generally. I reckon they will love it for many years to come.

[Bob Blea]

On ‎6‎/‎14‎/‎2019 at 6:40 PM, RockyAussie said:

That is some real nice looking stamping the Bob. If I may say it when using a sewing machine and you can feel an extra thickness coming up you will notice that it starts lifting and that is where the needle will go close to coming off the edge. As soon as you feel that rise, force it down and in to stay level and you will overcome that problem generally. I reckon they will love it for many years to come.

Thanks for the tip!  This has popped up at odd and always inconvenient times and I'm still working to correct it.  I appreciate the help!

[dougfergy]

Wow!  Stunning work.  Your stamping has so much contrast.  The entire wallet is amazing but to me your stamping is stellar.  How do you manage to get your stamping to be so stark?  Do you have any secrets you might share, your casing etc.?

Inspiring work!

[Smartee]

Nicely done!  I love it!

[Bob Blea]

On ‎6‎/‎19‎/‎2019 at 10:06 AM, dougfergy said:

Wow!  Stunning work.  Your stamping has so much contrast.  The entire wallet is amazing but to me your stamping is stellar.  How do you manage to get your stamping to be so stark?  Do you have any secrets you might share, your casing etc.?

Inspiring work!

Thanks!  Making sure the leather is well cased and dry enough that it burnishes well is important.  The leather should be almost back to it's normal color and that point is usually drier than you think.  Experiment a bit and you will get the idea.  But part of the contrast you are seeing is coming from the antique applied to it.  That highlights the impressions.  Having a good stamp helps a lot too.  This one is a Barry King basket stamp.

[farns005]

Curious about the actual process of the inlay.  Did you shave the hair from the area around the inlay to facilitate gluing? Or just sandwich it in?  Also did you trim the hair or was it already just this short?  Love the look !!!  I have just started working with some hair on hides I have but have not tried an inlay yet.

TIA

Kelly

[Bob Blea]

On ‎6‎/‎25‎/‎2019 at 9:24 PM, farns005 said:

Curious about the actual process of the inlay.  Did you shave the hair from the area around the inlay to facilitate gluing? Or just sandwich it in?  Also did you trim the hair or was it already just this short?  Love the look !!!  I have just started working with some hair on hides I have but have not tried an inlay yet.

TIA

Kelly

Hi Kelly!

The hair on the hide was that length when I got it. I didn't have to trim it any.  I did skive the hair off along the edges where I was gluing it down, but I had to be careful not to trim too much or you might see the bald spot once the inlay is glued in.  So there is a little bit of hair glued as well.  I left a pretty big flap of skived hide all around the inlay so there is a lot of glued area holding it in place. 

My original plan was to stitch it all the way around the inlay too but I made the border too narrow between the inlay and the basket stamped area to allow for stitching, so I left that out.  I'm not worried because the contact cement does a fantastic job of gluing leather and the inlay is also firmly glued to the liner behind it.

Hope that helps,

Bob

[Rohn]

Good information here. I just purchased my first hair on cow hide and I am going to try some inlay as soon as I get a chance. This topic is a big help to me.

[Bob Blea]

13 minutes ago, Rohn said:

Good information here. I just purchased my first hair on cow hide and I am going to try some inlay as soon as I get a chance. This topic is a big help to me.

Glad to help any way I can!

[farns005]

4 hours ago, Bob Blea said:

Hi Kelly!

The hair on the hide was that length when I got it. I didn't have to trim it any.  I did skive the hair off along the edges where I was gluing it down, but I had to be careful not to trim too much or you might see the bald spot once the inlay is glued in.  So there is a little bit of hair glued as well.  I left a pretty big flap of skived hide all around the inlay so there is a lot of glued area holding it in place. 

My original plan was to stitch it all the way around the inlay too but I made the border too narrow between the inlay and the basket stamped area to allow for stitching, so I left that out.  I'm not worried because the contact cement does a fantastic job of gluing leather and the inlay is also firmly glued to the liner behind it.

Hope that helps,

Bob

Thanks that does help.  The hide I currently have has fairly long hair, but will give this a try.