What to do with scrap leather

[pharescustomleatherworks]

Hey everyone, I haven't been on here for a while and this topic may be covered elsewhere, but I couldn't find anything on it. Over the years, I have accumulated a lot of scraps. I have a very large Home Depot moving box that is overflowing. Needless to say, most are too small for any of my projects and they are just taking up space now. Does anyone have any good ideas for them? I am not going to use them, so unless someone is willing to purchase them, should I just throw them out? Or would anybody be willing to purchase scraps? 

 

Thanks in advance!

[chuck123wapati]

1 hour ago, pharescustomleatherworks said:

Hey everyone, I haven't been on here for a while and this topic may be covered elsewhere, but I couldn't find anything on it. Over the years, I have accumulated a lot of scraps. I have a very large Home Depot moving box that is overflowing. Needless to say, most are too small for any of my projects and they are just taking up space now. Does anyone have any good ideas for them? I am not going to use them, so unless someone is willing to purchase them, should I just throw them out? Or would anybody be willing to purchase scraps? 

 

Thanks in advance!

You can make leather washers for knife/tool handles, leather conchos like on saddles, earrings, key fobs, hair pins, coasters, xmas tree ornaments,practice on them. If you have a logo or leather stamp make some key fobs with your logo on it to give away.

[Handstitched]

Theres a multitude of projects you can make if you're willing to take the time to make them. 

Small round or square pieces; fridge magnets  or key rings , stamped, carved, or maybe with your logo on them to give away with each sale you make?  Some even smaller  pieces can be used  for ear rings, I have had wood crafters buy odd  veg tan scraps from me to turn into   really nicely turned pens,  or for an embellishment to  a wood project . 

 Long pieces; book marks, key rings , I've turned long pieces into  ' secret plait key rings' . slightly longer pieces;  attach each piece to make a belt using rivets or rings.

Soft leathers; little dingly dangly thingies for tassles, for a purse, key ring or handbag. 

I could go on. 

Or,  if you don't have the time, donate  them to a school or charity  where they can turn them into small projects, perhaps as a fund raiser?  I'd rather give them away than throw them out. 

Hope this helps a bit  

[LumpenDoodle2]

I pass mine on to folk I know on another forum.    They get used for practice, washers, other little projects, whatever, and since they have been such a welcoming, and friendly forum in helping me start a hobby I had zero knowledge of.    I am happy to be able to give something practical back to them.

[zuludog]

What first springs to mind are stacked leather knife handles, either wholly, or partly for decorative spacers. You can find them ready made, such as Estwing axes and hammers, and KA-BAR knives. Also for fishing rod handles. Presumably you could make similar handles for other tools - a homemade round or head knife with a stacked leather handle? I have never made a braided leather whip, but I would think that a stacked leather handle would set it off nicely

Leather buttons - either thick, stiff leather or thinner softer leather to cover metal buttons. Search Google for 'football buttons'

Depending on the fashions and your target customers you could make leather jewellery & accessories, like bracelets, necklaces, lockets, and even earrings

I remember that in the 1970s there was a fashion for patchwork lady's skirts, handbags & purses; and I had a girlfriend who had a belt made from leather links. It was the kind with figure-of eight pieces folded over and slotted into each other - you can get the dies; Tandy sell a kit for leather link belts

Some industrial fan belts and drive belts are made from leather links, but I think that in this case you would need them to be made seriously, by people who knew what they were doing; though you might be able to repair a couple of damaged links in such belts as long as you were careful

I've just Searched Google & YT - leather patchwork handbags are still available. I also found leather patchwork rugs and quilts on Google and YT

Search YouTube for 'making a stacked leather knife handle' and 'Making a leather flyrod grip part1, & 2' by PercoLab

You can make leather mache in a similar way to papier mache. In the mediaeval period it was used to decorate walls & ceilings, as in Henry VIII's Hampton Court Palace. On a smaller scale you can use leather mache to make sculptures and relief paintings & carvings

You can make seals, washers, and gaskets for engines, camping stoves, & machinery. Usually these are for older machines and restoration, as these are not designed to use modern materials like PTFE

Just Search around on YT & Google

LUMPENDOODLE2 - What is the other forum & hobby you mention, please?

Edited May 9, 2020 by zuludog

[Handstitched]

59 minutes ago, zuludog said:

I remember that in the 1970s there was a fashion for patchwork lady's skirts, handbags & purses;

That rang a bell. I think I have an old book from that period that does have those fashions in it, skirts ,  waist coats , etc. . I need to double check that. Leather craft  was the ' in thing' in 70's . 

I have made gaskets for the carby on my old  Fordson tractor. I made them out of thin veg tan scraps and a craft knife. Works just fine .   Kept my ol' 51 going for bit longer   

HS

[fredk]

All good ideas.

Patchwork bags and stuff. My no.3 son took a load of scrap, trimmed the pieces neatly, glued them to some denim and made his then girlfriend a patchwork shoulder bag. He used up some real small pieces so he did

In my place, as I make board games including the gaming pieces, as long as I can get a 5mm disc out of the piece its never totally waste. The discs are the bases on the gaming pieces. Bigger discs are the feet on boards.

[zuludog]

FREDK Thanks for the inspiration. You could make coasters and bases for ornaments. I remember that my Grandparents had some very old brass candlesticks, and they used small pieces of fabric to stop them scratching shelves & tables, so I suppose you could use leather for the same thing; or a for a fruit bowl on a polished dining table.....you get the idea

You could also use leather for inlays into trinket boxes, similar to marquetry. Depending on the sizes of the small pieces you could also line or make pen cases & slips, trinket boxes, instrument & photographic equipment cases etc, drawing instrument cases, Old magnetic compasses   often had leather cases.

I used to work in a sweets, jam & jelly factory, where a refractometer was used to measure the concentration of the sugar solutions & syrups. The small portable refractometers were protected in leather cases and carried around in the pockets of our overalls and lab. coats 

I don't know much about guns, but what about a rifle or shotgun butt pad? (Is that the right word? I'm sure you'll know what I mean)

Search YT for 'making a leather card holder' It doesn't have to be all the same colour. Sometimes different colours & textures for the different pieces or components can be interesting

And it goes without saying that I've made slip covers for my leatherworking knives - clicker; head; Japanese; skiving; kiridashi.

Lots of strops?

Edited May 9, 2020 by zuludog

[LumpenDoodle2]

8 hours ago, zuludog said:

What first springs to mind are stacked leather knife handles, either wholly, or partly for decorative spacers. You can find them ready made, such as Estwing axes and hammers, and KA-BAR knives. Also for fishing rod handles. Presumably you could make similar handles for other tools - a homemade round or head knife with a stacked leather handle? I have never made a braided leather whip, but I would think that a stacked leather handle would set it off nicely

Leather buttons - either thick, stiff leather or thinner softer leather to cover metal buttons. Search Google for 'football buttons'

Depending on the fashions and your target customers you could make leather jewellery & accessories, like bracelets, necklaces, lockets, and even earrings

I remember that in the 1970s there was a fashion for patchwork lady's skirts, handbags & purses; and I had a girlfriend who had a belt made from leather links. It was the kind with figure-of eight pieces folded over and slotted into each other - you can get the dies; Tandy sell a kit for leather link belts

Some industrial fan belts and drive belts are made from leather links, but I think that in this case you would need them to be made seriously, by people who knew what they were doing; though you might be able to repair a couple of damaged links in such belts as long as you were careful

I've just Searched Google & YT - leather patchwork handbags are still available. I also found leather patchwork rugs and quilts on Google and YT

Search YouTube for 'making a stacked leather knife handle' and 'Making a leather flyrod grip part1, & 2' by PercoLab

You can make leather mache in a similar way to papier mache. In the mediaeval period it was used to decorate walls & ceilings, as in Henry VIII's Hampton Court Palace. On a smaller scale you can use leather mache to make sculptures and relief paintings & carvings

You can make seals, washers, and gaskets for engines, camping stoves, & machinery. Usually these are for older machines and restoration, as these are not designed to use modern materials like PTFE

Just Search around on YT & Google

LUMPENDOODLE2 - What is the other forum & hobby you mention, please?

It’s an engineering forum, I got a welder, and then wondered how to work it.

Edited May 9, 2020 by LumpenDoodle2

[pharescustomleatherworks]

I appreciate all of the input and ideas, I may look into trying some of the key rings with my logo on them as something quick and easy to make. I should have mentioned in the original post that I stay busy with commissioned work and I’m also a full time college student. With that being said, I don’t have a lot of extra time on my hands to utilize them myself. I would enjoy some of these smaller projects and really like the creativity, but I just don’t have the time for them. I would love to try to make some handles for tools but I don’t really have all the metal work tools to make my own tools. I guess the main thing I’m looking for is just someone else that could use them since I would be able to, and I should have specified that better in my original post. I really do appreciate all the ideas though!

[Handstitched]

7 hours ago, pharescustomleatherworks said:

I’m also a full time college student

In that case,  make some pendants or some simple  key rings with your logo etc. , and just put a hole in them ,no hardware ( keep costs down) and give them to your fellow students to ' advertise' . I'm sure they can find something to hang them with and somewhere to hang them? 

My gut instincts are telling me that they will come to you to have something made, just a thought? *Book marks perhaps?  All students have books ? 

HS 

*p.s. make sure they are very well sealed, you don't want dye coming out onto expensive books.

[pharescustomleatherworks]

6 hours ago, Handstitched said:

All students have books ? 

You would think that, but sadly most everything is online nowadays. Appreciate the ideas though. 

[fredk]

There are some simple patterns for ear-phone cable holders. Maybe you could make some of those?

eg. this seller is selling an acrylic template for something anyone of use can do very easily;

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Acrylic-Sewing-Pattern-Cable-Wire-wrap-Board-PVC-Template-Stencil-Leather-Craft/254261771154?hash=item3b332ebb92:g:RAEAAOSwRjldAPx~

or

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Acrylic-Template-Cable-Winder-Pattern-Mould-DIY-Leather-Tool-Sewing-Crafts/183965261065?hash=item2ad52f1d09:g:8WkAAOSwe2Zdhoj3

or

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Handmade-Acrylic-Leather-Data-Line-Holder-Pattern-Stencil-Template-for-Adult/163350290101?hash=item26086f9eb5:g:qoUAAOSworNb6-nM

all it takes is some imagination

Edited May 10, 2020 by fredk

[fredk]

Another idea; cut the leather into the shape of a letter, eg, A, B, F, L etc. punch a hole in the top, tie a bit of leather lace - cut from another bit of your scrap, and sell for a $$ or two for phone or bag hangers

[chiefjason]

Got any local boy scout or cub scout troops?  They might take some.  I use mine to pattern stuff I'm not sure about, make some of my personal gear, glue spreaders, put under projects to punch, or small pieces of projects.  When it gets to be too much I'll offer it up on a local board for other folks.  Had a local guy whose son makes kydex knife sheaths and needed leather for straps take a bunch of it.  

[dikman]

On 5/10/2020 at 3:18 AM, LumpenDoodle2 said:

 I got a welder, and then wondered how to work it.

 I wonder how many of us have done just that, bought something because 1) we wanted it or 2) it seemed like a good idea, and then had to figure out how to use it. My plasma cutter comes to mind.

[Hardrada]

Just made a sleeve for a rifle's bolt out of a scrap piece of 3 oz English bridle.

[LumpenDoodle2]

6 hours ago, dikman said:

 I wonder how many of us have done just that, bought something because 1) we wanted it or 2) it seemed like a good idea, and then had to figure out how to use it. My plasma cutter comes to mind.

Off topic, I know, but first time I tried to use it.... welding mask on, eyes closed, head turned away from fully extended arm holding welding torch........

Not successful.

[Handstitched]

@LumpenDoodle2 Off topic:

I too have a welder, ...can I weld?  Nup !! 

I bought it because...um..... 

Meanwhile.... I recently  made some simple credit card cases out of off cuts of 1.2 & 2mm  veg tan leather . Enough to carry 4-5, maybe 6  cards, and small enough to carry in a pocket or purse.  Some people ask me to make small  ' bricks' , you know , those  2-3"  thick wallets that hold a gazzilion cards,  they also  want room for pics, cash, a pocket for coins etc. and  a little foldy bit in the middle, and room for  a plasma tv.. I made that bit up   everything but the kitchen sink, and their old ones look like they've been run over by a truck .  I don't do those. Most  just want something simple , easy access. 

HS