Warped vegtan. Chessboard, now what?!

[veritasleather]

Hey guys,

I am in need of some advice, I have been working on a 22 x 22 chessboard for a buddy of mine. I am using Chahin Weaver veg. tan 5-6 oz. leather.  I went ahead and used clear packing tape on the back and now I have cut all my lines and cut a 1 1/2 rose border. but now all of the edges and borders are beginning to warp or curl up. Honestly, its beginning to look like a giant valet tray lol. I still have a lot of stamping to go, should I just continue with tooling or should I remove tape and glue it to cardboard? I would appreciate the help? What would you guys do in my situation?

Frank

[fredk]

a. 22 x 22 what?

b. do you intend to just have the chess board leather so you can roll it up?

c. 2 to 2.4mm is on the thin size for that. 3.5mm plus would have been better

d. use double sided tape to mount the leather to a piece of MDF  no less than 6mm thick preferably 12mm thick

[veritasleather]

20 minutes ago, fredk said:

a. 22 x 22 what?

b. do you intend to just have the chess board leather so you can roll it up?

c. 2 to 2.4mm is on the thin size for that. 3.5mm plus would have been better

d. use double sided tape to mount the leather to a piece of MDF  no less than 6mm thick preferably 12mm thick

Fredk, so the Chessboard is a 22" x 22" square of veg. tan leather. (b) yes, I still want to put a backing or liner under the 5-6 oz. to stabilize it? but would still want it to roll. (c) doubling it up the thickness with a liner (d) I have 1/4 inch. thick plywood, would that work? don't have double sided tape, but maybe cement it to the plywood since I will cover the glued area with backing leather?

Do you think this will straighten the leather or flatten it back??

thanks for your help.

[fredk]

It depends on how far the distortion has gone that you can correct it - mostly.

How sound is your ply? here any ply less than 1" thick is unstable and will twist and warp. Can you glue two layers of ply together, following ply rules?

Reason for using dbl side tape is a, the lower tack and b. easier to separate c. wet leather will stick to tape better than glue

What I would do is; 

1. mark area about 23 x 23 inches on board, draw the lines for the square

2. apply dbl sided tape to board

3. wet leather, not dripping wet but wetter than for tooling

4. apply leather to the wood, inside the marked square using the marked lines as guide for the sides of the leather

5. work around the leather, laying it straight and pushing it down. 

6. use a brayer or rolling pin to press the edges only flat, trying not to push the leather out of a straight edge. Don't press it down from the centre to the edges - this will exacerbate the problem

7. when it seems satisfactory, cover with sheets of clean white paper, then put another board on top, then put lots of weight, eg books, anvils on the board, concentrating on where the edges of the leather are.

8. leave for a couple hours, check lay of leather, press down any areas still not laying flat

9. = 7

10 = 8

11. leave to dry

12. continue working on piece as it is, stuck to the board

with some perseverance it might flatten out alright, you may be left with some wrinkles

alternative; scrap this piece and start afresh on a piece taped or glued to MDF (or ply)

Just my thoughts, and some little experience of flattening reticent leather

 

Edited May 16, 2020 by fredk

[veritasleather]

7 hours ago, fredk said:

It depends on how far the distortion has gone that you can correct it - mostly.

How sound is your ply? here any ply less than 1" thick is unstable and will twist and warp. Can you glue two layers of ply together, following ply rules?

Reason for using dbl side tape is a, the lower tack and b. easier to separate c. wet leather will stick to tape better than glue

What I would do is; 

1. mark area about 23 x 23 inches on board, draw the lines for the square

2. apply dbl sided tape to board

3. wet leather, not dripping wet but wetter than for tooling

4. apply leather to the wood, inside the marked square using the marked lines as guide for the sides of the leather

5. work around the leather, laying it straight and pushing it down. 

6. use a brayer or rolling pin to press the edges only flat, trying not to push the leather out of a straight edge. Don't press it down from the centre to the edges - this will exacerbate the problem

7. when it seems satisfactory, cover with sheets of clean white paper, then put another board on top, then put lots of weight, eg books, anvils on the board, concentrating on where the edges of the leather are.

8. leave for a couple hours, check lay of leather, press down any areas still not laying flat

9. = 7

10 = 8

11. leave to dry

12. continue working on piece as it is, stuck to the board

with some perseverance it might flatten out alright, you may be left with some wrinkles

alternative; scrap this piece and start afresh on a piece taped or glued to MDF (or ply)

Just my thoughts, and some little experience of flattening reticent leather

 

Ok, so looks like the double sided tape and a good solid flat board is going to be key. I will have to get some MDF instead of ply just to be safe and order some double sided tape. I am also hoping once I stitch it down to a heavy layer of leather it will flatten as well. thanks again for your tips and advise fredk.