need to process/organize 20lb's of Springfield upholstery leather

[tater1337]

Hi


I got a 20 pound box of uhposldtery leather from Springfield yesterday

some pieces are really nice, but then I have some pieces that are 20ft long and range in width from 1/4 inch to 6 inches

what's some good guidelines to cut up these hard-to-store pieces into useable and easy to handle scrap sizes

I am very new

how new?

2 months ago the local makerspace gave away a lot of random leather...(I should have grabbed more) for non-leatherworking utility (gaskets, seals, vice soft jaws)
then I got a stitch awl from harbor freight and made a pocket for my laptop mouse to keep the cord tangling with the power supply in my laptop bag
then made another pocket for the laptop power supply
thick leather so I used a dremel with drill bit for stitch lines, crooked as heck
THEN I got stitching punch
THEN I looked at twitch streams for leather and found a coupon code for....
THEN I got the 20lb box of upholstery leather
currently working on a tool pouch for the punches and sorting out this box o  leather

and I might not even continue in this hobby, but my brain is on this

just adding new skills to my vast array of skills

 

I am guessing I need to determine the smallest panel size and smallest strap size and go from there. I have no end use, so matching the scraps to a finished product is not feasible 

[RockyAussie]

5 hours ago, tater1337 said:

what's some good guidelines to cut up these hard-to-store pieces into useable and easy to handle scrap sizes

If you have no idea what they could become then I think the logical answer would be whatever size box will store well in the area you have available to store it. The bigger the better and as far as boxes go them plastic ones that can stack on top of each other may be worth thinking about. Anything that looks not very useful keep in a smaller box for skiving and stitching and stamping practice etc.

[tater1337]

let see if I can get pictures to work
yardstick for scale, red lines seem obvious, but what about the blue lines?
that narrow strip, how thin before one can just turn it into sawdust instead of saving for watchbands?


 

[tater1337]

5 hours ago, RockyAussie said:

the logical answer would be whatever size box will store well in the area you have available to store it.

but I might look at it backwards, what are the common sizes I can expect so I know what storage devices to buy, and that will determine their location

fredK offered a good suggestion, he determines that pieces roughly in sizes of A3, A4 & A5 should be grouped that way and stored as such. but I am looking for other suggestions 

[fredk]

2 hours ago, tater1337 said:

. . . 
fredK offered a good suggestion, he determines that pieces roughly in sizes of A3, A4 & A5 should be grouped that way and stored as such. but I am looking for other suggestions 

I should have added; that is for the small pieces. Pieces which could make light weight cheap shoulder bags and such.

I have two, [ 2 ], plastic boxes, each 80 litre size [we measure plastic boxes by the litre sizing, but they are about 24 inches high by 14 inches front to back and about 20 inches across] stuffed full of the bigger pieces. One piece was so big I made a tabard from it just by cutting a hole to go over the head and adding straps & buckles to the sides!

2 hours ago, tater1337 said:

but I might look at it backwards, what are the common sizes I can expect so I know what storage devices to buy, and that will determine their location

Note down the things you'd like to make. Then browse around and look at things already made and at patterns. Things can be made to suit your leather

I'd advise you to NOT cut that leather down just for storage. You never know that when you are making something that you can cut a piece out of a larger piece, which you have.

Get a good memory, not that I have, and try to remember what you have. Get used to searching thru your supply for that piece that you can use

Nice thing about leather is you can make something out of pieces and if its done tidily it will look good. eg a shoulder bag; 9 x 7 inches = a front panel, a back panel, a flap and gussets. Front panel, back panel both about 10 x 8 inches, flap about 6 x 8 inches, gusset, about 23inches long  by ? inches, in one piece, or two or three pieces joined

[zuludog]

As already mentioned, and no doubt will be in future Posts, as a general rule sort the pieces according to their size/thickness/colour depending on how keen you are, and store in plastic boxes - or old cardboard boxes  if you're on the cheap

Only cut up the pieces if you need to

Have you any ideas what you'd like to make? If not Search YouTube for smaller items - wallets, card holders, slip covers for folding knives, small possibles bags, belt pouches, bookmarks, key rings. You can get cutters & templates to make belts from smaller links

Could make patchwork bags & handbags......or a stacked leather knife handle, Search YT

[tater1337]

4 hours ago, zuludog said:

Have you any ideas what you'd like to make? If not Search YouTube

I've been searching all of google for such things...nothing has really popped out at me

I also have hobbies including 3d printing, woodworking, metal working and machining, lasercutting, and some CNC things.

so I do have a lot of hammers, and have gotten to the point of not thinking of everything being a nail for one type hammer

I am also learning about injection molding and latex/resin casting, so my plate gets full

 

[tater1337]

8 hours ago, fredk said:

I should have added; that is for the small pieces. Pieces which could make light weight cheap shoulder bags and such.

yeah, this is a box of upholstery scraps, I think the biggest piece was a 18x18 panel, maybe another one 12x2

most of it is like the picture I posted, parts 12-20  ft long that vary from 1/2 to 6 inches wide. so not easy to store flat or roll as single pieces

trying to store them flat  would require a shelf that is larger than my queen bed, and I like the idea of storing them flat. some of the makerspace stuff I had stored curved (not big enough to roll) and dried to that shape(drying out is another issue I need to research for this scrap makerspace leather of unknown origin)

note, if I really need a piece for something, I'll go buy it. I just am wanting to have a good gesalt of lather to start with

and yeah, I think the stuff I want to work on will always be small pieces, if I want bigger I might look at my other hobby disciplines for solutions

[tater1337]

one other option I thought of

but I think I am just going to trim these into 36" sections, as I think I got a storage area that might be better for that size

 

[tater1337]

finished, images too big and I didn't want to fight with resizing

for everyone in the future
here is my advice
please note that I  am NOT an expert, but I'll explain my reasoning

first, this is a box of leather you got cheap, if you screw it up trimming to store, just go get more

second, I underestimated the panel sizes I mentioned, this [package is a fairly good deal, but caveat emptor

third, any place that where the leather narrows, cut there, look for places where the narrow bits are already damaging your leather due to stress loads, this will help you get them into somewhat more manageable pieces. you might sacrifice some bits to make larger panels at the cost of scavenging stuff that could make straps

https://imgur.com/a/PXnMJzz

[chrisash]

I think with scraps like that you will find it quite hard to learn to make good results, I would suggest you buy a small goat skin on veg tan 1mm-1,2 mm and practise on that, they are quite cheep about 5-7 square feet and each piece will be consistent with the last so you can see by comparing your previous work how ell you are improving with consistent thread and leather

https://www.weaverleathersupply.com/catalog/item-detail/13307-80/assorted-mystery-goat-hides/pr_69048/cp_/shop-now/leather/specialty/goat-hides

[Kwaaked]

I get these boxes and make, well, small stuff.  Nothing especially leatherwork about it, I have a machine that handles the leather fine to sew it, and I have a grommet machine that does the other stuff fine.  I don't generally mess with storage of the leather: I buy when I am needing stock and go to town.  Also understand I am more of a fashion designer/seamstress so my methods are more in line to that rather then some of these fine folks that create awesome stuff. 

Bags, bracelets, buckskinning stuff, black powder accessories....you get the idea.  If big enough, I make possible bags (and I usually get several from a scrap box).  I sew by trade (fabric) and generally produce a pattern for an idea...in my case it makes no difference if it is leather or fabric and often I make items in both upholstery/drapery fabric and leather.  For soft furnishings, these are fine.  But they are not going to make real good leather art in most cases.

However, when I get ready to work with it, I cut the strings off the leather pieces and toss them in my cabbage basket.  Sometimes they are long enough for a tie for a bag, or an accessory part, but mostly it's just scrap.  I transfer my patterns to oak tag, I trace off with a china marker and I typically work as I go.  I put the patterns on it, trace with a china marker, and it includes the marks for fasteners, snaps and the like.  Usually they get stamped at this point, if I use one for the item (some get tags) and then I can either cut them all out and clip the project pieces together with wonder clips or cut pieces and sew as I go.  This creates less waste for my buck, plus I can see if it will actually fit the leather I have or if I need to use something smaller, or larger, as the case may be when tracing.  All of them wind up in the dump table during this process.  Once sewn, the items needing additional work on my grommet machine get sorted into baskets next to the machine by type of work (all grommets in one basket, all Sam Brownes in another, etc. so I don't have to keep changing dies constantly).  Back to the dump table for tags, then sorted by type to clear storage: small bags, small bags with bases, large bags, etc.  Possible bags are put into plastic poly bags separately and then into a garment bag and hung on a rack.

Clear storage so I can see when I am low on stock.  I also don't sell these myself usually, I make them and it is my brand, but either my husband is the "face" of the items (who looks like Grizzly Adams and therefore more like my customers) or a friend who sells them at a flea market with his stuff (who also looks a lot like a Grizzly Adams) so they can find what they are wanting/needing to get.  I don't look like Grizzly Adams, however.