Post Your Leather Creations.

[hai-san]

^ I've been obsessed on finding a way to make a rounded rein without buying an antique rein maker

bummer - amazing stuff

[hollowsleather]

You can make fairly round leather cord by cutting squarish strips from thick veg tan, beveling all four edges, and then rolling it between two hard, flat things.

It's a big pain in the ass, but worth it if you're only making small quantities.

[JoeySullivan]

Plumbing / piping tool like that makes good cheap rein maker.

[hai-san]

\

hollows-thats the way ive been doing it but i've got inconsistent results.

Joey- ill try that out,thanks!

[bummer]

Made a few tweaks to my old short snap wallet pattern. Hopefully have it finished soon. Feelin' a terrible case of unproductivity though...

Edited February 2, 2013 by bummer

[N-O-R-S-E]

What do you guys use for burnishing your edges?

Gum trag and elbow grease isn't working for me!

[xallanx]

What do you guys use for burnishing your edges?

Gum trag and elbow grease isn't working for me!

I'm assuming that you're burnishing veg tan leather. After beveling the edges and sanding if necessary...I'm having some success lightly wetting my edges with a sponge, then rubbing lightly with Fiebings glycerine bar soap. Next, I rub some Fiebings yellow saddle soap into some canvas (don't load up too much) and begin burnishing.

I am also interested to know other techniques that people are using.

[N-O-R-S-E]

I'm assuming that you're burnishing veg tan leather. After beveling the edges and sanding if necessary...I'm having some success lightly wetting my edges with a sponge, then rubbing lightly with Fiebings glycerine bar soap. Next, I rub some Fiebings yellow saddle soap into some canvas (don't load up too much) and begin burnishing.

I am also interested to know other techniques that people are using.

Yes Veg tan!

Do you use a contact adhesive as well as the stitch? I stopped using it as it got everywhere! This is probably my reason for it not working out too good.

[raWorkshop]

I use PVA glue (white glue, Tanners Bond etc) and apply with a cheapy paint brush. Results are pretty good, I know using a contact cement would be better but my work space is not fume friendly so I can't be bothered.

[xallanx]

N-O-R-S-E...I use contact cement and apply with a brush for most of the stitching I do, but I use it sparingly. It looks like your edges are separating quite a bit. It's hard to tell but maybe your stitches are a bit too far from the edge too? Happy burnishing.

[JoeySullivan]

[raWorkshop]

Dang son, that's a clean piece.

I think I made my least favorite prototype ever yesterday. Sure I got lazy about the design but I'm having trouble imagining a design using this bar clip thing that isn't a waste of time. I really don't get them.

[N-O-R-S-E]

Nice! Joey what's your process for burnishing, those edges look perfect. Wondering if I should go and buy some canvas if that would work better.

N-O-R-S-E...I use contact cement and apply with a brush for most of the stitching I do, but I use it sparingly. It looks like your edges are separating quite a bit. It's hard to tell but maybe your stitches are a bit too far from the edge too? Happy burnishing.

I'll start using the cement again, i added a little bit into the design above and it did help. I might get a wood slicker and canvas the slicker i've got just now doesn't seem to generate enough friction.

[N-O-R-S-E]

Rounded corners are a pain for me.

[JoeySullivan]

Nice! Joey what's your process for burnishing, those edges look perfect. Wondering if I should go and buy some canvas if that would work better.

Thank you mate. I tried almost all the burnishing method / product on the market. The tricky thing about burnishing is that what works for people won't necessary works for you... Here is my process, if it could helps :

-The pieces of leather has to be perfectly bonded. I use standard water based cement and let it dry a night over.

-I sand the edges with a 80 grit sanding drum mounted on a proxxon tool. I never tried, but i'm sure a finer grit would helps.

-I make little chips out of a glycerin soap bar with a knife. Then i add a little amount of boiling water, stir to helps soap to dissolve and let rest about an hour til the mix cool down a take a weird gel aspect. This is my burnishing agent.

-I apply a small quantity of burnishing agent on the edges with a brush.

-I burnish with a cocobolo burnishing wheel mounted on proxxon tool

-I rub a piece of glycerin soap bar on the edges.

-I apply burnishing agent again.

-I burnish again

-When dry, if i'am satisfied with the aspect, i apply Obenauf and do the final burnishing. If the edge isn't smooth enough, i sand it with a 600 grit and resume from previous steps. Sometime the leather is too soft to be sanded smooth, then i use gum trag, not as final coat, but to harden the leather and allows it to be sanded.

I do not longer use wax, paraffin or yellow saddle soap as the risk to stain the leather is too high.

Hope it helps !

Edited February 6, 2013 by JoeySullivan

[Friday]

Anyone have thoughts on a dremel bit vs drill bit burnisher?

[FALERBRAND]

Friday...I just rigged my drill press up with a dowel rod ..it works really well! the trick is to get the dowel rod to mount corectly so it doesn't spin lopsided.

[raWorkshop]

You can put more lateral force on the ones made for a 3/8 chuck. Not that you need a ton for burnishing but it's not a stress I'd put on a dremel repeatedly. I've got a cocobolo one mounted in my drill press, it's good but seems inconsistent. Some edges come out crisp and marbled honey perfect, some are coming out modeled and rough. It might be my leather stock, I'll report back when I get some nice WC or Hermann Oak back in stock.

[Friday]

Thanks fellas. I figured the drill would work nicely due to the weight. I've been happy with burnishing by hand, but I'm exploring my options.

[N-O-R-S-E]

Thanks Joey, I will give your steps a try!

For others this is my simple set up at the moment.

[bummer]

You can put more lateral force on the ones made for a 3/8 chuck. Not that you need a ton for burnishing but it's not a stress I'd put on a dremel repeatedly. I've got a cocobolo one mounted in my drill press, it's good but seems inconsistent. Some edges come out crisp and marbled honey perfect, some are coming out modeled and rough. It might be my leather stock, I'll report back when I get some nice WC or Hermann Oak back in stock.

This has been my experience with dremel burnishing as well. Sometimes its on, other times it eats shit. I get my best results by hand.

Edited February 9, 2013 by bummer

[bummer]

Heres a concho mid I'm working on.

Edited February 9, 2013 by bummer

[hollowsleather]

Here's a couple just finished:

Top one is chromexcel/bridle, bottom one is shell/hh

Edited February 9, 2013 by hollowsleather

[bummer]

Damn, I've got a sad addiction to black and brass. Killer.

[dkatz]

can I post someone else's work. Eff it, I'm going for it.

theblackgoat's handiwork, after about a week of use:

This billfold is natural chromexcel horsehide. Ray schooled me on the pros and cons of chromexcel, and the fact that it really is a leather much better suited to footwear than smaller leather goods. The orangey piece of leather seen above is a much stiffer leather that he's essentially put in to function as a substrate in order to compensate for chromexcel's hyper-flexibility. It sounds like blackacre might be shifting to some different but more wallet-appropriate horsehide soon. The leather samples he showed me have me convinced that it will be a well-made change.

[bummer]

Finished up the mid concho wallet I posted earlier.

[Moonshine]

Good stuff, Bummer!

[FALERBRAND]

12 oz Skirting with a buffed backside...Still looking for a more aged looking buckle.

[lazybum]

Age them yourself? I like my brass to antique naturally so I remove the coating on most of them. At least for those that I care for, because it's a pain in the ass for me to do it as the only method that works for me is sandblasting them. Stupid coating doesn't come off even after I soak it in lacquer thinner for a month! I've been dreaming of owning one of those tumblers but sadly they're not possible where I live.

On another note, recently got around to trying something that i've been wanting to try make for a while. A shoulder bag that is slightly more challenging in design for my standards. Chromexcel and Suede.

Edited February 13, 2013 by lazybum
REMOVED SALES LINK

[bummer]

There is a lot of info out there on ways to age brass. I made a cocktail of a few different acids that I keep in a sealed jar. Its been so long since I made it I don't even remember whats in it but, I think it was mostly muriatic acid. I generally soak the parts for 2-4 hours, but I've left stuff in there for a lot longer than that.

And lazybum is right, you need to make sure any clear coats are removed. I usually use red scotch bright pads (also looks really good for a brushed finished).

I also have a homemade "distress-er". Its basically another small container with sand, rocks, screws, nuts, bolts, etc. I usually shake it for a few minutes and it gets some nice wear.