Leathercrafting Creations: PYC

[public denimy]

I've been chatting with a few old men who are pros at leatherwork and one of them recommended a Paris-Curve clicker knife for cutting curves. He stated that head knives are ineffective for cutting curves. I've seen it done with a head knife on youtube, but it's a pretty big curve being cut, so a paris-curve knife seems better.

Edited April 5, 2012 by public denimy

[GriffingAve]

Have you guys tried curved clicker knives? They're pretty good at cutting curves and the blades are very sharp and replaceable.

Andrew

[public denimy]

I just opened up a package today and these were inside! A Dixon Nº 6 pricking iron and 1.5" awl w/ haft.

Edited April 5, 2012 by public denimy

[simontuntelder]

for some future projects I need some box calf and pebble grain leather in a thickness of 0.5-2mm or 1-4 oz with, that is rather firm, so I can still hand sew it.

Anyone know a good source?

[simontuntelder]

In reference to knives I just started using a Bayha scalpel with a couple of different scalpel designs. So far it's working quite good, and I'm also improving my sharpening techniques/skills, which really helps.

Quite pleased so far.

Before I bought it I was thinking about making my own clicker knife. An old saddle maker told me how to do it.

Basically you take a saw (preferably with a blade that can cut metal) blade and remove the teeth, and then you just sharpen it - constantly - using emery cloth.

Edited April 5, 2012 by simontuntelder

[corter]

all this tool talk is making me feel super unsophisticated haha. I'm still working with Tandy stuff I got 4 years ago!

[public denimy]

Well, the level of skill you built with the Tandy tools is far more valuable than a novice with expensive tools.

[KevinG]

Well, the level of skill you built with the Tandy tools is far more valuable than a novice with expensive tools.

QFT. Its not the tools that make the craftsman!

Also, congrats to zissou getting the mention in Well Spent today for his belts! Awesome!

[ItsJustNC]

Majority of the stuff i use are from Tandy too.! Haha.! I only found the need to replace one. The awl. That was the only tool that i could t work with.

[TheBlackGoat]

I love Tandy tools, they are cheap, and if they break, no big deal.

those Dixon pricks are crazy expensive, please let us know if you end up liking them.

here are my my favorite leather crafting tools i use daily.

Dewalt cutting knife (love the heavy weight of this knife)

Thread cutter

tandy edge creaser

home made burnishing wax

aluminum water jet stencils

cocobolo leather slicker

[limbo]

Looks like suede?

Roughout, rough-side, wrong-side, flesh side, they should get the idea.

Thanks very much! Ended up going to three shops including tandy and none of them carried it. Did pick up a sample for this awesome black hide with dusty white streaks.

[simontuntelder]

Forgot to say, that it is probably waxed fleshside of a rather soft leather... You probably have to do it yourself.

[jameswest]

Oh! Wow those patches are really awesome and cool one!

[corter]

Newest project- the wallet has a layer of stainless steel mesh sandwiched in between the two layers of the shell. This material provides complete RFID protection from scanners. The goal was to be able to carry a normal looking and feeling wallet instead of an aluminum box. The leather itself was tanned for two days (in March, not very effective) and oiled with mink oil.

Edited April 6, 2012 by corter

[TheBlackGoat]

lol!!!!

i love it! a low-tech way to prevent high tech theft!

clean stitching mr. corter!

[raWorkshop]

Clean piece! Has anyone ever integrated mesh to make a bag slash proof? The outdoorsy brands that do it look like crap.

[JAW]

Fully leather lined blacked out back pack

and speaking of cutting tools, heres my most used:

Scalpel for small curves, cause the blade bends quite a bit, good for cutting against a pattern without undercutting. Exacto copy for multi-use tight quarters cutting. Straight blade is mostly used for heavy canvas, and straight cutting. Shun paring knife is my all arounder. It has a curved blade, so you can cut pushing or pulling, and it's carazy sharp, and easy to keep that way, also comfortable in the hand. Last big guy is for skiving. Too easy to find new knives for very specific uses haha.

[public denimy]

I love Tandy tools, they are cheap, and if they break, no big deal.

those Dixon pricks are crazy expensive, please let us know if you end up liking them.

here are my my favorite leather crafting tools i use daily.

Dewalt cutting knife (love the heavy weight of this knife)

Thread cutter

tandy edge creaser

home made burnishing wax

aluminum water jet stencils

cocobolo leather slicker

Yeah, pricking irons are pricey. After trying this out, I was disappointed. Let's say, you've been doing your stitches at 6 stitches per inch. You then determine you want to keep it that way, so when you order a pricking iron, you get the nº 6 iron. When you get to test it, you notice that the holes produced by the iron and awl are way too big. It makes the thread you thought was pretty thick look like 1 ply thread. Also the holes are very visible. I got 8 thin strands of thread and twisted them to become an 8 ply thread and that suited the holes well, but it's like rope instead of thread. I think I need to take this to a metal shop to thin it out. Each \\\\\\\\\ is 1/8th of an inch and I need it to be half that at 1/16th of an inch.

[ItsJustNC]

Newest project- the wallet has a layer of stainless steel mesh sandwiched in between the two layers of the shell. This material provides complete RFID protection from scanners. The goal was to be able to carry a normal looking and feeling wallet instead of an aluminum box. The leather itself was tanned for two days (in March, not very effective) and oiled with mink oil.

Damn Cortor.! I had this exact idea for my Final Year Project.! I called it Techno-security.! But i couldn't follow through. Lecturers felt that it was too simple for a FYP.... But damn glad you did it.! You should totally do a Tron-ish inlay with the mesh peeking through dude.!

And also i've got an idea you could try out.! I had an idea for a tote bag with the same concept in mind. Its for the ladies who keeps their purses in their bags cause their jeans pockets are mostly aesthetics. =X

All you need to do is make a tote bag with an area/pocket designated for their purses. I wouldn't suggest doing a bag totally lined with metal mesh because firstly, cost. And also, it tends to get in the way of the handphone's reception. Not to mention, the weight increment.

Edited April 7, 2012 by ItsJustNC

[corter]

Haha, thanks man. I might mess around a little bit with inlay stuff, but to be honest the stainless steel fabric isn't very pretty- it kind of just looks like light grey plastic because the weave is so tight. I'd prefer to not even do the cut out, but it's gotta be there so the customer knows what they're getting.

I'd thought about doing a bag with selective pockets lined with the stuff, the problem is the stainless material that I use is insanely expensive (think cordovan prices) and I don't think theres a market yet for that kind of thing. It'll come though, rfid chips being so insecure gives a lot of opportunity for protective products in the future as they make their way over here. Now I'm working on using a 1-2oz leather and sandwiching the stuff in-between that with a goal of creating a 4-5oz total to make card holders out of- that's next!

[ItsJustNC]

Ah... Damn, thats steep. But TBH, i like the idea of the cut out that you placed there. I felt the juxtaposition of the synthetic and natural material was pretty interesting.

Just a reminder about the card holder tho. It'd be nice if the cards still worked without having to remove the card from the slot. Cause it would be good if it caters to those smart cards that taps in and out of the metro and such.

[limbo]

May be less than optimal, but the passes should work if you open the wallet and scan it that way.

Off topic, but is anyone else having trouble following this topic? Every other thread works fine, but this one never works and always reads as 0 followers.

[t.wayne]

^ Yeah, sup with that? just within the last week or so i haven't been able to keep the thread within my "content i follow" section, but it shows up in the "my content" section just fine. kind of annoying. anyone have any idea what's going on?

[eireryan]

I noticed that a few days ago, but when I checked to see if I could re-follow it showed that there were 0 people following this thread. It shows 1 person following now so I tried it again, and it still doesn't show up in my "content I follow" section. I clicked on follow this thread AGAIN and it said that "if unfollow this thread blah blah blah... Sooo maybe it is working now

[JanC]

can someone point me in the right direction to pick up some of those quick release belt buckles?

[corporalclegg]

I cleaned one of the first wallets I made today. Been using it for a little over a year now

[JAW]

Brown CXL tote bag

Couple wallets with hand dyed interiors with matching stitching. CXL outsides / veg calf insides

[JustinPHL]

Anyone have any tips on keeping belt holes/slots properly aligned when punching? The slot I make with the oblong punch was just slightly crooked on my last 2 belts and it really bothers me.

@jaw - That last wallet looks awesome! Love that brown on the inside.

[JAW]

Chromexcel Horsebutt purse

Thanks justin! I would recommend making marks at each side of where the oblong punch should line up, then kind of work it into the leather to create a little chanel for it to sit in so it doesn't slide around.

[GriffingAve]

I make a template out of a piece of leather. The template is the same width as the belt. You poke your oblong punch and round punches through it to mark to position. As long as your template is straight, your holes should be as well I would think.

Andrew