Leatherworking Project - let's celebrate 7 million!

Spent tonight trying to see how much tooling I can do to a thin leather. I have an idea in mind that I do believe I can pull off but we'll see. (only a small part and if it fails I have a backup piece ready to go). Oh, and a tall box arrived that should have two double shoulders of the heavier (thicker) leather that I need for the headcovers. I'll swap back over to that as I finish this one up. (perfect timing as there is a lot of waiting time when you dye, add oils, and seal leather). View attachment 8987533
This seems like a lot of leather!
 
This seems like a lot of leather!
It was on a ridiculous sale and I ordered enough to get free shipping.. I won't run out for a while now!
 
So a few updates.. I stared dyeing the leather tonight and I think I'm going to omit the ID sleeve. I cannot get this type of leather much thinner and with that sleeve it's getting too thick. I hope that's okay @tequila4kapp! 20210111_232805.jpg
 
One thing I will not be getting rid of is the picture sleeve. @tequila4kapp what do you think? I always liked how the brand ez3kiel had the backwards 3 so I typically do all 3s and 4s backwards. I hope you are okay with this!!! The good news is that I was able to tool the thin leather using a technique I haven't tried before. 20210111_231330.jpg
 
Man this is awesome!!! Such a great follow see this progress!
 
One thing I will not be getting rid of is the picture sleeve. @tequila4kapp what do you think? I always liked how the brand ez3kiel had the backwards 3 so I typically do all 3s and 4s backwards. I hope you are okay with this!!! The good news is that I was able to tool the thin leather using a technique I haven't tried before. View attachment 8987665
I am speechless. It’s just fabulous.
 
Quick update: over the last 2 days I dyed the leather pieces, buffed them, then added oil back to them to soften them.
I also took a scrap of leather to do test stitching with the sewing machine particularly for the loop that will retain the money clip. (results were successful)

Left to do:
-Once they are dry / set I will use an airbrush to put several coats of sealer on them
-after they are sealed I will apply edge dressing.
-cement the pieces together, scratch in stitching lines
-sew up the wallet
-trim any edges and add additional edge dressing if needed
-add a small amount of MTB (additional sealer)

It looks like a lot but really is the waiting for coats to dry which takes time.
 
Great work man!
 
Quick update: over the last 2 days I dyed the leather pieces, buffed them, then added oil back to them to soften them.
I also took a scrap of leather to do test stitching with the sewing machine particularly for the loop that will retain the money clip. (results were successful)

Left to do:
-Once they are dry / set I will use an airbrush to put several coats of sealer on them
-after they are sealed I will apply edge dressing.
-cement the pieces together, scratch in stitching lines
-sew up the wallet
-trim any edges and add additional edge dressing if needed
-add a small amount of MTB (additional sealer)

It looks like a lot but really is the waiting for coats to dry which takes time.

How many are you making? Or is the G Wallet a test run?
 
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How many are you making? Or is the G Wallet a test run?
This one is a proof of concept to see if I can actually make a wallet that someone would want to use. Most of the leather stuff I have created has been functional versus fashionable(with the exception of belts and bracelets which are easier). If there's demand I will consider making more. One thing I want to research more is the type of leather that other manufacturers use in the more minimal wallets. This is the thinnest (lightest weight) you normally find from retailers. It does not allow you to thin it much more and it's softer than what I've felt in other wallets. This is why I removed the internal ID sleeve as the wallet was getting too thick. I'm wondering if they buy a heavier weight leather with firmer skin then skive it down or if they are using a different type of leather (like kangaroo leather).
 
Btw, I tried to do a time lapse / fast recording of the tooling of the "G" but it did not work.. No video recorded. I'll try again next time!
 
One thing I will not be getting rid of is the picture sleeve. @tequila4kapp what do you think? I always liked how the brand ez3kiel had the backwards 3 so I typically do all 3s and 4s backwards. I hope you are okay with this!!! The good news is that I was able to tool the thin leather using a technique I haven't tried before. View attachment 8987665
Nice tooling. Are the block letters stamps? Any consideration to using a shader stamp around the edges of the G?

This one is a proof of concept to see if I can actually make a wallet that someone would want to use. Most of the leather stuff I have created has been functional versus fashionable(with the exception of belts and bracelets which are easier). If there's demand I will consider making more. One thing I want to research more is the type of leather that other manufacturers use in the more minimal wallets. This is the thinnest (lightest weight) you normally find from retailers. It does not allow you to thin it much more and it's softer than what I've felt in other wallets. This is why I removed the internal ID sleeve as the wallet was getting too thick. I'm wondering if they buy a heavier weight leather with firmer skin then skive it down or if they are using a different type of leather (like kangaroo leather).
I may have missed it - what weight is the leather you're working with? Any time I've tried making something similar I ended up skiving the edges even more - almost down to paper thin when doing layers. Then relying on the contact cement and stitching to hold things together.

This is fun seeing something like this come together! I'm inspired and might have to get out to the shop too!
 
This is a really fun follow Civic, it’s really coming together
 
A lady up the street who I did some home improvement work for is making her own horse saddle in her spare time. I had no idea how many different tools that are involved. She has 3 crates set aside that have nothing but leather stamping tools of various designs.

Unbelievable how much work goes into it.
 
A lady up the street who I did some home improvement work for is making her own horse saddle in her spare time. I had no idea how many different tools that are involved. She has 3 crates set aside that have nothing but leather stamping tools of various designs.

Unbelievable how much work goes into it.
A saddle would be an incredible project! MANY layers involved in that one...
 
Nice tooling. Are the block letters stamps? Any consideration to using a shader stamp around the edges of the G?


I may have missed it - what weight is the leather you're working with? Any time I've tried making something similar I ended up skiving the edges even more - almost down to paper thin when doing layers. Then relying on the contact cement and stitching to hold things together.

This is fun seeing something like this come together! I'm inspired and might have to get out to the shop too!
I did use a bevel shader around the edges of the G. The set of shading tools I have has basic. I need to invest in a better set of tools.

As for the leather, it is 4-5 ounce and much softer than the 9-10 ounce leather that I normally use for axe sheaths, knife sheaths, and holsters. I have difficulty hand skiving this thin leather. Maybe it's just me but the 9-10 ounce veg tanned leather is easier to skive and has a firmer skin on it.
 
Oh, and yes, the block letters and the number 4 are stamps
 
I did use a bevel shader around the edges of the G. The set of shading tools I have has basic. I need to invest in a better set of tools.

As for the leather, it is 4-5 ounce and much softer than the 9-10 ounce leather that I normally use for axe sheaths, knife sheaths, and holsters. I have difficulty hand skiving this thin leather. Maybe it's just me but the 9-10 ounce veg tanned leather is easier to skive and has a firmer skin on it.
Yeah, it almost looks like it’s a finished or stoned leather. Super tricky to thin that out!
 
Oh, and yes, the block letters and the number 4 are stamps
I quite like the font. Nice choice! And as soon as I saw the backwards 4, I thought of an old Ezekiel hat I used to have.
 
Yeah, it almost looks like it’s a finished or stoned leather. Super tricky to thin that out!
Do you hand skive your leather or use a machine? I may try some of the heavier ounce leather that just came in and see how thin I can skive it down. I've been able to thin that down much more in the past plus it's usually easier to tool.
 
Awesome work!
 
Dude...this is awesome!! Can't wait to see more.
 
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