Hello,
I'm having a hard time figuring out a proper way to align or overlap pockets of a card holder or a wallet to make them look flawless. The point I'm referring to is the place the two sheets of leather touch each other. The object under consideration is here:
Corresponding to the sketches lower: A is the upper pocket, B is the lower pocket (the brown one) and C is the biggest sheet of leather that the above to are stitched into.
And there are 3 ways I found I could make the two layers of leather meet. Basically they vary in the angle of cut:
1. 45 degree angle, that's the one I'm experimenting with at the moment, I find it relatively easy to cut with japanese knife and I think it might give good results as the layers hook into each other but the top surface stays flat.
2. Perpendicular cut (Used in the card holder at the top) - Easiest to cut but the joint might be visible when looking at the surface of the wallet from the top.
3. The hardest to achieve for me. I used skiving to get the angles but I never managed to get a flat surface on top, getting it right seems quite tricky.
The question is, do you have some advice here? How to align/overlap the sheets of leather to get a clean, good looking and durable joint/connection? I think the most common on the internet is the solution nr 2, but that sometimes leave a small gap between the layers.
Thank you for any advice.
Cheers, Radosław
I personally use No2 and have never had a problem with gaps between pockets.
The trick for me is to do the following:
- Overcutting: I make my wallets 5mm longer on each side, glue then trim the excess.
- Really take my time and position the 1st pocket exactly in the perfect spot. After that, when gluing, i just make sure the pocket below is touching it 100% and with no gaps and don't focus on the edges being 100% aligned with main back piece and the other pockets because trimming will take care of that.
Hi !
currently using Option 2 or 3.
Two if the leather is strong enough (thick / hard) to be able to « press » both edges together during glueing. I found with option 2 that it is also important to glue where the two slots touch and take care to press them together so that the leather will not gap later.
Works well on vegtan (can be done with buttero all the way up to 0,6mm).
I use option 3 on softer / thinner leather like 0,5mm goat or soft chromed tan leather. You need to do some intricate skiving. Usually I averlap 5mm (which might be too much) and skive both part to a feather edge (tricky in the visible side !).
here is a pic of a crappy prototype :
I always end up with a very little bump. It’s not a worry for me... it is like a proof of great care taken to durability :-) and it is not a big deal if you’re painting the edge. If burnishing I prefer Option 2.
@radoslaw.landowski Ah the question of the ages! I'm looking forward to hearing advice from the gang! 😃