Making a leather case

[alex_holden]

Just now, xgx said:

H Alex

Which method do you use to align the pricking and the drilled holes please?

 

I glued the leather to the wood (with PVA glue), then marked the leather with an awl, then drilled into the marks with a small handheld electric drill.

[xgx]

Thanks Alex

Drill size?  Any problems drilling through both leather and wood?

[alex_holden]

5 minutes ago, xgx said:

Thanks Alex

Drill size?  Any problems drilling through both leather and wood?

I think it might have been 2mm? The main issue is that wood doesn’t stretch to accommodate the needle and thread the way leather does, so the hole has to be larger than it would if you were only stitching through leather. A thinner needle would help, but then you have the problem that small needles don’t have a large enough eye for the thick waxed thread used in leatherwork. 

[xgx]

Thanks again Alex ... I did consider stitching the leather on a machine and applying it to the wood with epoxy  ...always an option if I can't achieve a good finish using your method 

[Alex West]

I

 

I made a case from ply covered with leathercloth to replicate the one which a particular instrument came in which was a card based case and falling apart.  One of the issues with ply is that it's inevitable that on at least one of the sides, the grain will be perpendicular to the edge so the ply will tend to split at the hole and on the parallel sides, if you drill the holes too close to the edge, the top ply can part away completely if the holes are too close to the edge.  My stitching isn't as neat as Alex's but since it was all covered with leathercloth, any errors were covered up.  It's a very strong case, but it was very time consuming.

 

In the vintage Wheatstone case I have, the inner card is just stuck to the sewn leather outer which would make life a lot easier I suspect

 

Alex West

 

[adrian brown]

I found one of my early test strips in the workshop which will hopefully show my stitching method a little clearer:

 

You can see the relative thickness of the card and leather - as I said in an earlier post, the magic ingredient is the hide glue (rabbit skin) which stiffens the laminate leather/card amazingly.

 

You can see here that the stitching doesn't really go into the card

 

With the jug cases, the most difficult stitching is on the side panels as the angles are much wider than 90°, so the needle goes in at a very oblique angle. In all this stitching, it's really important not to pull the threads too tight, as you can simply pull the thread through the leather.

 

Adrian

[AndyNT]

Thanks everyone. This thread has inspired me to get to grips with box stitching and make a concertina case in a more traditional-style. Another project for the darker months

 

Has anyone tried lining with a thin, soft leather such as goatskin or pigskin rather than cardboard?

[SteveS]

Thanks all for your replies. 

 

I plan to make a test piece using 2.5mm leather and box stitching. 

 

I also think a hard inner layer made from birch play is worth trying - lined with some rather nice velvet I got for lining a couple of wooden cases I made ages ago.

 

I'll post the results of my endeavours when I've completed my test piece

[DDF]

2 hours ago, AndyNT said:

Thanks everyone. This thread has inspired me to get to grips with box stitching and make a concertina case in a more traditional-style. Another project for the darker months

 

Has anyone tried lining with a thin, soft leather such as goatskin or pigskin rather than cardboard?

Its definitely worth having a go. That case in the left hand back I made in 1980 with no knowledge and very few tools.I made it from small leather suit case which belonged to my grandmother.It was bought for her when she left home as a young teenager in the 1920s,to work in service as a maid. I have used it almost daily but rather than patch it up decided it was time to replace it hence the new cases last winter.To be completely candid I made two because the first one turned out 3mm to small.

You can line the case with whatever you like .The cardboard as Adrian said when laminated with hide glue makes a really stiff board to make the case. The soft lining is to protect the instrument from abrasion when pulled in and out over and over. regards David.