A question for the shot pouch makers

[J.D.]

I am a former member of the forum, returning to the forum and hobby, after an absence of about 10-12 years.  I made a few very basic pouches nearly 35 years ago, and want to replace my old, well used and worn, gear with new made kit. The current project is a new shot pouch with a fabric liner, extending up  from the body of the bag, to line the bottom of the flap. I have Ken Scott's  hunting pouch video for reference, however, he does not cover a simple bound edge on the flap.

My issue is how do the y'all form a simple binding of garment weight leather around a sharp bend in the flap, without puckering? The examples I have seen do not appear to have been clipped, to compensate for the puckering. I have tried to form a nice even binding, without puckering, around the radius on the flap, several times, both wet and dry, with no luck, at all. I would appreciate some advice to help figure out what I'm doing wrong.

Thanks for the help

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

You need to make the binding edge leather as narrow as you dare, to avoid puckering.  Also, make the curve as smooth and long as you can.  Bending a flat piece of leather around a very tight curve is difficult.

[thecapgunkid]

J.D.  Welcome back.  did the same thing in leaving and returning.

There are a couple of ways to avoid puckering.  Your binding strip should be a little stretchy.   If you only have cow or goat, contact cement it and then moisten it so it will stretch. 

 I use about an inch and a quarter wide strip.  With a scribe or scratch awl, mark the edge of where you want that binding to be on the flap itself.  I like about a half inch from the outer edge.  That'll leave you plenty on the inside of the flap.

Using contact cement, don't use a heat gun as it inhibits control of the glued surfaces.   It helps to glue the inside of the strip where it will meet the outer edge of the bag only.

Start dead center on the bottom edge of the flap first, gluing only one side of the front first along that line you scribed.  You will double back to do the other edge .. 

Seat and glue it to the outside , visible edge of the flap first, being careful to avoid any crimping as you stretch around the curve in the edge.  You're gonna go real slow here, seating and stretching and gluing a little bit at a time. It should be free of crimping and look like the back side will never flatten out.

You will be able to visualize what the edging will look like around the outside of the flap when you are finished.

Now flip the thing over and tend to the underside.  If you did the outside right, all the potential crimping will be on the inside edge.

If your strip is too wide, there will be a lot of crimps because the bulk of the leather gets in its own way.  So after getting a visual on how far from the edge the strip extends, you might want to trim.  If it is too Narrow, it will not make the fold over the edge

Get a bone folder.  Looks like a dull letter opener and is made of either bone or nylon.

This is where your best shot at eliminating crimping is.  Shoemakers have the same issue when stretching the toe of the uppers over the last.

Start again at the center of the flap, folding the edging strip over the edge and stretching it firmly but not excessively.  If it is so far looking even, then you are working well.

Stop where the curve starts.

When you get to the curved corner, start stretching and gluing DEAD CENTER OF THE CURVE, NOT AT ONE END.  Work your way outward to both sides of the curve

The bone folder is going to help you extend all the potential crimps and bulk toward the center of the flap and edge of the edge itself by pressing AWAY from the edge as you seat the edging and glue it closed.

Use both hands and finger tips.  Pull, stretch, seat and rub inward.  If you still have bumps, don't worry if they are away from the edge itself because you can trim them later.

You might also use a really sharp knife to slit each ripple and glue it down in halves.  Just be careful not to extend the slit to the edge of the flap where it will show.

This step requires patience, the way lasting a shoe does, but it is not impossible.  If enough guys are interested in this I will try to post another ..."Every Man A Cobbler"... on the topic.

Hopefully, craftsmen who are better than I will post here to help you.

Don't shoot yore eye out, kid

The Capgun Kid

[thecapgunkid]

J.D.

This is the best phot I have on hand to show my long winded dissertation above.



This is a work in progress on a ladies shoe, where the curve you are referring to is at the toe and more radical than any you will make on the bag.

The nail heads show where my finger tips would have gone were this a flap on a bag.

The pronounced bumps are the result of a thicker leather, and will get trimmed off when I welt the shoe.

The smooth edge is where a bone folder ( in my case the tail of my hammer) would go to rub the edge smooth

The faded white line shows where my stitch line for the welt will go.  IN your case, it would be on the inside of the flap. 

Note that all the bumps are aft of that line, and won't be there once trimmed.

Hope this helps.

Capgun

[J.D.]

Yes, thank you for your considerable help. I have always been amazed at the depth of knowledge of the forum members, as well as the willingness to share their knowledge with others, as illustrated by your,  quite informative, dissertation on a subject that should be so simple. As it turns out, what appears as a simple binding is not quite as simple to do well, as one would think. 

Since re-entering the hobby, I am re-learning long dormant skills, and thanks to you and several others, learning new skills that allow me to replace my old, worn kit with better gear.

Based on the examples posted on this forum, I need to improve my game, considerably. My current efforts seem amateurish, and rather pathetic, compared to your work, and the work of the many, very accomplished artisans posting on this forum. I feel that my work will improve, comparatively, quickly, now that I have read your, and other's posts on the "Every man a Cobbler" series. I have also viewed several video tutorials on leather working that verify the information you have shared, as well as building on your instructions. I have also learned, I need to acquire a few good books on leather working, and Practice, practice, practice.

Thank you again.
I am, and remain, your most humble servant.