Custom Bag

[MY63]

I soaked the mounting points in cold water for about 10 minutes then used a modified clamp to form them around the edge of the case

IMG_9558 by my0771, on Flickr

After forming the correct shape I have applied some dye to the leather and allowed it to dry for a couple of hours.
The next stage is to mark holes for stitching and decide where the chicargo screws are going to go

Thanks for looking

Michael

[MY63]

I had two small hold ups today I wanted to test the strength of the leather thong I used to attach the key I felt that if it held the weight of the bag that would be strong enough.
Well it was not so I went to the suppliers to get some that was strong enough I also picked up another chicargo screw as I managed to loose half of one of the original four.
The mounting points are now fitted and are very secure.
I was a little unhappy with edges so I have sanded them all down and have started refinishing them.
After the edges are complete I promise I will let it go (honest)

My next project will be either a messenger bag from scratch or one of the Gladstone bags which I have it was awaiting restoration however the leather has been wet at some point and is rotten, The hardware is in fantastic condition and will form the basis of the new bag.

Thanks

Michael

[MY63]

I have spent some time on the edges today and I am almost happy with them I freely admit I am a bit of a perfectionist and the case is at least 50 years old so the odd bit of cracking around the edges is to be expected

The first picture shows the mounting point for the shoulder strap I had thought I would be able to sew the tab in place as well as gluing and bolting it in place this was not possible.
I took the bag to my supplier and their master saddler checked the mounting points for me he was happy with them.

IMG_9568 by my0771, on Flickr

IMG_9571 by my0771, on Flickr

These are my final pictures of this project I will be boxing it up today ready for the courier to collect
Thanks to everyone for the support.

Michael

[Crazyorange]

Looks wonderful.

[reprieve]

Wow!!
It looks fantastic!!


PS: I tried to send you a PM, but your inbox is full.

[inlovewithjournals]

Beautiful.

[MY63]

As one project is on its way to a new home a new project takes its place I have been wanting to restore this bag since it arrived. unfortunately the leather was too far gone to allow for restoration.
However with a little trigger logic the restoration will proceed for those not already aware of "Only fools and horses" tv show here is a sample of Trigger logic.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUl6PooveJE

I had assumed that the colour of this bag had been changed from a tan or light brown colour to a black however when taking the bag apart I found that the piping (leather between the joints) was also black, and the inside edges of the joints were also black so it would appear that this bag was black from the day it was made.

IMG_9618 by my0771, on Flickr

Here is an exploded view of the bag in pieces only the base is missing.

IMG_9623_1 by my0771, on Flickr

The inside of the bag has these unusual pockets possibly for medicine bottles I don't intend to replace these as I dint carry medicine bottles.

IMG_9605 by my0771, on Flickr

Yesterday I bought a shoulder of veg tanned leather and I have started making templates for the replacement panels

IMG_9617 by my0771, on Flickr

These templates will be glued to heavier card at the end of the project and wrapped in lining fabric before being glued to the inside of the bag to reinforce the sides.

Thanks for looking

Michael

[Crazyorange]

Ha ha....that video is great.
It will be interesting to see if you can make something nice from the beaten bag. It's looking very sad.

[MY63]

Ha ha....that video is great.
It will be interesting to see if you can make something nice from the beaten bag. It's looking very sad.

Not only is it beaten it is also rotten

So I am going to make a new bag I hope I might be able to save some of the Handle but I am not making any promises.

if you liked that clip try this one

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFuYIi5-igc
enjoy

[MY63]

This piece of leather is called a pair of shoulders if you can see the pencil marks I have marked out two sides two lower ends and one base

IMG_9628_1 by my0771, on Flickr

The remaining pieces are the upper end pieces which are going to be made from 1 mm kip leather as it needs to fold in on itself as the bag closes

The ruler is 500 mm long

[MY63]

I have now finished the rough cutting of all of the components

IMG_9639_1 by my0771, on Flickr

All I need to do now is to decide which colour I am going to use then I can dye all of the pieces then it is just a case of sewing it all together

Thanks for looking

Michael

[Crazyorange]

How about a dark blue?

[MY63]

Thanks I was struggling with black red issue the introduction of a third option suddenly made me realise that what I actually wanted to do was return it as close as possible to what it looked like when new.
So it will be black hopefully today.

It is good to have FP geeks back up.

[MY63]

After spending half a day dying all 7 pieces black the time has come to start re assembly of this case, The original leather had thin strips of leather as a spacer between each joint.
I did not have any suitable leather and neither did my supplier so I decided to use black suede instead I think it will give an interesting contrast, but we will see.

Assembly starts with the base I stitched the sides first followed by the lower end pieces the upper end pieces are made from a more flexible leather and will be lined in red suede before fitting.

IMG_9735_1 by my0771, on Flickr

IMG_9737_1 by my0771, on Flickr

IMG_9739_1 by my0771, on Flickr

There is a cardboard structure that is glued to the sides and lower ends which allows the case to maintain its shape over many years of use.

Thanks for looking

Michael

[MY63]

This is the upper end piece and is the most complicated piece to cut and prepare as it must fold to allow the bag to open and close in this picture you can see the old and the new side by side.

IMG_9749_1 by my0771, on Flickr

The eagle eyed may have noticed that the new piece is slightly larger than the old one this takes into account the fact that the old edges have curled.

This piece does not have a backer board and needs to have the suede glued on with latex cement for flexibility but also because it needs to be sewn into place while it is wet to allow it to accept the required shape.
It will become clear tomorrow (fingers crossed) in the mean time they will go back into the plastic bag.

Thanks

Michael

[MY63]

This bag is getting serious now everything has been sewn together and the edges have been bound in red suede, I know the theory but have no idea if this is going to work

IMG_9755 by my0771, on Flickr

The upper end piece is backed in suede the sides and lower ends have a heavy card liner which will be wrapped in suede before it is glued in place

IMG_9752_1 by my0771, on Flickr

If you have not already worked it out the bag is sewn together inside out then the whole thing is soaked in cold water then turned the right way out so keep your fingers crossed.

Thanks for looking

Michael

[MY63]

Ta daaaaaaaaa
So far so good after soaking the bag in cold water for about 10 minutes I pushed the base though the opening and pulled the seams into place

IMG_9766_1 by my0771, on Flickr

IMG_9765_1 by my0771, on Flickr

The outside is now inside it might take a day or two to dry out completely

[MY63]

Yesterday in between other things I sanded and put a first coat of enamel paint onto the metal work for this bag this morning I have sanded it down again

IMG_9773_1 by my0771, on Flickr

IMG_9770_1 by my0771, on Flickr

The next step is to find a suitable leather to wrap the metal work in.

Thanks for looking

Michael

[MY63]

I know that some of you are interested in locks and how they work so here we go

I have done a quick clean of the outside I am only removing the dirt that may stop the lock from working

IMG_9775_1 by my0771, on Flickr

This is the inside view

IMG_9777_1 by my0771, on Flickr

As you can see the inside also required a clean

IMG_9780_1 by my0771, on Flickr

I have brushed away all of the dust and fluff to reveal the inner workings of the lock

IMG_9784_1 by my0771, on Flickr

I will provide more details once I find a key that I can alter to fit

[elaineb]

Thank you so much for the great photos and descriptions of what you're doing. I had no idea that you needed to sew the bag from the inside and then turn it, requiring the seams to fold and stay flat. (It's standard procedure when sewing cloth items, but cloth folds much more readily than leather!) Was it a lot of work after the leather was soaked?

Can't wait to see how you handle the lock.