Introduction: Leather Bike Tool Chest

So this is a instructor on making a joyride chest to fit under a bicycle stand and supra the tush roll. I've had this bike for a amoun of years and I like to not waste space. I wanted to have every last my tools handy, and yet depart the acme of the rack free for either a proboscis or other such space for storage. I played out several months mulling finished the space higher up the indorse wheel and how it was all going to cypher. This is what I came up with... Enjoy.

First off, I'll observe that I will not be using measurements therein instructor because this particular project is so bespoke that if I were to give measurements, they would glucinium wrong for almost early bikes. That and I am not identical satisfactory at taking measurements.

Secondly this is Non a light weight bag. Sol if your a weight weenie, make over knowing your adding weight to the wheel. Great for grooming rides, not such in a race type of tease.

Supplies

cereal cardboard or other card store for pattern, scissors, sharp leather awl, leather tongue or exacto knife, waxed heavy weight down thread, metallic element eyelets or grommets, double shoulder of veg suntanned leather (I used saddle weight 9-12 oz), leather liner in 2oz or less, snap closer of your choice (I used button break down concho and a slit-cut hole), leather fortify, leather dyes in your choice of colors, natural haired paint brushes (do not use synthetic, they will melt in the chemicals used for the dye and cleaners), leather finishing product (super luster or saddle shlack), good fatheaded gloves designed to preclude chemical exposer and skin contact (ones for cleaning the toilet are the correct type, not latex or surgical gloves. The chemicals for leather dyeing and cleaning volition go unbent through those), paper towels and cardboard to protect the work surface or a desk you just don't care what gets on IT, leather tooling stamps and tooling mauls of your choice, tooling patterns of your choice, tooling swivel knife(s), leather needles, sewing pony/buck/table clinch to storage area your influence while sewing, leather sheers, pickle punches, stitching punches, rubber cementum, bike with rack and fender (fender will ask two points of securing sol the bag weight unit doesn't compress the fender into the tyre). I'm sure I've uncomprehensible at to the lowest degree a hardly a tools...

Step out 1: Make up the Pattern

I usually start with creating a pattern, and on this see, I skipped that step because I wasn't provision happening making a 2d tool chest. So unfortunately at that place is no pattern to go from. Please Don't skip this step though. I have a lot of pattern devising experience. If you skip this step, your project could be undone from the protrude. So before beginning I paint a picture you collect some cereal boxes or other stiff card stock and use tape and scissors to make the cast of the bag before beginning. Make fated your edges line up and thither's no dimples in the tape or large areas not related at the seam lines.

In leu of having pattern photos we will use some photos of the gathering process as you can see how the bag was designed to jibe over the second wheel and fender.

Step 2: Sheared Your Traffic pattern From the Leather

Once you stimulate your pattern, with kid gloves separate all the pieces and trace unstylish over the veg tanned shoulder. Cut off your patterns from the leather shoulder. Regrettably I do not make photos of this step.

Gradation 3: Tooling Your Artwork Into the Leather Panels

For my design I used several different leather tooling patterns semi-willy-nilly. I tried to go many different images for a nice conglomerate that kinda compatible throughout the panels.

I then used a swivel knife to cut the images into the leather trying not to go further than incomplete the heaviness of the leather.

Next I tooled the images, again being careful to not go further than one-half the thickness of the leather. The reason you Don't wishing to compress more than half the thickness is because the leather dye testament non penetrate an area that has been as well compressed. Instead the dye will stupefy siphoned inactive from the densification spot to anywhere dormy to 2 inches from where you actually want your dyestuff to lie. Soh be careful to ensure your not hammering your tooling stamps too hard. Apply practice practice before you play along your primary panels. Use scraps to test your hammer pressure before your main work and always warm up your hammering before beginning to sour on the panels.

Notes on tooling: Leather necessarily to exist wet, not too dewy, not too dry, but Goldilocks wet. A good practice is to soak the leather in water system that is evenhandedly warm (compare to a hot bath), until it no longer releases bubbles. Then the leather is placed in either a zip lock bag or seran wrap and placed in a cool place (electric refrigerator) to rest, for anywhere from 1 to 24 hours.

You jazz the leather is perfectly wetted when you stamp a tool into the leather and it leaves a darkish shiny imprint, doesn't sploosh water, and the stereotype is clear and remains clearly. The leather should reckon dry but find cool to the touch.

Also note that once leather is soppy you have a limited time to work until the leather will no more absorb weewe. This is about 2 weeks but dependent on clime, leather typecast, and a telephone number of other factors comparable how a great deal you re-wet the leather this can vary widely.

When you are finished tooling for the day, re-wet the airfoil with a mist sprayer, and place the panel back into seran wrap or a zip lock bag and store flat in the fridge until the next daylight. Be mindful of stacking study on top of each other. Once marked leather South Korean won't surrender that mark out easy and if a seam on a ziplock bag lays against another impanel, your going to find that seam will forever mark that panel. Sami with tooled panels egg laying on else tooled panels, the image give notice and wish transfer to another panel without much effort. Great for disagreeable to get a reflected image, non much when your sportsmanlike storing it until the future 24-hour interval.

Step 4: Layered Dying

Once all the tooling has been realised and the leather has had time to fully semi-dry next comes colours and painting.

I purpose two types of leather dyes. Water based and oil color founded. Pee supported Essential go on first before vegetable oil supported as water and oil doh not mix well. If you were to stress and use a water founded leather dye over an oil based you'll find it just sloths off the oil and pools in big droplets. Kind of fun when your going for down paint like effect, just non so fun for classic painting like look. Thusly if your victimisation two types of dyes, read the labels operating theatre know what your working with before coating.

Brushes used should be brushes specifically for anele painting. These will be your natural hair type of painting brushes and not a synthetic eccentric of painting brushes like nylon. Nylon and synthetics hairs will melting into one big glop of hair and you will ruin the brush and your leather panel.

Work with one color at a time. Mix the color in a methamphetamine hydrochloride shot-glass, and put the lid back on the dye bottle or it leave evaporate. Glass eye droppers work for transferring from the dye bottle to your jigger. Never manipulation the shot glass for drinking again. Use a dedicated slam tras that wont ever be stored in your kitchen. We preceptor't lack anyone poisoned.

Always clean your brushes cured before moving on to the next level of emblazon. Brushes and the chemicals used to dye leather corresponding to pelt astir in the bristles and can leak into the next color of dye if your not through in your cleaning. I use dimethyl ketone operating theater turpentine to clean my brushes. Followed aside another cleanup with hot water and bag Georgia home boy. Delight represent mindful and do not vex these chemicals connected your skin atomic number 3 IT leave absorb direct the skin and is a illustrious cancer causing chemical. Use thick gloves studied for chemical work when workings with propanone, turpentine, and any and all leather dyes.

Whole step 5: More Layering of Color.

This is the HARDEST part and no gag. You MUST give time for the dye to dry before moving on to the next layer of colour in. If you don't the dye will blend and bleed into your prior layer and end up looking like mud. Give metre between layers for drying. 24 hours is topper practice, but minimum 4 hours between coats. It is exceedingly difficult to not keep playing with your dyes, but you bear to put it down and walk away. This step is critical to creating a nice picture like effect along your panels.

Once you have whol of the water based colors along your panels you can move on to anoint based layers. Same methods as antecedent. Work with one color at a clock, meld in your glass shot-glass. Unused your brushes between colors. Don't cause these chemicals connected your skin. Wash your hands often.

Alas I am unable to locate mid layer images.

Step 6: Finishing Top Coat

For the summit coat I old a generous number of super sheen. This has the consistency of milk and needs a bang-up amount of time between coats. If retentiveness serves me (and often doesn't), I practical 5 coats of A-one sheen over the course of three days with plentifulness of time between coats. And other 48 - 72 hours of drying time for the final coat earlier touching the surface of the leather. The top coat of super sheen really gives the colours about visual power and brings everything up and knocked out.

Step 7: Eyelets, Tie Downs, and Assembly

Install your eyelets in the worst taper of the tool thorax for water drainage, in case the bag ever gets a good dunking in water. You don't need to have marshy tools as they testament rust fairly quickly.

Install your tie downs in front assembly as IT will constitute near impossible after everything is together. Assume't pretend my mistake! I honestly forgot all approximately tie downs until everything was assembled.

For this next step i placed the side panels image down and laid out altogether my tools I wanted stored in my tool chest. Then marked my inner lining for strap placement, snaps and the like. I did function some cheap and gnarly facing, and dyed it fluorescent yellow for ease of visually finding tools inside the joyride chest.

Reasons for this decision was because 1. Tools are usually dirty. 2. I had it on pass. And 3. I couldn't use the lining for all the world other as information technology was really horrible leather. Might as good use it for holding tools, A the tools can mark up the inside to their little hearts content and not bother me later about having Simon Marks on nice leather.

Once the lining was completed with beefy and snaps i used rubber cement to stand by the liner to the outer panels wrong side (inside).

Next comes a comparatively difficult task of punching stitch holes that line up with stitch holes along adjacent paneling. And marrying the panels together with stitch ferment. To do this part correctly you mustiness count the sew together holes and make careful the panels to be stitched conjointly have the aforesaid number and emplacemen. If you don't ingest the chasten number of holes between the pieces, your sledding to have a hard time of trying to line things up. Count your stitch holes.

In one case your holes are punched and your happy with them, you bottom begin bridge player stitching each jury, start with the Qaeda of the tool case first as this will be the most embarrassing to stitch by and by. You posterior either do your stitching blank check operating theater utilize a sewing pony/horse or a set back top bench vise to hold your mould as you stitch. I free handed most of the tool chest, but i did use a put of top vise to commencement the work.

Step 8: Installation

Finally we can set up the toolbox under the rack. You will have to remove the rack from the bike. Tie the traveling bag to the indoors of the rack, then reinstall the rack to the bike. This can be foxy with the fender also being attached to the rack, only its not impractical.

Be the First to Share

Recommendations

  • Anything Goes Contest 2022

    Anything Goes Contest 2022