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Took me 6 hours to get a single leather hinge right...

I was working on a custom journal cover with leather hinges last weekend and man, I underestimated how finicky those things are. I cut the leather strips too thin the first time and they tore right through when I tried to sew them onto the boards. Then I went too thick and the cover wouldn't close properly because the leather was too stiff. After three tries and way too much cussing, I finally got a decent hinge by soaking the leather in water for 10 minutes first to make it pliable. The whole process took me about 6 hours from start to finish when I thought it would be a quick 45 minute thing. Has anyone else fought with leather hinges like this or is it just me?

3 comments

3 Comments

jasonf351mo ago

Used to think leather work was all about just cutting and stitching, you know, like any other material. But after fighting with some veg tan for a knife sheath hinge a few months back I totally get it now. The water soak trick is key, I tried skipping it and ended up with a hinge that cracked after two days of use because I got impatie nt. Six hours is rough but beats redoing it a third time like I did.

jamie_webb671mo ago

Buddy of mine tried the same shortcut on a belt holster. Had to toss the whole thing after the leather snapped at the fold point.

gavin2281mo ago

Did he soak the leather first or just go for it dry?