Making A Pen Case

[my63]

Once removed from the mould we have this which is much more like the desired shape with the flat sides

 

IMG_0140_1 by my0771, on Flickr

 

This is one of the original test pieces there is some un dyed leather on the front and there are some areas that will need to be wet again and smoothed

[my63]

The new mould may not be pretty but it works quite well

 

IMG_0147_1 by Michael Young, on Flickr

 

I have re calculated the position of the slots for the pen clips and as you can see I have punched the holes ready to cut the slots you will also notice that I have added another detail to the top of the opening this is to create some protection for the top of the pen, and will also provide a shape for the closing flap to follow.

 

IMG_0153_1 by Michael Young, on Flickr

 

The final picture shows the strap that will hold the flap in place the flap will cover 3/4of the front of the case so the strap will be positioned half way down

 

IMG_0154_1 by Michael Young, on Flickr

 

Thanks for looking

 

Michael

[my63]

After finalising the shape of the top section I cut the slots after that I marked out the lines the stitches would follow with a pair of dividers. Once that was done I punched the stitching holes ready for sewing

 

IMG_0162_1 by Michael Young, on Flickr

 

The next step gets a little tricky the orange leather needs to be inserted and sewn in place it also needs to be lined in kydex unfortunately it is not possible to sew through kydex.

 

IMG_0168_2 by Michael Young, on Flickr

 

IMG_0172_2 by Michael Young, on Flickr

 

My solution was to sew the upper piece to the front of the case then glue the kydex into place finally wrapping the orange leather around the kydex and gluing that in place before adding the side sections and stitching it into the back piece.

 

I hope everyone can understand that

 

Thanks for looking

 

Michael

Edited May 10, 2015 by my63

[Chettiar]

Wow! That looks brilliant and you are ingenious, Michael! Fantastic idea!

Edited May 10, 2015 by Chettiar

[my63]

The first case is at this stage now I just need to get the second one to this point and then I can start on the backs which need some embossing done

 

IMG_0174_2 by Michael Young, on Flickr

 

Thanks Chettiar I am pleased that you like them I hope to have them finished soon

[my63]

Look its twins

 

IMG_0182_1 by Michael Young, on Flickr

 

Making a custom pen case is not always easy making two is more difficult.

So the inserts are complete and so are the outer pieces the back pieces are trimmed and ready to have the orange leather attached I have started the embossing which needs to be attached first.

[my63]

The next step is embossing the initials onto the inside of the flap,

I have my own way of doing this which is a result of trial and error it works for me but I am sure that there are other methods that work just as well for others.

I start with a print out of the image to be embossed which I stick to a piece of thin leather then I cut it out, after this if I have separate components I stick them onto another print out so I can position them accurately.

 

IMG_0202_2 by Michael Young, on Flickr

 

After sticking the pieces to the backing I trim around the pieces without separating them and stick this to the inside of the flap

 

IMG_0203_2 by Michael Young, on Flickr

 

once the glue has gone off I will trim off the remaining paper as there is a chance it will show through I will also remove the paper from the top as the printing ink may show through lighter coloured leathers once wet with glue. It is important to maintain a good edge on the image so it will be seen through the outer leather soft edges will just disappear

 

Thanks for looking

 

Michael

[my63]

Ok since the last post I have glued the orange cover to the flap and have sewn around the edge

 

IMG_0206_1 by Michael Young, on Flickr

 

The next step was to glue the back and flap to the front piece

 

IMG_0207_1 by Michael Young, on Flickr

 

The next step is to sew through the corner of the front an rear pieces which is not easy to do especially as there is kydex lining the inside and the needles will not pass through it, ideally the needles should stay within the thickness of the leather well that is the plan anyway

 

Thanks for looking

 

Michael

[Chettiar]

I am thrilled to see them both, Michael! You have brought them to life!

[my63]

Here are the finished cases

 

IMG_0214_1 by Michael Young, on Flickr

 

IMG_0215_1 by Michael Young, on Flickr

[my63]

As one project is packed for posting there is another project to occupy my time.

 

This is a mixture of a bag and a pen case it will become clear when I start the interior

 

IMG_0226_1 by Michael Young, on Flickr

 

Thanks for looking

 

Michael

[my63]

When I chose the leather to make this project I picked 3mm leather because I wanted it to have some stiffness to it which will become clear as it progresses I can see the finished case in my mind although I am a little unsure exactly how it is going to fit together.

 

IMG_0228_1 by Michael Young, on Flickr

 

IMG_0230_1 by Michael Young, on Flickr

 

The edges are a little too thick to just bend so I will need to alter that as you can see above this involves using an unusual knife sometimes called a round knife or a head knife. this knife is very sharp like really sharp and is designed to cut skin which it does very well.

I have marked a line in red about 10 mm in from the edge although the knife will cut the whole angle in one pass it is easy to get carried away so I cut the edge first and then made a second cut up to the line

 

IMG_0232_1 by Michael Young, on Flickr

 

The term for this is skiving there are a number of special tools for this job however I have never been able to make them work for me so I use the knife

 

Thanks for looking

 

Michael

[my63]

This is my first attempt at assembly of this case.

This is the bottom and one side with the pink piping of course, I am finding this a little challenging as I need three hands and really I only have one and a half hands at the best of times.

 

IMG_0234_1 by Michael Young, on Flickr

 

There are stitching holes in all three pieces which need to be held in place while the awl is passed through followed by the needles as with the large bag I remade earlier in the year this will be made inside out.

I think this case will take some time to bring together I am already thinking I should have started with the side pieces.

 

Thanks for looking

 

Michael

[my63]

The black and orange cases have arrived with their owner and I am pleased to say the owner is very happy with them

[Chettiar]

Indeed very happy.. Will post pictures with pens inside later today!!

[my63]

The outside of the case is under way now I need a better idea of how the inside module (for want of a better word) will fit into the case so I have spent today working out how it will fit.

 

The inside will be pink the same colour as the piping there is a structure made from grey board and hinged with tape there are 8 hinges in all but that will become clear as we progress.

 

IMG_0241_1 by Michael Young, on Flickr

 

This picture shows the pen slots here I have formed the leather over the card model I made previously the actual slots will be sewn to the backing piece, As they will be inside a case there will be no need for kydex they will just be leather pockets.

 

IMG_0243_1 by Michael Young, on Flickr

 

I placed the slots in their final position just to give you an idea of what it will look like

 

IMG_0244_1 by Michael Young, on Flickr

 

Final positioning of the leather to form the pen slots pinned in place I need to be careful as when I attach the leather it will stretch and I really do not wish to have a join in the leather

 

IMG_0246_1 by Michael Young, on Flickr

 

My plan now is to take this apart and glue the pen slot leather in place before stitching although I may re think this.

 

Thanks for looking

 

Michael

[my63]

As I suspected the glue would not hold so I am sewing them one at a time it is going to take a little time it looks like there will be space for 22 or 24 pens on the inner faces

 

IMG_0248_1 by Michael Young, on Flickr

 

I think the outer faces will have space for pockets for bits and pieces and the odd oversize pen.

[my63]

I thought I would share a little more detail as I start to assemble the interior, if anyone is interested the pink leather is 0.6 mm nappa leather it is very soft and smooth to the touch.

This is important for assembly as any area requiring glue needs to be sanded to allow the glue to stick also sewing needs to be done very carefully it buckles and tears very easily.

 

IMG_0251_1 by Michael Young, on Flickr

 

To start off I laid the backing piece onto the grey board and marked the edges with masking tape being careful not to put tape onto the areas that may be seen as even low tack masking tape can remove the top surface of the leather.

 

The blue board is a cutting board which I am using to line up the edges.

Edited May 22, 2015 by my63

[mudman]

That is looking fantastic!

[my63]

That is looking fantastic!

Thanks

 

I have finished the first side

 

IMG_0253_1 by Michael Young, on Flickr

 

This should help you to get the idea there are 10 slots at the moment, At the moment I could add one more slot however my concern is that once glue is applied the leather may give so I think I will stick at ten slots which is what was requested.

 

The last row of stitching is not very tidy so I am going to unpick it and start again