Making A Pen Case

[bass1193]

I've gone through this whole thread, from beginning to now, this morning. It's amazing to see the evolution of your skills! Such an inspiration!

[my63]

I've gone through this whole thread, from beginning to now, this morning. It's amazing to see the evolution of your skills! Such an inspiration!

Thanks it is nice to know people still read my posts here.

I honestly hope that others start making cases with Kydex liners it can be tricky at first. Over heating Kydex can be scary ( if the kydex starts to shine switch off the heat and put it outside) I always heat it on a small piece of plywood if it gets to hot I put it outside.

I don’t have any competition as such Dave at Dragon thorn leather made the first one that I saw for a member here in 2013 I he helped me to get started with Kydex with a similar warnings as I have given above.

 

As a fountain pen user I will continue to make cases for a few years I hope and I am about to start building a workshop to accommodate this endeavour.

[bass1193]

Thanks it is nice to know people still read my posts here.

I honestly hope that others start making cases with Kydex liners it can be tricky at first. Over heating Kydex can be scary ( if the kydex starts to shine switch off the heat and put it outside) I always heat it on a small piece of plywood if it gets to hot I put it outside.

I dont have any competition as such Dave at Dragon thorn leather made the first one that I saw for a member here in 2013 I he helped me to get started with Kydex with a similar warnings as I have given above.

 

As a fountain pen user I will continue to make cases for a few years I hope and I am about to start building a workshop to accommodate this endeavour.

I know exactly the warning post you mean, having just read it today 😄 I've thought of toying with leather work. And like I said, this thread spread over a great deal of time tells me that the prices quality leather goods command is indicative of the skill involved, though it took you less than a year to put out products rivaling the long-time masters!

 

At any rate, it's awesome to see this hobby of yours develop into a full-blown career. This is one of the best stories on FPN by far.

[Anne-Sophie]

Michael you are a genius leather worker!

 

In order to make heirloom quality goods, artisans works and signatures are in the detail.

 

I wish public televisions would share more artisans creative processes and beautiful pieces instead of filling the air with cheap cooking shows.

 

It has been an honor to see the processes that enable everyday fountain pen enthusiasts an heirloom quality pen case.

Edited November 21, 2018 by Anne-Sophie

[my63]

I know exactly the warning post you mean, having just read it today I've thought of toying with leather work. And like I said, this thread spread over a great deal of time tells me that the prices quality leather goods command is indicative of the skill involved, though it took you less than a year to put out products rivaling the long-time masters!

 

At any rate, it's awesome to see this hobby of yours develop into a full-blown career. This is one of the best stories on FPN by far.

 

I try where possible to give a warning about heating Kydex as it can cause nasty burns when overheated.

I try to keep prices as reasonable as I can for handmade custom cases although not everyone agrees with me I thank you for your kind description of my work although I think I have some way to go.

Leatherwork remains my hobby rather than a career I would like to do it full time but my physical limitations make that difficult.

The new workshop will allow me to move out of the house to a dedicated space.

Michael

[my63]

Michael you are a genius leather worker!

 

In order to make heirloom quality goods, artisans works and signatures are in the detail.

 

I wish public televisions would share more artisans creative processes and beautiful pieces instead of filling the air with cheap cooking shows.

 

It has been an honor to see the processes that enable everyday fountain pen enthusiasts an heirloom quality pen case.

 

Thanks Anne-Sophie your comments are always appreciated not sure about the genius though I still seem to make silly mistakes quite frequently.

It has always been my intention to make affordable cases from high quality materials for fountain pen users I do make them to last and hopefully they will become heirlooms along with the pens that they protect.

Michael

[my63]

I have not made a notebook cover for some time I used to have seperate threads for notebooks but I thought i would pop this one here.

 

I was sent a Seven Seas Writer notebook and was asked to make a leather cover for it. I started with a notebook and a template made from card

 

2018-11-30_10-41-38 by my0771, on Flickr

 

At this point I would like to admit that my first attempt was 5 mm too small although the notebook fit it was too tight to be used everyday.

 

2018-11-30_10-43-27 by my0771, on Flickr

 

2018-11-30_10-42-00 by my0771, on Flickr

 

Using 2 mm veg tanned leather I cut a panel from the template I measured the outside size of the spine and added the thickness of the leather.

I marked and scored the folds.

 

2018-11-30_10-43-27 by my0771, on Flickr

 

In order to cut down the bulk around the edges I thinned around the edges this process is called skiving using a very sharp round knife.

 

2018-11-30_10-47-08 by my0771, on Flickr

 

Once I had removed half of the thickness from the edges I applied some chocolate dye.

 

2018-11-30_10-46-02 by my0771, on Flickr

 

I don't like to see unfinished leather so I applied a small piece of suede to cover it. If you apply suede all along the inside the small fibres prevent the notebook from sliding in and out.

 

2018-11-30_10-46-34 by my0771, on Flickr

 

I glued the pieces together and trimmed them to the required size.

 

2018-11-30_10-47-49 by my0771, on Flickr

 

Then I stitched it all together

 

2018-11-30_10-48-58 by my0771, on Flickr

 

2018-11-30_10-49-24 by my0771, on Flickr

 

2018-11-30_10-50-19 by my0771, on Flickr

 

And that is how I made the Seven Seas Writer notebook cover.

 

There will be a break in leather work while I recover from yesterdays hand surgery.

[zaddick]

Wishing you a speedy recovery.

 

I posted a picture of three of your cases on Instagram yesterday. Are you on there?

[my63]

Hi Zaddick yes I have seen it you have some cool pens, one day I am going to get a vintage Montblanc.

Recovery is going well I have full movement in the fingers which I did not have before, and considering I have a dead nerve in that arm and complex regional pain syndrome my pain level is actually managable with minimal medication.

Stitches out in 10 days which is a Sunday so the surgeon put a blue thread at the end so if they are irritating me i can cut the blue thread and the modified blanket stitch will pull out.

[Anne-Sophie]

Very happy that the surgery went well and that you have more movement.

 

I find it very funny that, you can describe precisely, the kind of stitch, the surgeon used.

 

Your notebook cover is as gorgeous as it is simple, thank you for posting it.

 

This month, I saw many artisans, use the rounded tool, on programs, on U.S.A public television.

Edited December 3, 2018 by Anne-Sophie

[zaddick]

I am glad to hear the road to recovery seems so clear and manageable. I wish you a speedy journey to improved mobility.

[my63]

Thanks Anne-Sophie and Zaddick because of the nature of the previous injuries and existing nerve damage to this hand everything has been discussed and planned prior to surgery, even down to the stitches and type of stitch used. We discussed using dissolvable stitches however there was a risk that they may cause irritation.

 

My order list is still building and I hope to start working again in two or three weeks and will share the most interesting of them all.

[pen2paper]

Best wishes in your recovery.

As always, lovely work on the cover.

[Anne-Sophie]

I took a look at the recent posts on your Blog.

 

Saw a picture of the bandage resulting from the surgery, at the end of your atelier/workshop/shed thread.

 

I think that the shed you removed might have been a chicken or pigeon coop, at some point.

 

I also saw more of your lovely restorations. Such talent!

Edited December 17, 2018 by Anne-Sophie

[my63]

Thanks to everyone for the kind words recovery is going well I did not think it was appropiate to post pictures here but they are on my blog if anyone would like to see the progress.

 

Work on my workshop is postponed until I am able to resume. It is also costing a little more than I was expecting.

 

I started making cases again today with a single pen case this is the first picture on the right is a piece of Kydex sheet the mould is in the middle and the formed Kydex is on the left.

 

 

2018-12-17_09-54-59 by my0771, on Flickr

 

This case is for a Danitrio Genkai fountain pen.

Edited December 17, 2018 by my63

[my63]

After sanding the edges of the kydex I wrapped it in suede.

 

2018-12-18_10-28-53 by my0771, on Flickr

 

While the insert was drying I turned my attention to the outer front cover moulding it over the same form.

 

2018-12-18_10-29-16 by my0771, on Flickr

 

Michael

[Anne-Sophie]

Your work also requires good woodworking skills.

 

It seems that the first form is carved unto the wood, but the second picture shows it to be like a mountain, so I assume that the kydex forming part is another piece of wood that fits on top of the form.

A good setup to avoid contact with heated kydex, if I am not mistaken.

 

Just wanted to say I admire your process as much as your work. Written before tea, so my style, might be kind of long winded.

 

As always, thank you for sharing your process.

Edited December 19, 2018 by Anne-Sophie

[my63]

Things don't always work out as you plan and I do make mistakes not as often as I used to but I do.

 

Here is my most recent one the stitching holes are meant to meet just in case you cant see where I went wrong.

 

2018-12-21_12-47-35 by my0771, on Flickr

 

Could I have fixed this possibly but I don't work that way it is either the best I can do or it is scrap. So back to step 1,2 and 3

 

2018-12-21_12-48-06 by my0771, on Flickr

 

Wrapping the kydex in suede you can also see the shape of the mould.

 

2018-12-21_12-48-25 by my0771, on Flickr

 

You might think it is a waste to start over at such a late stage but that is what happens I could find all sorts of excuses but it was a loss of concentration

 

2018-12-22_12-04-12 by my0771, on Flickr

 

Back to stitching.

 

2018 has been a good year for pen cases and I am hoping to build my new workshop in 2019 although the costs have increased.

 

I would like to wish all readers a happy Christmas and prosperous New Year.

 

Michael

[my63]

I did not expect to finish this case quite as quickly as I have.

 

2018-12-29_01-37-06 by my0771, on Flickr

 

2018-12-29_01-37-36 by my0771, on Flickr

 

2018-12-29_05-42-23 by my0771, on Flickr

 

These are my final pictures for this case it will be shipping soon.

[Anne-Sophie]

 

Thank you so very much for sharing your artistic talents with all of us.

 

It takes a great artist to show, even a snafu.

 

To me, the strip of leather, with the red stitching looks like it could become a wonderful embellishment for a notebook cover.

 

I remember the wonderful flower you made for one special cream and red bag and looking at the red stitching on the leather it look like it could be a flower with stitch, maybe the heart/center of the flower.

 

What do I know, I have no idea about the flexibility or stiffness of stitched leather.

 

Happy Holidays' Season!

 

Happy New Year Michael!

Edited December 29, 2018 by Anne-Sophie