The Final Stage of Making a Multi-Tool Carrier

To all of you who have been faithfully visiting this blog I want to offer a heartfelt apology for not getting this post out sooner. About the time I began preparing this post I started a new job and I have been trying to adjust to the different schedule and the commute. It took too long to get this one done and it is my fault. I will try to get more done, possibly much shorter than this one, as soon as I can. I will share some tricks that I have learned from someone or on my own.

To pick up where we left off, with the fold made in the belt loop it is a good idea to let it dry so that it will retain its shape. Having this fold already in the leather will be a little bit of a challenge when the top part of the loop is sewn on but it will make the loop a bit flatter against the back of the pocket. It will also help to align the top of the belt loop to the height you want it.

To align the belt loop on the back of the carrier pocket I will once again rough-fit the belt loop so that I can mark the outline of the areas onto which I want to apply Barge Cement. I believe that you will find it better to rough-fit the loop and mark the glue points before either machine or hand sewing it to the back. The photo below shows the alignment of the loop with the excess leather to the left side of the back. It is not mandatory that you allow for the excess leather in this manner but you will want to plan your mode of attack before actually cutting the leather.

Belt loop on back after being folded

The photo below shows how the belt loop might look after being attached. Doing this will also give you an idea of how you want to place the top of the belt loop in relation to the top of the multi-tool. Variations may come from the different lengths of the multi-tool and the way in which you might like it to sit on your belt. Again, this is just a trial fit and placement to see how it will look and for marking your glue points.

Side view of belt loop before being attached

In the photo below, you can almost see a rectangle marked in pencil. This rectangle area is where I will place the glue to attach the portion of the belt loop to the back of the carrier pouch. It might be possible to get by without gluing the piece down and successfully stitching it in place but I would not take the chance. At this point if the loop slips while stitching it on it will be difficult to relocate the whole loop and then poke more holes in the leather. What will happen is that the holes could be so close together that you would run the risk of the leather tearing or that you might have such large holes in the back of the pocket that sewing would be difficult as well. 

Belt loop glue area marked on back

The area, which is marked for applying the glue, is on the grain side of the pocket and it is smooth. This means that the glue will not adhere as well to this surface as it would the flesh side of the leather. If you have read the earlier posts, you will see that the smooth side of the leather is the grain and the rough side is the flesh. What I like to do before applying the glue to the grain of the leather is to scuff it up a little so that the glue will adhere much better. The photo below shows that I roughed up or scuffed the area in which the glue will be applied. To scuff the leather I used the tip of a flat-bladed knife. Coarse sandpaper can be used to scuff up the leather but caution should be taken to make sure that you do not scuff too much or too deeply. Either way that the scuffing is done it is a good idea to blow the leather dust off from the scuffed area to ensure that the glue will stick to the leather. At this point, it is also a good idea to scuff the area of the belt loop that will be attached to the back of the pocket.

Glue area on back after being roughed up for better adhesion

The photo below shows the glue applied to both of the pieces of leather mentioned in the above paragraph. The glue I used on this project is Barge Cement, which is my favorite adhesive to use on my projects. I have tried rubber cement and the results were all right immediately but it did not last as long as I would have liked. I learned that rubber cement does not last as long as the Barge Cement on projects that might have any oil applied to it. In most cases, you will probably not have any problems with the longevity of rubber cement unless you are gluing lining leather to the inside of a project that might be oiled.

After the glue has been applied to the upper areas

In the photo below, you can see that the belt loop has been glued to the back of the pocket. I evidently forgot to take a picture of the upper portion of the belt loop after it was stitched to the pocket. The black rectangle superimposed on the photo is there to show the basic stitch lines that I would use. The only thing that someone might want to include would be to add stitching diagonally across the rectangle shown. I do not think that it is necessary to do that but you might want to consider the thickness of the leather used as well as the weight of the tool to be carried in the pocket.

Upper portion of belt loop glued to the back of the pocket

Once the upper portion of the belt loop has been stitched onto the back of the pocket it is a good time to rough up the area where the lower part will be attached, that is if you have not already done it. Do not apply the glue to both ends of the loop or the back of the pocket at the same time. Doing so is a good recipe for a disaster or some headaches with sewing an alignment of the loop in general. Besides that, it is extremely difficult to complete the stitching the upper part of the loop with the lower part already attached.

The photo below shows the lower portion of the belt loop after it has been glued and stitched onto the pocket. I sew/stitched it on with my sewing machine because it is much faster than doing it by hand. You will notice that the distance between the two lines of stitching are spaced at the length of one stitch apart. I did it this way to make sure that there was ample room for a belt to slip through the loop and because this area will not be carrying the majority of the weight of the tool on it.

Closeup of belt loop as stitched on the back

Okay, by now we have the belt loop stitched onto the back of the pocket of the tool carrier and now it is time to attach the pocket. I like to line up the pocket with the center of the back, mark the upper edges of the sides of the pocket, and make sure that the lower part of the pocket  can be easily stitched I then apply Barge Cement to the areas below those marks. Place about a quarter-inch wide strip of glue all around the bottom part of the back where the pocket is to be attached. Put glue around the outer, flat edges of the pocket on both the edges and the bottom. It will not hurt it you get more than a quarter-inch strip of Barge Cement on either piece. A little extra is better than not enough in this case. Remember to put cement on both surfaces where they will meet each other.

Pocket glued to the back - with edges untrimmed

In the photo above you can see that the pocket is narrower than the back piece. You might also notice that the edges of the pocket are not straight. There are at least a couple of ways you can manage the task of trimming off the excess leather from the sides of the project. Using a ruler, the edges of the project can be marked with a pencil, making sure that the same width is kept the full length of the cut and that enough surface area is left to perform the stitching. With the pocket attached to the back it is a little more difficult to put a straight edge on the leather where you want to cut it and hold it in place while cutting. I prefer to mark the line and trim the edged with a sharp knife.

In the photo below you can see that I trimmed the corners of the bottom of the pocket simply by cutting them at a 45 degree angle. I made these cuts before I trimmed the edges. It does not matter when you trim the corners, just be sure that you do not cut too close to the edge of the pocket and leave enough room to stitch around it.

Bottom corners trimmed off

After I have trimmed the corners of the pocket I do not want to leave them with the blunt angles that you see in the photo above. Generally, with two smaller cuts I can trim the points from the corners left by previous cuts. You will notice that the corners are not perfectly round but they are closer than before. The photo below shows the corners after the points have been trimmed a little more. What I have found is that when I complete the cuts previously described, by the time that I bevel the edges on the project and burnish them the corners will look very well rounded.

Bottom corners of pockets trimmed more

The next step in the process is to sew or stitch the pocket to the back. If you look closely you can see that I used my sewing machine to sew the two pieces together. I simply did this for the speed of completing this stage. Something that you might want to consider when stitching your project by either hand or by machine is to double stitch the top three to five stitches on each side of the pocket. That means that to have three double stitches on the side where you begin stitching you would need to start at the fourth hole down and sew backwards to the top. In the same manner to double stitch the side you finish on it would be necessary to backstitch until the desired number is reached.

Pocket after being sewn onto the back

Once the pocket and back have been sewn together I like to set the snaps on the pocket and the portion of the back that is to be the flap that covers the multi-tool. The photo below shows the four parts of the type of snap that will be used on our project. The upper left piece is the cap, which is the rounded piece you will see on the outside of the flap. The socket is just to the right of the cap and it will be attached to the cap to form the outer portion of the snap. The third part of the snap is the post, which is the piece that the socket will be snapped onto. The piece in the lower right hand corner is the rivet portion of the post. Holes will be punched in the upper-center of the pocket and the lower center of the flap. (Be sure to look at the photos showing the finished product.

The four pieces of a snap

Setting snaps is a simple process as long as you have the correct tools and the right length of rivets for your snaps. Snaps are basically set by a riveting process. If you look back at the photo above notice the two pieces on the left. The cap on the top is the finished side of your snap that will be seen on the outside of the flap. The bottom left piece is the post, which will be seen on the outside of the pocket. You might consider them as the finish sides of your snaps.

As previously mentioned, it is necessary to have the proper tool for setting the snaps. The photo below shows the tip of the snap setting tool. Although difficult to see, the center portion of the tool is rounded like a nob and it flares out the closer it gets to the wide portion. The wider portion is concave so that it will give a rounded effect once the rivet is set. To complete the riveting action, once the correct snap pieces are put together, place the setting tool with the tip in the center of the rivet and strike it with a non-metal hammer or mallet. I do not like to use metal hammers on my tools because it will mushroom the end of the tool and make it look ugly and give it sharp edges. The snap setting tool can be purchased at many craft stores and most of them will come as part of a complete set that will include a small concave anvil and other tools for setting different types of snaps.

 

The tip of a snap setting tool

To line up the snaps on your project it is necessary to know the diameter of the snap to be used. Place it a reasonable distance from the edges of the pocket and flap. What I like to do is to find the center of my flap where I will be placing the cap and socket and mark the center with  an awl or pencil. I place the socket over the center mark to make sure that it will not be too close to the edge before punching any holes. I then punch a hole that is just large enough to allow the rivet portion of my cap to fit through it. I want the cap to show on the outside of my flap and have the socket on the inside or the flesh side of the leather. The photo below shows how the inside of the socket will look after the it has been riveted to the cap. You can see that the snap setter automatically rounded the end of the rivet.

View of inside of socket after setting it

To mark and position of the post part of the snap I will put the multi-tool into the pocket and close flap, which now has the cap and socket set on it. I will use it to mark the position of the post by centering the flap on the pocket and press down hard on the cap to mark the outline of the socket. This will allow me to easily locate the center of of the position for the post. Once I have the center marked I will punch a hole in the leather large enough to place the rivet through. I will then place a piece of wood or something harder and close to the right size, in the pocket to be a backing for setting the rivet on the post. Be sure that the base of the rivet is on the inside of the pocket. Place the carrier on a smooth surface where you can set the rivet by striking the setting tool with your mallet. Do not attempt to set the snap using the multi-tool as your backing because it may render it unusable.

Now, with the multi-tool in the pockets try out your snap. For all intents and purposes your project should be complete except for putting the finishing touches on the flap if so desired. The manner in which you finish the flap is entirely up to your If you would like to round the end a little to take off the corners you might have something that looks like what you see below. The only thing I would advise you to do before applying any stain or oil to the leather is to burnish the edges and do any additional trimming that you feel is important to give your project the finished look you want.

Front of flap after the snap has been set and snapped in place

Let me know if you have any questions or comments. I will try to get another post out sooner than this one.

Have fun!

Shaping and Molding Leather - Part Four

After a long dry spell, I am finally getting back to finishing the project. Please accept my apologies for the delay in getting this post done. In the last one, we had looked at shaping the leather over a block of wood to form the pocket for a multi-tool carrier. I had rough-shaped the leather with my fingers around the block of wood after soaking the leather with the stretching mixture of half water and half rubbing alcohol.

I had placed some inch and a half boards on each of the vertical sides and clamped them down on the board on which I had mounted the wood block. These clamps were left in place until the leather had dried sufficiently to hold its shape. The length of time that you need to let your leather dry will vary according to a number of variables that will come into play. These are the air temperature, the moisture content of the leather, and the humidity in the air. In the case of my use of the plastic wrapped boards, it could take even a little longer for the leather to dry.

After the leather has dried, it might look similar to the photo below. You can see that the top edge is not exactly straight. This sometimes happens when I clamp the leather in the manner previously shown. I have found that it works the best for me and that it can be corrected without too much difficulty. In addition, at this point, the leather is completely dry and it may show some marks from wrinkles that may have formed in the plastic wrap on the board. I would not worry about them at this time because the effect should be minimal by the time that the sewing is completed.

Dry multi-tool carrier pocket

The next step in the process will be to measure the width of the pocket and rough cut the width of the back/flap piece of leather. I don’t like to cut my leather too close to the width of the pocket on this type of project because I have found that it can come back to bite me. If you were to cut it exactly the same width, it might not make any difference. I have found that it is better for me if I glue the two pieces together before I cut the back/flap piece for width. That way I will not inadvertently get the pocket off-center from back piece when I glue them together.

I like to use a straight edge to mark and cut my lines. It is relatively easy to place a sharp knife against the edge of a metal ruler or square as the shown in the photo below. It would be ill advised to attempt cutting a straight line with a sharp knife using a wooden or plastic ruler. I say this from early experience and having ruined the nice straight edges on more than one ruler by attempting to use them to make my cuts. If you have a lightweight metal ruler with a cork backing glued on it, you can probably use when making straight cuts.

Small framing square used as a straight edge for cutting the leather

If you use one of the lightweight metal rulers as a straight edge, it is a good idea to practice extra care when getting it near your leather. The thin metal can make some nasty marks in your leather quicker than you know. I do use a metal ruler to measure and mark my projects, but I will generally use one of my framing squares for cutting. I like the weight and the thickness of the metal on the squares for making my cuts. Besides that, I will use fine grit sandpaper to smooth down the edges of my square so that it is less likely to cut or scratch the leather when I am pressing down to hold it in place.

I have a two-foot aluminum framing square that I use for cutting out most of my larger projects. One drawback to using an aluminum square is that the aluminum will oxidize and stain moist leather, which is a real bummer. After much frustration with this problem, I felt that I was wasting time by needing to wipe down my square every time I used it. I decided to try spraying it with clear spray paint. That was many years ago and I have not found it necessary to repeat the process even with repeated use. I also did that with the smaller steel framing square seen in the above photo. You might find this tip to be effective for other tools that you have that seem to get rusty or stained as well but be sure to clean them well before painting them.

Now, back to the project, I like to dry-fit my projects to be sure that I have not cut any of the pieces too short or excessively big. I purposely cut the back/flap for this carrier wider to demonstrate marking and cutting the leather for width as discussed above. The photo below the following paragraph shows that there is a lot of extra leather on the top side of the pocket and that the pocket’s bottom edge is too long. This means that both pieces need trimmed for size at some point.

Trimming can be done at almost any time in this part of the process. For this demonstration, I will trim off the bottom of the pocket to the size that I want it to be before gluing it to the back. I will then cut the back piece approximately one eighth of an inch wider than the pocket to allow a little wiggle room for when I glue the pieces together. For myself, I like to cut the back piece a little wider and trim the excess off after I have glued and sewn the pieces together. It means that I will get a more even edge on the project.

Carrier flap folded over the pocket temporarily for sizing

Before gluing the pocket on the back piece of the carrier it is necessary to attach the belt loop to it. If you plan to use a belt clip you might find it easier to line it up, mark it, and maybe even attach it to the back before gluing and sewing the pieces together. The photo below shows a simple method for determining the width of your belt loop. I measure the width of the top edge of the pocket and cut the loop piece approximately one-eighth of an inch narrower. Notice that the loop piece fits inside the pocket. The belt loop can be cut at any width you would like it to be cut. If you want it to be narrower than what is shown, make it that way. Just do not make it too wide or it might be uncomfortable to wear under your belt.

Belt loop piece inside of the pocket - example of width

It will probably not make any difference as to the functionality of the carrier or the belt loop, but I like to trim the corners on the inner part of the loop. This will shorten the straight edges that the belt tip might catch on. The photo below shows the belt loop with the corners trimmed. I do not take the time to make exact measurements on these cuts because there is no real science involved, just cutting the corners off one end of the piece of leather.

Inner corners of belt loop cropped

Once you have cut the belt loop out it is a good idea to decide how wide of a belt you want it to fit. Generally, I make my belt loops big enough to fit over a two-inch wide belt. That means that you should allow for a little over two inches when folding the belt loop over. The photo below shows one method for making the fold and ensuring that the finished product will be wide enough to accommodate almost any width belt. I moistened the area of the fold with a little water so that the leather would fold easier and so that the grain of the leather would not tear. By using a piece of leather or any other material that is as wide and almost as thick as the belt leather it make it easier to properly size the loop. 

Simple way to fold and size the belt loop

Due to the length of this post, I am going to include the finishing details in the next one, which should be very soon. In that post, we will cover attaching the belt loop to the back of the carrier, sewing the pocket to the back, and marking and setting the snap.

Have fun!