E St. Kruiser50 Posted February 24, 2010 Posted February 24, 2010 Like in painting or anything else, I think you should be able to have some sucess and experience at what your sharing, and be qualified to show others how to do something. So I'll start out by showing some finished examples of my previous work. Several of these have won awards at major shows in the past, in Calif., Oregon, Washington, and at the GSL in Utah, as well as being in many magazines, inluding a cover shot and a feature article. In the next few days I'll discuss such things as the tools and supplies you'll need, the various leathers, where to get leather, how to apply it using some very easy basic steps, to get some experience and grow from. The biggest challange for some will be the "PATIENCE" it takes to do this and make mistakes, and keep going 'till you get it right - THIS IS NOT PLUG N PLAY - MISTAKES AND FAILURE ARE PART OF LEARNING . Here are some of the cars I've built with scratch-built leather interiors. Scratch-built 1935 Duesenburg SJ Airflow Coup' Scratch-built Hollywood Graham.
E St. Kruiser50 Posted February 24, 2010 Author Posted February 24, 2010 Last examples. This one has a red leather interior - hard to see.
Jim0205 Posted February 24, 2010 Posted February 24, 2010 Those examples are awesome I can't wait to see how you do this.
hawkeye649 Posted February 24, 2010 Posted February 24, 2010 Agree! Thanks for taking the time! Glad I asked.
george 53 Posted February 24, 2010 Posted February 24, 2010 Welp Fella's Dave's Gonna throw open his "Bag'O Tricks" an ya'll better get it wile it's HOT!!! These are the kinda tricks wat separate the Rock Stars from the Groupies(Saw THAT on the military channel) An in MY book, Daves up there with the BEATLES!!!!
Foxer Posted February 24, 2010 Posted February 24, 2010 Sitting bolt upright waiting patiently tense ... The edges of the door panels, like on the Duesenburg, amaze me with the finished look they have.
crazyjim Posted February 24, 2010 Posted February 24, 2010 Thanks for the pics, Dave, but we now need MORE, MORE, MORE.
tuffone20 Posted February 24, 2010 Posted February 24, 2010 Yes that is going to be great!! So please give us some more!! And thanks for taking the time to do this on the one about painting!!
E St. Kruiser50 Posted February 24, 2010 Author Posted February 24, 2010 (edited) First off, I need to qualify how I post a thread. Guys have at time's complained over "CAPITAIZED TEXT", as they feel they're being yelled at - "I DON'T YELL - EVER". I capatalize to get attention, and to make a point about what I think is important - PERIOD . To me sharing is something we should all do to help each other. If someone is afraid to share their "Secrets", then to me they probably have a pretty shallow sense of their own skills and abilities - SAD. Never been afraid or threatened by trying something new - I LOVE A CHALLANGE - IT'S EXCITING TO ME . Something in my nature or mentality, as well as my curiousity, always seems to push me forward to continually get better at what I enjoy doing. I love research, and trying new things and materials, especially at times when I see that no one else is doing it, like when I first started doing urethanes and my water-based chrome system that works so well. Like any new medium, leather is challanging. As in the past, I had no articles or anyone to help me in any way, so it was kinda fun and exciting to venture into uncharted teritory . All my career I was a problem solver in one degree or another, and a research guy as I stated earlier, so I set out about 10 years ago, to find some leather goods that were of the quality I figured I would need. I have never tried to build anything as cheap as I could, in my model building or any other part of my life, as I've found that you only get what you pay for. ENOUGH SOAP-BOX . I found two good leather shops here in Portland, and after visiting them settled on one that at the time had the best supply of the kind of leather I wanted. There is pig skin, goat skin, dear skin, cow hide, etc. That's where personal choice comes in like brands of paint and rattlecan or airbrush. We choose according to our style of building. I wanted a leather that was "THIN", supple, and "STRETCHY". Also soft to the touch, with a nice grain and over-all appearance. "THIS IS WHERE HANDS ON RESEARCH COMES IN". I find a leather that is between .012" - .017" thick is optimal.. Anything over that and the "STRETCHY" DISAPPEARS QUICKLY, and the extra thickness, becomes a HUGE ISSUE FOR SCALE AND APPEARANCE. A lot of this I won't be real specific, because I think each of you need to do the "Leg-Work and Research" yourself to make the choices, and get educated. "KNOWLEDGE AND INFORMATION IS POWER" , thats why I know so much - I PAYED MY DUES . Not only are leather shops a good place to get what you want, but so are thrift stores. Ladies purses, gloves, coats, pants, etc., can be inexpensive suppliers for the leather and colors you want to use. What was really cool was that after working with very thin, very nice leathers from the leather goods store, your hands get a sort of "Sixth Sense" as to thickness and quality when you go to thrift stores to look for your treasures. Thickness of the leather is one of my top considerations, as it affects every step of the process. I use a set of digital calipers to select the skins I'll purchase. I say skin, because I buy full skins of animasl that has been processed and tanned - mostly goat and pig skin, small animals. Remember too, that every skin or piece that you get from a thrift store varies in thickness, so always measure the thickness of the area of the piece your considering to use - never assume anything. Most of the skins available today at most suppliers, are now from China, and so finding good quality leather will be a bit more difficult and a bit more pricy. I got mine from Denmark and Sweeden many years ago, and are wonderful. Most of you guys here are married, so trying to convince your wife this is a needed expenditure may be a bit of a leap , been single myself for several years, so for me not an issue . TOOLS The tools I use to trim the leather are mainly razor sharp scissors that cut a clean fine edge, and new very sharp #11 xacto blades, and a steel straight edge. The only surface I've applied leather to is styrene plastic, so I've found that Testors old fashioned glue in the orange and white tube work incredibly well. The glue attacks the styrene really well and absorbs well into the back of the leather, without going through to the surface - so a win win. I've never had an occasion to try it on wood or any type of metal, so some room for experimenting for those who want to try. NEXT POSTS I'LL need to select a piece of flat plastic stock and and choose some leather, and design a simple door panel set - front and rear, for the next post in a few days. I'll go through the steps of cutting out the plastic pieces, trimming them to size for clearance, and then gluing and checking for a good interferance fit, and how to trim every thing for a crisp, clean appearance. I can also show you guys how to stain and finish the leather for a nice smooth supple look. SO, THE TOOLS YOU'LL NEED TO START. Digital calipers. Very sharp scissors. I use several sizes. New sharp #11 xacto blades. Steel straight edge. Testors glue. Patience . And a willingness to make mistakes. Edited February 24, 2010 by Treehugger Dave
Modlbldr Posted February 24, 2010 Posted February 24, 2010 What the..... That's it???? I was just getting into this. Oh, man. Build me up just to leave me hangin'! But honey, I need your old purse. No, Not for my wardrobe. It's for my model.....Honest. How come you don't believe me? Seriously though, Dave. Looking forward to the next installment. Those builds all look great, but I LOVE that 55 Chevy interior. Great job. Later-
crazyjim Posted February 24, 2010 Posted February 24, 2010 Read your latest post with great interest, Dave, and then I had a brain fart. Maybe the leather from old attache/brief cases could work. I have a couple collecting dust. And then I thought maybe the fabric from suitcases and carry-on bags. I don't know if they're canvas or nylon. But maybe???
Junkman Posted February 24, 2010 Posted February 24, 2010 Hmmm... The thinnest leather I can get is .040 - .045 (1 - 1.1 mm). What now?
Jon Cole Posted February 24, 2010 Posted February 24, 2010 Not only is this going to be a great "how-to" series, but after studying the photos, you should plan next on doing a "simulated wood" article! First things first though.
E St. Kruiser50 Posted February 25, 2010 Author Posted February 25, 2010 (edited) Not only is this going to be a great "how-to" series, but after studying the photos, you should plan next on doing a "simulated wood" article! First things first though. Several of the cars in the pics have real wood, and some are "Faux" painted, a wet 'N' wet multi-color painting technique I use. Been a wood worker for decades, and love exotic woods from around the world, so whenever I get a chance or a whim , I'll head across town to a place that supplies rare woods all over the world - LUCKY ME that it's so close here in town. One of my favorites is a beautifully figured "THUYA BURL" from Algeria and Morocco in Northern Africa. Incredbly beautiful and rare, a very small sliver of this wood can cost $75 - $100. I save even the smallest scraps in a baggy. It's rarity and popularity go back to the time of Christ, and the Greek and Roman Empire, and was originally called thyine wood - highly prized and rare even then. Knowing the history of things like this, and using them this way in my hobby, adds to the romanticism of the world and culture we all share. I love history, and knowing about the world around me. Instead of just building plastic models, you add a little "Class" . Edited February 25, 2010 by Treehugger Dave
E St. Kruiser50 Posted February 25, 2010 Author Posted February 25, 2010 Hmmm... The thinnest leather I can get is .040 - .045 (1 - 1.1 mm). What now? For me .040" is way too thick to do anything workable or scale. Do a little "detective work", in your area and see what you can find. Originally I had the same problem, but I didn't settle 'till I found what I wanted. It took me a while, but I did find it .
Karmodeler2 Posted February 25, 2010 Posted February 25, 2010 To me sharing is something we should all do to help each other. If someone is afraid to share their "Secrets", then to me they probably have a pretty shallow sense of their own skills and abilities - SAD. A lot of this I won't be real specific, because I think each of you need to do the "Leg-Work and Research" yourself to make the choices, and get educated. "KNOWLEDGE AND INFORMATION IS POWER" , thats why I know so much - I PAYED MY DUES . Sounds to me like you might be contradicting yourself. What gives? And I don't want to be the one to rain on your parade (or post), but I saw your "chrome" system at GSL and unless something has changed, I will assume you are still in the early stages of development. Be honest, David. You and I both know that it looked, at best, like a gravel road that had some mica in it. I know you may not like criticism, and that's fine, but the truth is the truth and there were more than a dozen there that felt the same way. I'm probably the only one who can honestly speak the truth. Urethanes have been around for many years, so I will guess that you are referring to the combination of your chrome and urethanes being the first in our hobby. David
E St. Kruiser50 Posted February 25, 2010 Author Posted February 25, 2010 And I don't want to be the one to rain on your parade (or post )... David No parade here David, but we do get a lot of rain in Oregon . Hope you enjoy the thread. Hope to see some helpful idea's from you in the future also .
Railfreak78 Posted February 25, 2010 Posted February 25, 2010 Great... As a very poor hope to be soon bike Rider ( my 1st 1:1 Project bike is in restore mode ) all these guys without a way to measure the thickness will be buying up great leather vests and jackets from the thrift store Seriously thanks for starting the thread and showing us how to do things. Not to change subject but I have family in Portland and in WA. This place you use have anything that small that resembles snake skin?
Mooneyzs Posted February 25, 2010 Posted February 25, 2010 This is such a cool thread. I can't wait to see more how this is done. Your Kits look great with those interior's Dave. I will be following this thread for sure.
E St. Kruiser50 Posted February 25, 2010 Author Posted February 25, 2010 Great... As a very poor hope to be soon bike Rider ( my 1st 1:1 Project bike is in restore mode ) all these guys without a way to measure the thickness will be buying up great leather vests and jackets from the thrift store Seriously thanks for starting the thread and showing us how to do things. Not to change subject but I have family in Portland and in WA. This place you use have anything that small that resembles snake skin? Snake skin uhh-I don't think so, but if you GOOGLE, I think you'll find what you're lookin for, maybe in your area. Good luck - dave
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