Shaping Pleather?
- Thread starter Raffles
- Start date
duck
Active Member
Not really. I mean, it depends on how deep and big this hemisphere is. I've been able to sorta mold and form pleather, with mixed results. I used a hair drying on low setting (to not melt it but soften it as much as possible), then sorta pounded it around a shape, but the fabric backing of pleather really doesn't hold much shape and makes it hard for the rubber/vinyl pleather front to keep a form.
In general, it hasn't worked too well, but I was able to get some decent shapes. One suggestion would be to make a positive mold of the hemisphere, let's say a small metal bowl for argument sake, heat up a small sheet of pleather and then aggressively stretch it around the bowl and wait for it to cool, then trim the excess.
Any reason you can't use real leather? That you can form easy and looks better. Unless the job really would benefit from pleather (like sewing in an insert or something where leather would be difficult to use) I never use the stuff and just go with the real thing.
In general, it hasn't worked too well, but I was able to get some decent shapes. One suggestion would be to make a positive mold of the hemisphere, let's say a small metal bowl for argument sake, heat up a small sheet of pleather and then aggressively stretch it around the bowl and wait for it to cool, then trim the excess.
Any reason you can't use real leather? That you can form easy and looks better. Unless the job really would benefit from pleather (like sewing in an insert or something where leather would be difficult to use) I never use the stuff and just go with the real thing.
Raffles
Sr Member
$$$'s.
I live in a land where animal skins are highly prized and only the rich may hunt and carry weapons.
A land where people are denounced as witches for owning a watch and consumed by fire in the Wicker Man.
In short, real leather, in the colour I'm looking for here is really pricey and hard to get in small quantities. What I'd give for a Tandy leather store here.
darthinvictus
Well-Known Member
raffles
i live .25 kilometers from a tandy store
inside are discount tables where odd colors may be had for very little money
what color do you need?
i live .25 kilometers from a tandy store
inside are discount tables where odd colors may be had for very little money
what color do you need?
bleyd
Sr Member
Raffles
Sr Member
Thanks for the link.
I was originally looking to make a couple of custom shaped straps for a current project. They are available to buy new but are overpriced at the moment as my old supplier is unavailable. His cost £6 each others go from £15-30.
Looks like the raw materials in real leather are about 5 times the price of a finished product before I add time and tools etc into it.
Think I'll try and either strip the surface coat off of pleather and laminate it to a pre shaped rubber piece or just wait until the price comes down.
I was originally looking to make a couple of custom shaped straps for a current project. They are available to buy new but are overpriced at the moment as my old supplier is unavailable. His cost £6 each others go from £15-30.
Looks like the raw materials in real leather are about 5 times the price of a finished product before I add time and tools etc into it.
Think I'll try and either strip the surface coat off of pleather and laminate it to a pre shaped rubber piece or just wait until the price comes down.
