Restoring And Customising A Briefcase

[Kosmic-kowgirl]

Besides, there's no electricity used in treadle machines , all human power lol

[my63]

Thanks for the kind words Kate

it is still out of my price range.

In order to have room for the laptop and its case the old dividers have to be replaced with taller ones, these dividers are sewn into the base and sides of the bag to facilitate that I need to transfer the holes from the old divider to the new one.

The reason for using kydex is because it is very strong for its weight however that makes putting holes in it rather difficult

 

IMG_8680_1 by my0771, on Flickr

 

I have fixed the old divider to the replacement with some thread then using a hammer and punch I have transferred the holes.

 

IMG_8682_1 by my0771, on Flickr

 

I now need to make corresponding holes in the leather that will sandwich the kydex

[my63]

I was very careful in transferring marking and punching the holes but when I put everything together they were no where near so I had to make new holes with the awl

 

IMG_8685_1 by my0771, on Flickr

 

This picture may look confusing the red stitching is along the bottom of the bag the bottom of the bag is wrapped around the base of the divider and the stitching goes through all of the layers and fastens it all together

 

Thanks

 

Michael

[my63]

This project is progressing now.

Both dividers are finished and sewn in place at the bottom,

 

IMG_8691_1 by my0771, on Flickr

 

IMG_8690_1 by my0771, on Flickr

 

Sewing is difficult as there are four layers of leather and one thickness of kydex even my heaviest awl is bending with the force required to pierce through

 

Thanks for looking

 

Michael

[my63]

The bottom of the dividers are now sewn into the bottom of the bag and I have now started on the side sections.

 

IMG_8707_1 by my0771, on Flickr

 

After consultation we decided to reduce the number of pockets to two this allows the remaining space to be available for other things

 

IMG_8705_1 by my0771, on Flickr

 

The internal flaps in the open position

 

IMG_8710_1 by my0771, on Flickr

 

Thanks for looking

 

Michael

[my63]

The inside of the bag is now finished and it is time to start re assembly.

I fixed the two top sections left and right and applied glue as I started each section. I started at the top left corner here you can see the lower front left corner.

 

Rogers bag by my0771, on Flickr

 

The original stitching had joints at each corner I have decided to have 1 joint near to the centre which you can see here.

 

Rogers bag by my0771, on Flickr

 

I am about to start sewing the lower right corner which I glued in place last night

 

IMG_8753_1 by my0771, on Flickr.

 

There is still a long way to go on this project

 

Thanks for looking

 

Michael

[my63]

I don't want to bore anyone by repeating pictures, Anyway they would be exactly the same as the previous pictures

I have spent the bulk of today finishing off sewing the front in place after that for good measure I sewed the back in place as well.

The back and front are now in place the next step involves the refitting of the closing mechanism and the locking flap, I have left all of the threads long so the are easy to see each joint has been sewn in and will be trimmed and sealed.

The next jobs will be to seal all of the exposed edges with an acrylic edge dye which will then be sanded smooth and coated with beeswax.

Following this the whole bag will be cleaned and given a coat of mink oil then carnauba wax.

 

Thanks for looking

 

Michael

[Keyless Works]

Great work. I am not sure why people would advocate machine stitching when your saddle stitch looks excellent. High end leather products are all hand stitched...any master leather artisan will always hand stitch unless it is not possible.

 

I have compared Swaine Adeney Brigg briefcases (hand stitched) to their lower end line, Papworth's machine stitched which uses the same leather and the difference is noticeable. The needles machines use create noticeably bigger holes in the leather. Papworth does hand stitched too and for the same briefcase the hand stitched is about 1000 GBP more

[CindyK]

it has been a delightfully engaging adventure, Michael, watching you restore this briefcase. You ARE an artisan of considerable skill and should be proud of your workmanship. Thank you for sharing this restoration with us.

 

CindyK

[my63]

Great work. I am not sure why people would advocate machine stitching when your saddle stitch looks excellent. High end leather products are all hand stitched...any master leather artisan will always hand stitch unless it is not possible.

 

I have compared Swaine Adeney Brigg briefcases (hand stitched) to their lower end line, Papworth's machine stitched which uses the same leather and the difference is noticeable. The needles machines use create noticeably bigger holes in the leather. Papworth does hand stitched too and for the same briefcase the hand stitched is about 1000 GBP more

I like to make things by hand there is a lot of hand sewing in this project I have looked at the bags you linked to they are fantastic and so are there prices.

They have all of the beat hides to work with and all of the correct tools.

I am discussing making a bag for someone so we might yet get to see my version of this type of laptop bag.

I like your avatar Sir Humphrey I believe

it has been a delightfully engaging adventure, Michael, watching you restore this briefcase. You ARE an artisan of considerable skill and should be proud of your workmanship. Thank you for sharing this restoration with us.

 

CindyK

Thanks CindyK

I am pleased that you have enjoyed the process the bag is almost finished I am attaching the metal frame that closes the bag now it needs about another ten hours mostly sewing

There are many more projects that I want to make so I hope to keep you entertained for a little while yet.

[my63]

The main body of the bag is together now the final part of re assembly is to fit the top section which I have began to fit.

 

IMG_8770 by my0771, on Flickr

 

IMG_8772 by my0771, on Flickr

 

The long ends you can see on the right front and back left were used to join the top section to the main body I just need to sew the front and rear sections

 

Thanks

[my63]

As you can see I have started to fix the upper section of the case in place as ever there is a lot of sewing involved.

 

IMG_8794 by my0771, on Flickr

 

My main concern has been that the bag would continue to close with the additions I have made good news it still closes.

 

 

Thanks for looking

 

Michael

[my63]

This is the second picture from the post above

 

IMG_8791 by my0771, on Flickr

 

[jsolares]

It's really coming together great, nice work!

[my63]

It's really coming together great, nice work!

Thanks

I am unwell at the moment so your compliments have cheered me up

[stonezebra]

What a fascinating process. That briefcase is transformed. Thank you for letting us look over your shoulder.

Edited October 14, 2014 by stonezebra

[pen2paper]

Somehow I've missed viewing your projects. It was such a pleasure to open this thread, revisiting your thoughtful consideration of the project at hand, and then artfully expressed review of your process. Yes, you could use machinery, but that would deprive us viewers, and the delighted prospective new owner of the joy your every hand stitch contributes.

 

I've never been expert with needle in hand, but once, for a brief period, my correct stitches in another medium were compliment by an expert. So I might be allowed to offer my solid appreciation for your very fine hand work.

 

Also, I send warm wishes that soon you'll be at your most worthy efforts again.

Thank you for sharing all of this with Us. Very much appreciated.

[my63]

Thank you stonezebra and pen2paper for your kind words I have not been able to do any work on projects however I have been catching up on some tv and saw an interesting antique related show where a leather case was shown containing three glass vials with silver tops and I thought it would make a great idea for some special fountain pens.

More of that later.

 

Our friend Keyless works mentioned Swaine Adeney Brigg briefcases and provided a link to their website as I was reading I found a section where it was mentioned that they had taken over a number of smaller companies over the years, One of these companies used a trade name Pendragon a quick internet search showed up a number of cases and two in particular I did not win the first one but I did win the second so although I have not made any progress on my existing projects I have one on the way and an idea for another

 

 

Thanks again for the kind words they are appreciated.

 

Michael

Edited October 13, 2014 by my63

[Skyppere]

Life is funny at times I made what I considered a silly offer on the first bag never thinking I would win it, and I did.

At the same time I made a bid on another bag again not really thinking I would win well I won that one too.

 

So I guess I will be restoring another bag.

 

2 bag 1 by my0771, on Flickr.

 

I have started the restoration process cleaning first then feeding the next stage will be to take it all apart.

 

Yesterday

 

IMG_7972 by my0771, on Flickr

 

Today

 

IMG_7978 by my0771, on Flickr

 

It may seem a little odd to clean and feed the leather and then take it apart but the leather was very dry and can be brittle when it is dry this leather may not have been treated for decades. So I have fed the leather with natural oils and fats to make it soft and supple again.

I will continue this process until the leather will not absorb anymore feed.

 

Thanks for looking

 

Michael

What did you feed it with?

skyppere

[Skyppere]

The inside of the bag is now finished and it is time to start re assembly.

I fixed the two top sections left and right and applied glue as I started each section. I started at the top left corner here you can see the lower front left corner.

 

Rogers bag by my0771, on Flickr

 

The original stitching had joints at each corner I have decided to have 1 joint near to the centre which you can see here.

 

Rogers bag by my0771, on Flickr

 

I am about to start sewing the lower right corner which I glued in place last night

 

IMG_8753_1 by my0771, on Flickr.

 

There is still a long way to go on this project

 

Thanks for looking

 

Michael

I am fascinated by this! I'm so glad you're posting it. Can I ask, is the stitching difficult? I'm trying to imagine pushing a needle through leather... do you have some gloves or maybe even a thimble to help you push the needle through?