Tag: leather

The Allure of Imperfection: Wabi Sabi

I have heard about wabi-sabi before but have not grasped the meaning. This article grasps the concepts.

Originating in Taoism during China’s Song dynasty (960-1279) before being passed onto Zen Buddhism, wabi-sabi was originally seen as an austere, restrained form of appreciation. Today it encapsulates a more relaxed acceptance of transience, nature and melancholy, favouring the imperfect and incomplete in everything, from architecture to pottery to flower arranging.

Wabi, which roughly means ‘the elegant beauty of humble simplicity’, and sabi, which means ‘the passing of time and subsequent deterioration’, were combined to form a sense unique to Japan and pivotal to Japanese culture. But just as Buddhist monks believed that words were the enemy of understanding, this description can only scratch the surface of the topic.

侘寂

pinyin: chà jì Japanese: 侘と寂 わびとさび

Restored Leather Highback Chair

Leather highback chair needed two leather patches on the seat. After the repair was completed and new metal gliders added. Photo 1 by Don Tai

Leather highback chair needed two leather patches on the seat. After the repair was completed and new metal gliders added. Photo 1 by Don Tai

This leather chair was cast aside, but it beaconed me to come closer. It took little time to determine that it was leather covered and in need of a major repair. Once done, however, the chair was returned to service, and comfortable it is.

Glaringly obvious was the huge gash 6.5″/17cm gash in the seat, as well as a smaller 1″/3cm cut, also in the seat. After I determined that the backing material was actually the very reassuringly natural matte fibers of real leather, I knew the repair could be done.

Adidas Evolution Running Shoe Repair: Tonguectomy and Toe Cap Cut

Adidas Evolution EVN 791001 in white, tonguectomy and repair of leather split near the little toe. Toronto, Canada. Photo 1 by Don Tai

Adidas Evolution EVN 791001 in white, tonguectomy and repair of leather split near the little toe. Toronto, Canada. Photo 1 by Don Tai

She has a pair of Adidas Evolution EVN 791001 leather running shoes, but the tongue was too thick and there was a cut in the leather on the toe cap, left foot and near the baby toe, D5. Here is how I repaired it. These shoes are made in China but are solidly built. Unfortunately there was some quality control issues with the split leather.

Shoe Tonguectomy

LGL Red Leather Shoes Model 369-3

LGL leather shoes, model 369-3, oxblood leather and elastic. Right view. Toronto, Canada Photo 1 by Don Tai

LGL leather shoes, model 369-3, oxblood leather and elastic. Right view. Toronto, Canada Photo 1 by Don Tai

Bought these shoes used, I did, because they are really funky and fun. After I bought them home I tried to identify them and, even with the power of the internet, could not. The logo on the inside bottom of the shoes looks like “LGL”, “or a wierd “IGI”. They are oxblood coloured with multi-coloured elastic in between the strips of leather. Distinctive they are, but still I cannot identify them. If you know the maker of these shoes please leave me a message. Thanks.

Learn to Sew Leather from Craftsman Cechaflo

Learning is difficult and always hit and miss. Of course it is best to learn from a competent teacher, but often you do not know anyone with such high credentials. Often I get an interest and learn on my own. You go to the store and ask questions. There are books to read and then you experiment, learning as you go. Of course your results may vary. After lots of projects you might get it right. Really, it is best to find a great teacher.

Repairing an Olympia Nomad Textile Motorcycle Jacket

Olympia Nomad motorcycle jacket: nice jacket, well constructed inside and out

Olympia Nomad motorcycle jacket: nice jacket, well constructed inside and out

Textile motorcycle jackets are really for one time crash use, then they are trashed. “Face”, from Toronto, Ontario, Canada had bought an Olympia Nomad textile motorcycle jacket in May 2012, then lowsided at 80 mph in Montana in July 2012. With only a couple of months of use and about $300US later, it was a shame to trash the jacket. We opted to try a repair of the damage. The jacket had minor melting and a hole in the left elbow, some teeth missing from one of the air vent zippers, small rips of the cordura that covered the zipper, and abrasion and stitching destroyed in the slide. The right elbow had a couple seams abraded away that needed to be resewn.

Instructibles Leather Links

Hhere are some interesting leather working links, all from Instructibles. They have some great tip on making near anything. These are leather related. Leather is an excellent material to use, being all natural. Mankind has a long history of using leather to survive, and rightly so. If taken care of leather will last a lifetime and keep its suppleness as well as protective properties.

  • Make a leather watchband or bracelet: This is really a Leather 101 course because it covers leather prep, stamping, rivets, staining and finishing. This is an awesome instructible. (KentsOkay)
  • Leather Bookbinding: Not so difficult, but the instructions are very clear. (gmjhowe)
  • Make leather stamps: He calls them leather tooling punches, but these are leather stamps. I will need to try this but won’t use a nail. I will probably use a bolt instead. Then again the nails he uses are quite thick. Still, pretty cool how he makes these. (cbm104)
  • How to Peen a Rivet: from a nail. Beginner’s guide to tradition riveting

I will add to this list as I find more leather projects.

Looking for Ryan Wright, Mount Albert, Ontario

Something happened at my local Tandy Leather, Scarborough, Canada and the manager Ryan Wright was removed, the store taken over by head office. I’d like to get into contact with him and ask him what happened. Ryan is a very nice guy and I wish him well.

Ryan Wright, Mount Albert (just north of Newmarket), Ontario. Leather worker, blacksmith, archery, metal work and primitive arts and crafts, larper (live action role play) with Epoch Toronto.

“eirikthered” from PaleoPlanet.

eirikthered@hotmail.com

DIY Perforated Leather for Motorcycle Gear

Cooler than leather better than mesh: perforated leather

Cooler than leather better than mesh: perforated leather

Leather gear is very protective, offering the rider both impact, with armour, and abrasion resistance. Use by professional sportbike riders is a pretty good endorsement for its utility. Unfortunately leather, like anything else, has its disadvantages, two of which is weight and that it is hot to wear. While we cannot do much about the weight issue, adding small perforations to the leather will allow increased air flow and cooling without compromising protectiveness. While perforated motorcycle gear is popular with the summer rider, it is expensive, even more expensive than non-perforated gear. I’ll cover a possible method to perforate your own leather gear.

Does Motorcycle Mesh Gear Melt in a Crash?

If you ride a motorcycle you know you take more chances on the road than if encased in a steel and glass condom. An obvious question is how to reduce a rider’s risk? The answer is multifold, but starts between the rider’s ears: Develop that innate “spidey sense” to predict that a dumb cager will do an idiot move, move out of the way, and then watch as life unfolds, with the rider safely out of harm’s way. Another tactic is to increase your conspicuity: Wear a bright pink bikini bunny suit with a reflective vest. That might work. Or not. Yet another tactic is to wear personal protective equipment, or what bikers call “gear”. Of course thick leather is best, but in the heat of the summer you could pass out from heat exhaustion. Mesh is very popular and affordable, but does it protect you in a crash? A common impression is that mesh will melt against your skin during a crash, causing you more pain and suffering. One needs to ask “Does mesh really melt in a crash”? In short, mesh does protect you in a crash, and in general mesh does not melt in a crash. Last Update: July 08 2013.