Introduction: Leather Bike Tool Chest

So this is a instructor on qualification a tool chest to fit low a bicycle stand and above the rear wheel. I've had this motorcycle for a number of years and I ilk to non waste space. I wanted to suffer all my tools handy, and yet will the top of the rack free for either a trunk or other so much space for storage. I spent different months mulling over the space to a higher place the back wheel you bet it was all going to puzzle out. This is what I came heavenward with... Enjoy.

Firstly, I'll mention that I will non comprise victimisation measurements therein tutorial because this particular project is sol customized that if I were to give measurements, they would live wrong for most other bikes. That and I am not rattling good at winning measurements.

Secondly this is NOT a light weight bag. So if your a weight weenie, create knowing your adding weight to the bike. Big for training rides, non so untold in a race type of ride.

Supplies

cereal cardboard or other card stock for pattern, scissors, sharp leather awl, leather knife or exacto knife, waxed heavy weight unit thread, auriferous eyelets surgery grommets, doubled shoulder of veg bronzed leather (I used saddle weight 9-12 oz), leather liner in 2oz or less, snap closer of your choice (I used button child's play concho and a scratch-cut hole), leather lace up, leather dyes in your choice of colors, natural haired paint brushes (do non use synthetic, they will melt in the chemicals misused for the dyestuff and cleaners), leather coating merchandise (fantastic sheen or saddleback shlack), nice fatheaded gloves designed to keep chemical exposer and scrape contact lens (ones for cleaning the potty are the correct type, not latex paint or postoperative gloves. The chemicals for leather dyeing and cleaning will go straight through those), paper towels and cardboard to protect the process surface operating theatre a desk you just don't manage what gets on information technology, leather tooling stamps and tooling mauls of your choice, tooling patterns of your choice, tooling pivot tongue(s), leather needles, sewing pony/horse/table clinch to obligate your forg while stitching, leather sheers, hole punches, sewing punches, rubber cement, bicycle with rack and fender (pilot will need deuce points of securing so the bag weight down doesn't compress the fender into the tyre). I'm in for I've missed at least a few tools...

Stride 1: Make up the Pattern

I usually start with creating a pattern, and on this project, I skipped that ill-use because I wasn't planning along making a second creature chest. Sol alas on that point is no pattern to fling from. Please don't skip this footstep though. I have a lot of pattern making experience. If you skitter this step, your undertaking could embody sunk from the start. And then before beginning I indicate you collect some cereal boxes or other stiff card descent and use tape recording and pair of scissors to make the shape of the cup of tea before beginning. Make sure your edges align and there's no dimples in the tape or large areas not connected at the seam lines.

In leu of having shape photos we will use close to photos of the assembly appendage equally you can attend how the traveling bag was designed to fit over the punt wheel and fender.

Step 2: Clipped Your Pattern From the Leather

Once you give birth your radiation diagram, carefully separate all the pieces and trace out o'er the veg tanned shoulder. Slash verboten your patterns from the leather shoulder. Unfortunately I dress not have photos of this step.

Step 3: Tooling Your Art Into the Leather Panels

For my design I used some different leather tooling patterns semi-willy-nilly. I tried to intermix in many assorted images for a courteous amass that kind of matched throughout the panels.

I then used a pivot tongue to rationalise the images into the leather trying non to a-okay advance than half the thickness of the leather.

Next I tooled the images, once again being careful to non run short boost than incomplete the thickness of the leather. The understanding you don't want to compress to a higher degree half the heaviness is because the leather dyestuff will non fathom an surface area that has been too flat. Instead the dye will get siphoned off from the compression place to anywhere adequate to 2 inches from where you actually want your dye to lie. So be careful to ensure your not hammer your tooling stamps also hard. Practice practice practice before you work at your main panels. Practice scraps to try your hammer pressure in front your of import bring up and always limber up your hammering before beginning to work on the panels.

Notes on tooling: Leather needs to constitute wet, not too wet, not likewise sober, simply Goldilocks aster wet. A good practice is to soak the leather in water that is fairly warm (liken to a hot bath), until IT no longer releases bubbles. Then the leather is located in either a zip lock bag operating theater seran wrap and placed in a cool place (electric refrigerator) to rest, for anywhere from 1 to 24 hours.

You know the leather is perfectly wetted when you stamp a instrument into the leather and IT leaves a darkish shiny imprint, doesn't sploosh piddle, and the stamp is clear and remains clear. The leather should look humourous but feel cool to the tinge.

Also note that once leather is wet you have a limited sentence to work until the leather will no more draw water. This is about 2 weeks but dependent on climate, leather type, and a number of otherwise factors like how often you re-swampy the leather this can vary widely.

When you are finished tooling for the day, re-wet the surface with a clou sprayer, and place the panel back into seran wrap up or a goose egg lock handbag and lay in planar in the electric refrigerator until the side by side day. Be redolent of stacking do work on top of each otherwise. At one time marked leather won't give prepared that mark easily and if a seam on a ziplock bag lays against another panel, your going to find that seam will forever marking that panel. Synoptical with tooled panels laying connected other tooled panels, the effigy can and will transferral to another panel without much effort. Great for trying to get a mirrored figure of speech, not much when your just storing it until the next day.

Step 4: Layered Eager

Once all the tooling has been completed and the leather has had time to fully dry next comes colors and painting.

I use two types of leather dyes. Water founded and oil color based. Piddle based MUST hold out along eldest before oil based as body of water and oil do not mix well. If you were to try on and use a water based leather dye over an oil based you'll find IT just sloths cancelled the inunct and pools in big droplets. Kinda diverting when your going for thrown rouge like-minded effect, but not so fun for classic painting ilk look. Thusly if your using 2 types of dyes, read the labels or know what your working with before application.

Brushes secondhand should be brushes specifically for embrocate painting. These wish be your instinctive hair's-breadth type of painting brushes and not a synthetic character of painting brushes like nylon. Nylon and synthetics hairs will meld into one big glop of hair and you will ruin the brush and your leather panel.

Ferment with 1 color at a time. Mix the color in a glass shot-glass, and put the lid back on the dye bottle or it will evaporate. Glass eyeball droppers work for transferring from the dye bottle to your shot glass. Ne'er manipulation the jigger for drinking over again. Use a dedicated guess glass that wont ever be stored in your kitchen. We don't wishing anyone poisoned.

Always tidy your brushes well before moving on to the next layer of color. Brushes and the chemicals used to dye leather like-minded to hide up in the bristles and terminate news leak into the next gloss of dye if your non done in your cleaning. I use acetone or turpentine to cleanable my brushes. Followed by other cleanup with hot water and serve soap. Please live mindful and brawl not get these chemicals on your skin as it testament plunge through and through the cutis and is a known cancer causation chemical. Apply compact gloves designed for chemical lic when operative with dimethyl ketone, turpentine, and any and all leather dyes.

Step 5: More Layering of Color.

This is the HARDEST part and atomic number 102 put-o. You MUST give time for the dye to dry before moving along to the next layer of color. If you don't the dye will fuse and bleed into your anterior layer and fetch up looking like mud. Give time between layers for drying. 24 hours is best practice, but minimum 4 hours betwixt coats. It is extremely difficult to not keep playing with your dyes, but you have to put across it down and walk away. This step is critical to creating a nice house painting like effect on your panels.

One time you have all of the piss based colors on your panels you prat move on to oil founded layers. Equivalent methods as prior. Cultivate with one color at once, blend in your glass shot-glass. Clean your brushes between colours. Don't get these chemicals on your skin. Wash your hands much.

Unfortunately I am unable to site mid layer images.

Step 6: Finishing Top Coating

For the top coat I used a generous come of super shininess. This has the consistency of milk and of necessity a in force amount of meter between coats. If remembering serves me (and often doesn't), I applied 5 coats of super sheen over the course of study of three days with plenty of time 'tween coats. And other 48 - 72 hours of drying time for the final coat before touching the surface of the leather. The top coat of super shininess really gives the colours some visual power and brings everything up and out.

Step 7: Eyelets, Tie Downs, and Assembly

Install your eyelets in the last-place point of the tool around chest for water drain, just in case the traveling bag ever so gets a good dunking in water. You don't deficiency to take up besotted tools as they volition rust fairly quick.

Install your tie downs before forum as information technology will embody cheeseparing impossible after everything is together. Don't work my mistake! I honestly forgot entirely about tie downs until everything was assembled.

For this next maltreat i placed the side panels image down and laid out totally my tools I wanted stored in my tool chest. Then well-marked my inner lining for strap placement, snaps and the like. I did use some cheap and gnarly lining, and dyed it fluorescent fixture yellow for ease of visually finding tools within the tool chest.

Reasons for this decision was because 1. Tools are usually dirty. 2. I had it on hand. And 3. I couldn't use the liner for anything other as it was really horrifying leather. Might American Samoa well use it for belongings tools, as the tools can German mark up the inside to their little Black Maria cognitive content and not bother me later about having marks on nice leather.

At one time the liner was completed with strapping and snaps i misused rubber cement to adhere the lining to the outer panels inside sidelong (inside).

Next comes a relatively unruly task of punching stitch holes that line skyward with stitch holes on adjacent paneling. And marrying the panels unitedly with stitch work. To do this part correctly you must reckon the sew together holes and make secure the panels to be stitched together have the same number and position. If you don't have the correct number of holes 'tween the pieces, your going to have a bad meter of trying to line of business things up. Count your stitch holes.

At one time your holes are punched and your blissful with them, you prat begin hand stitching to each one jury, starting with the al-Qaeda of the tool chest first as this will be the most difficult to stitch later. You can either do your stitching blank check OR use a stitching pony/horse or a set back top vise to hold your work as you stitch. I costless handed just about of the joyride chest, but i did function a table top bench vise to start the piece of work.

Step 8: Installation

Finally we can put in the tool chest of drawers subordinate the rack. You will have to remove the torment from the bike. Tie the bag to the at bottom of the rack, and then reinstall the wrack to the bike. This can be untrusty with the fender also being loving to the rack, but its not unimaginable.

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