Wet Formed Leather Phone Case : 11 Steps (with Pictures)

28 Oct.,2024

 

Wet Formed Leather Case : 11 Steps (with Pictures)

You're not going to need a lot of materials for this project, but you will need a few tools, specifically some standard wood working tools like a router and saw. You'll also need a few leather working tools like bevelers and slickers but if you don't have those at your disposal fear not, I've included links below to a few Instructables where you can learn how to make them for yourself, (I've also included links to Amazon if you'd prefer to buy them.)

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Materials

Leather - I use 6 ounce vegetable tanned leather for this project which is my go to leather for just about every project I do. Finding sources for leather can be tricky, retailers like Tandy Leather can be a great resource for small projects like this one, but also check around your area for saddle shops or custom leather shops as you can sometimes get scraps or seconds for next to nothing.

E Glue- There are dedicated glues for working with leather but I have found that E does a pretty fantastic job of bonding leather together and the nice thing is that you can purchase it at many craft stores and home improvement stores for half the cost of commercial leather glues. E is a flexible adhesive which means that it will bend and flex with the leather helping your case to last longer.

Leather Finish - Although I've dabbled in leather working for a while now I still consider myself to be a bit of a beginner when it comes to things like leather finishes. for this project I use olive oil to seal and protect the leather, if you research using oil to seal and finish leather you'll find that some people swear by it and other people think it's the worst idea since the 1 watt light bulb. personally I like oil finishes on leather, I think they are easy to apply, look nice, and are easy to keep up as all you have to do is wipe on some more oil if your finish starts to wear thin.

*Update: After some great posts in the comments I have learned that oils like Neatsfoot Oil are a much better option when finishing leather as they don't run the risk of going rancid like olive or vegetable oils do.

Gum Tragacanth - This substance is used to slick and seal the edges of leather. some people say you can use water or even saliva in place of this but you'll not get the same pro level results. a bottle of this stuff will run you about 10 dollars and will last for years, if you plan to do any leather working at all I'd advise that you bit the bullet and but a bottle.

- you'll need what ever that you're making the case for so that you can trace it to make a wooden analog that will be used to wet form the leather over. For this project I used my Samsung Galaxy S5.

Tools

Table Saw - Building this project requires a bit of wood working as you'll have to make a wooden replica of your and a wooden frame to press and hold the leather over the replica. You'll need some way to cut wood, a table saw is my tool of choice but a band saw, jig saw, circular saw, or even a hand saw could do the job with acceptable results.

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Drill & Bits

Kreg Pocket Hole Jig - This is an awesome little tool! I used it to assemble the frame used for stretching the leather over the wooden replica. The kreg screws screws pull the wood tightly together and allow you to adjust the frame to the exact size you need.

Router

Jig Saw

Clamps

Utility/Craft Knife

Edge Beveler and Edge Slicker - These are two tools designed to finish the edges of leather, (think about leather items you own, have you ever noticed the shiny polished edges? These are the tools that do that.) The beveler rounds the straight edges left from cutting the leather and the slicker works down the cut fibers of the leather's edge polishing them together into a smooth surface. Note that the slicker is used in conjunction with Gum Tragacanth which helps the leather fibers to bond together allowing that polished surface to form more easily.

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