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Buttero Bifold Wallet

Just finished my first run through of the bifold wallet build. Really loved this one given how surprisingly challenging it was. First a question (so you don't have to read through my "post build" notes).

Given buttero's stiffness, I'm wondering if I could do away with some of the reinforcement particularly the canvas on the exterior lining and the thinner reinforcement used on the folded double partition? Not sure it matters since it's not adding much thickness but curious anyway.

Here's a few notes from this build The center partition was supposed to be the same color but I sliced it while attempting to thin it down a bit. I didn't have enough Burgundy colored leather left so my only option was a piece of 1.2mm chestnut.

Getting this piece thin enough was tricky until I realized I could use my woodworking block plane to do most of the heavy lifting. This required a "shave-sharp" blade and some patience but ultimately got it down to between .5 and .7 (edges were a little thinner than the center), It was still a little too thick causing some creasing when folding. I later used this same approach for making some of my edge binding strips removing a good bit of thickness from a piece of .5mm leather. I resharpened the plane blade a couple times during this process to make sure I was making clean cuts. Ensuring the plane is making a level cut and keeping pressure near the heel (back) of the plane rather than toe produced the best results.

I ended up making a mistake with the exterior by trimming it too narrow making folding over the right and left edges difficult. I also had some difficulty trimming the binding after it was folded over (definitely got too close to the pricking iron holes in some places). Even so, it was a good first attempt and I'm eager to make another.

6 comments

6 Comments

Leathercraft Masterclass

Jul 21

Wow, well done for figuring out how to thin down leather with a block plane! A popular option that's similar is a spokeshave. Bookbinders use them to thin down leather. Quite messy I imagine, and they do require modifying I believe.

I was wondering what the wallet is going to look like with the tactical color switch, but after seeing the images, I have to agree with Feather, it's a nice contrast that works with the burgundy.

Feather

Jul 21

Replying to

Now I'm going to have to look into using my spokeshave too! Thanks for the Monday morning rabbit hole!

herchmerquad

Jul 22

Replying to

Thanks Phil. Definitely encountered some challenges and actually just finished making another to improve some of the mistakes I made. Never tried using my spoke shave and may need to do some research on that

I am curious to know if some of the reinforcement could be omitted when using a firmer leather throughout (like buttero)? I'm guessing it would still be necessary to add some structure given how thin all the pieces need to be (firm or not).

Leathercraft Masterclass

Aug 02

Replying to

Yes, veg-tan isn't going to need the same kind of reinforcement that chroome-tan needs. It will likely be firm enough already. If you think it's needed, you can always glue in some thin fabric like rip-stop to prevent stretch in certain areas though.

Feather

Jul 20

The chestnut center partition adds a nice bit of contrast. I like it.

I've been suspecting either my #4 smoothing plane or my bevel up #1 would make solid work out of skiving larger areas of leather, assuming I manage to securely hold everything down. Glad to hear you had success with your block plane. What did you use to hold the leather down while you shaved it down with your block plane?

herchmerquad

Jul 22

Replying to

Thanks I appreciate that. I was fine with it (the contrasting leather) even though it wasn't my first choice. The piece I thinned down with my block plane was roughly 14x10 inches (35x25cm). I used 2 F clamps to hold down the corners of the leather closest to me. This allowed me to shave down the top half of the leather at which point I would rotate the leather 180º and shave down the other half. The clamps kind of limit what you can access given the length of the plane.

As for woodworking planes, I've tested this with both my #4 and low angle jack plane but seem to have more control with the block plane especially when working with thinner pieces of leather. Using a blade with a slight camber also helps to prevent the corners of the blade from catching.

Additionally, I've only been successful doing this with relatively firm / tight grained veg tan. Softer leathers quickly start to stretch and catch the blade.

I still rely mostly on my hand skiving for thinning down almost everything but if you need to thin a larger piece, a woodworking plane is one way to do it (obviously not the best way but a way nonetheless).